Page 318 of End Game

Apparently three words are worse.

I swallow.

“I love you.”

Ronan goes completely still.

Fuck.

He doesn’t recoil, but his hands remain exactly where they are at my waist.

His eyes search my face.

For one horrible second, my brain tries to convince me I've fucked this up.

Then he whispers, “Say that again.”

My breath catches.

“What?”

“Please.”

I tighten my arms around him. “I love you.”

Something shifts in his face—small but devastating.

His eyes close for one second.

When they open again, his voice is quieter. “I love you too.”

My chest caves in.

Not literally.

Probably.

“You do?”

“Yes.” The answer is immediate.

Then his expression tightens like he has realized the answer is insufficient. “I need to clarify something.”

Of course he does.

A laugh escapes me through the tears already forming. “You just said you love me and now you're issuing an addendum?”

“Yes.”

“Very romantic.”

“Cami.”

“Okay. Sorry.”

His thumbs move once against my waist.

Predictable and grounding.