Page 94 of Slow Burn

Lyla moves toward me now, but she goes to the passenger door of the truck, reaching out to open it. I stride over to her and put my hand on the door, bracing my arm so she can’t open it.

I have more to say than a measly I’m sorry. I want to tell her responding to that realtor was the worst mistake I’ve ever made in my whole life. Hurting her will be my biggest regret, and I don’t know if I can go another decade trying to forget about her.

She turns around to face me, her eyes sad and tired, her mouth so close I could lean down and kiss her. And fuck I want to. I want to kiss away all the pain she’s ever felt. All the rejection, all the moments when she felt like she wasn’t enough or too much, or whatever other lies she’s told herself.

“I just want to go back to Wild Sage, Beck,” she says wearily.

I let out a sharp sigh at the fact that she didn’t refer to Wild Sage as home this time.

“Is that really what you want? You want to go back, pack up your things and leave again?” I ask.

“I don’t belong here, Beck. I want a fresh start. Another one. I think it’s what’s best.”

“Well I don’t.” I take a step closer to her, her breasts nearly touching my chest, my face mere inches from hers. Her eyes are moonlit and watery. “I don’t want to pretend that you were never here. I’ve been spending almost my entire adult life pretending that I don’t feel anything, and I don’t fucking want to anymore.”

“I’m just going to get in the way again, Beck,” she says, her voice a whisper.

I reach up and swipe a tear from her cheek with the pad of my thumb, and then cup the side of her face, tilting it up so she’s looking at me.

“Get in my way, Trouble,” I growl. “Turn my whole fucking life upside down. Set it on fire and watch it burn. I’d rather have that than ever live a life without you in it. I want all your chaos, I want all of you. I may not be able to take back what I did, but I promise you I will do everything I can to prove to you how serious I am about you. I will do whatever it takes to make Wild Sage your home, forever. Hell, I’ll hand over the goddamned deed. I’d give up everything to be with you.”

“Even Austin?” Her dark eyes search my face, her brows knitting together in question.

I stroke my thumb in the hollow under her ear.

“Even Austin,” I say. “We’ve been friends for decades, Austin and I. But you, Lyla, I’ve been in love with you for just as long. Maybe longer, like we were written in the stars.”

Her breath hitches, silver-lined eyes dropping to my mouth as she swallows thickly.

“I love you, Lyla. Exactly the way you are. I’ll say it as many times as I need to to make you believe it. I’ll show you every day for the rest of my life.”

It’s the only time Lyla has ever been truly speechless, and I feel fucking victorious as I dip my head to her mouth and kiss her. Her lips taste sweet, like ripe peaches and honey. The contact of her tongue on mine is like taking a sip of something fizzy.

There’s the faint taste of salt as I drink her in, her tears running down her cheeks and coating her lips. I pull back, resting my forehead against hers, hand cupping the back of her neck.

“You see me, Beck. For all my mess and chaos, you see me. You’ve never made me feel like I need to be small for you,” her voice cracks as she murmurs.

I pull her close, the solid warmth of her body against mine ignites something within me. She fits against me like a puzzle piece, like our bodies were made to be pressed together exactly like this. She buries her face in my neck, and I do the same, taking a deep inhale of her hair.

Lyla melts into me a little more, and I never want to let her go.

“I never want you to make yourself small,” I say. “If you don’t want to stay in Sage Valley, I’d understand, Lyla. I would always understand.”

She pulls away from me this time, her dark eyes searching my face. “I want to stay with you forever.”

The corner of my mouth tilts up. “Okay, Trouble. On one condition.”

Lyla cocks her head and gives me an expression that says what now?

“Promise me that staying means never trying to control your fire. Promise me you'll always be the infuriatingly wild, chaotic, beautiful woman I fell in love with.”

She smiles, and it sets me ablaze.

“You got it, Bossman.”

I left Lyla sleeping soundly in the guest house, a sated smile on her face as she dreamed.

She and I spent the night there together after I brought her home. There was something different about our intimacy last night. It was soft and slow, but never lacking in passion.