Page 71 of Declan

“I just don’t—”

“Autumn, baby, please stop.”

My gaze lifted from the wrinkle in his tee I’d been focused on and my eyes met his.

Fierce. Protective. More red than brown. Yet soft and gentle.

“Let’s take this one step at a time, yeah?”

“But, you’re a man…”

I quickly snapped my mouth shut and bit my bottom lip when a deep, rumble emitted from Declan.

“I am a man. And being that, I’m not an animal. I can control my body’s urges. Trust me to take us where we need to go. I swear to you, I will not hurt you. I will not take what you are not offering. And in return, I will cherish what you give me. I will treasure the gift of all your firsts.”

That did it. I could no longer hold my head up and I face-planted into his chest. Declan’s arms wrapped around me and he let me sob until there were no more tears. In other words, we stood there for a very long time. So long, my legs started to shake. I gave him my weight and he just held me tighter.

“I’m so fucking scared,” I admitted, not lifting my head.

“So am I. But I’m more afraid of not having you. The thought of you exiting my life terrifies me. I got a lotta bad shit bottled up inside of me, Autumn. Shit I need to work out.”

“Are you gonna let me help you do that?”

“Fuck, yeah. The only way this is gonna work is if we both lay it out. I gotta trust you’re strong enough to take me on and you have to trust me to guide you to a place where you can heal.”

Damn, that felt good. I needed that, I needed him to trust me to be strong. Which meant I had to pull up my big-girl panties and stop crying like a baby.

“I’m strong, Declan, you can trust me.”

“Damn right you are.”

The ferocity in his tone gave me chills. He believed I was strong.

I couldn’t stop from smiling, I knew I had to look goofy as hell but I didn’t care.

“You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. Top-to-toe gorgeous, sexy as all fuck. But knowing what you’ve lived through, and still you can stand in your kitchen with my arms around you, smiling up at me the way you are. Christ, baby, there are no words to describe how goddamn stunning you are. Better than a cool breeze on a sunny day. My safe place, my sanctum, my harbor. We’re a beautiful mess, baby. Together, we’ll write our future. Wherever it takes us, as long as I’m with you, I’m home.”

“You have to stop saying stuff like that if you don’t want me sobbing into your shirt, Declan.”

“Cry all you want, Autumn, because, honey, I ain’t never gonna stop telling you what you mean to me.”

I loved that.

So in an effort not to dissolve into a blubbering mess again, I pinched my lips. When I quelled the urge and had put in a good amount of energy to calm my emotions, I told him, “You’re beautiful, too. The first thing I noticed about you was your eyes. They were glowing red at the time, and your blood was trickling down your neck. My first thought was you looked like a beast—a raiding Viking. And since we’re being honest, I thought you were the hottest man I’d ever seen. But it was your eyes that drew me to you. I saw something in them—”

“A kindred soul.” Declan finished my sentence and my breath caught.

“Yeah, my soul recognized yours.”

“Felt the same, Autumn, and from that day to this one, there hasn’t been a day I haven’t felt you in my chest.”

I was going to burst into tears again, I felt them coming. I couldn’t handle Declan’s honesty.

“Kiss me,” I whispered.

Dec didn’t waste any time. His head lowered, he brushed his lips against mine feather-soft, asking permission. I opened for him, then I felt his tongue glide against mine.

A world of sensations I’d never felt exploded. The first time he’d kissed me, I was too afraid to enjoy it. But this time, I savored every stroke. A new kind of desire built, different than the lust I’d felt for him in the past. Better, bigger, stronger. Love and lust mingled and the combination was intoxicating. From one kiss, he made me a believer.