Page 81 of Harbor

You go, I go.

That was their thing.

She promised.

“I’m not going, Ren,” she said. “I’m not.”

Not without him.

She knew it was stupid—she knew he was right. If her family was here for her, then there was really only one way this whole thing was going to end. The rational part of Lucia’s brain recognized that for what it was, but her heart was an entirely different story. It was her heart that was keeping her right where she was, calm and steady.

Unmovable.

She wasn’t leaving.

Not without him.

And they weren’t running because they couldn’t keep doing that.

Not anymore.

“Lucia, please,” Renzo muttered.

It was her turn, now. Her turn to tune out all the things she didn’t want to listen to or knew were the truth. Her turn to pretend like she didn’t hear what he was trying to tell her, and the fact that she knew he was right, even if that’s the very last thing she wanted. It was her turn to be desperate and wild.

She shook her head. “Maybe … maybe if they give me a chance to explain, then they’ll—”

“Lucia, fuck.” Renzo closed the small bit of distance between them, not even allowing her to finish what she was trying to say. His hand came up to grab her right under her jaw in a firm grip. He tipped her head back to force her to stare up at him, and there, she found his honest to God fear staring back at her. “Listen to me.”

“I am,” she breathed. “I know, Ren.”

She could feel the tremor working its way through his fingers. Then again, that could have been her own shaking reverberating through to him, too.

“It’s not going to matter what I tell you, is it?” he murmured, his sadness thick and clear.

“You go, I go. So, no, I’m not going anywhere.”

He swore under his breath. The sound reminded her of heartache and heartbreak. She hated the way it twisted out of his mouth like he didn’t want to say it, but he didn’t have a choice, either.

All those thoughts drifted away when Renzo closed the last bit of distance between them with a kiss that set her blood on fire. His lips against hers were rough and harsh and lovely. Demanding enough to drive her crazy, even if she already was entirely insane because of this man. Savage enough to make her numb and take her breath away. For the moment, their problems didn’t exist. The fear was gone. All it took was the graze of his lips against hers, and the way his tongue struck out against the seam of her mouth for a taste.

He pulled her closer.

She went happily.

“Lucia?”

It was Diego’s quiet, soft voice filtering down the hallway that finally made the two of them break out of their daze. She felt the shuddering exhale of Renzo’s breath graze the top of her head as he rested his chin on her forehead, and held her tight with one arm around her shoulders, and his other still holding under her jaw. All she could do was hold him back—fist her hands into his rumpled jacket, and keep him right there.

Keep him close.

Closer was always going to be better for them.

“Lucia, who is that?” Diego called down the hallway.

Lucia blinked, not sure she was hearing Diego right.

Renzo cleared his throat, and unlike her, seemed well enough to talk to Diego. “What are you talking about, buddy?”