Page 79 of Austin

“Running. I’ve been running for so long. When my mom died, I ran away to college. I stayed away from my family just so I wouldn’t have to be reminded of what had happened. Tanner was only fourteen years old, and I left him to deal with it himself while I drank and screwed my way through school.

“When I graduated, I moved back home, and my father announced that he was marrying Missy. The day after the wedding, I enrolled myself in the Marines. I was enlisted for two years before I got hurt. When I was discharged, I went straight to work and found myself at the one place with the exact people I’d been avoiding for years.

“That’s when I started racing. I needed an escape. Something dangerous. Something I could control. It gave me an outlet for all this anger I had in me. I don’t want to be angry anymore. I’m tired of it, and I’m ready to just be.”

This man, this beautiful man who wears so many masks, can be anything. If he only knew what I wished he could be to me.

He lifts his head to look at me. In his eyes, I see him—Austin Sexton, son of Marina and Edward Sexton. Race car driver, Marine, and the man of my fucking dreams.

“Who do you want to be?” I ask with a shaky breath.

“A guy who is crazy about a girl who smells like peaches.”

The expression he’s giving me makes butterflies go wild in my belly.

I lick my lips and try to tame my racing heart. “If you’re ready to stop running, then I’m willing to sit with you.”

Those gorgeous blues eyes smolder, simmering in the heat of the tub, lighting my skin on fire. He slowly lowers his hands to grip the hem of my shirt. Without thinking twice, I allow him to remove it completely and then stand to unzip my skirt. The high heels follow my clothes into a pile on the floor.

His gaze slowly rises from my toes, working its way up my legs to my chest and finally to meet my eyes. There’s nothing sexual about what’s happening between us. It’s pure appreciation—appreciation for being here, for giving him strength, and for my love.

I see it all clearly written across his face, and when I remove my bra and panties, his mouth parts with desire for all of me. I crawl into the bathtub and lower myself on top of him. He leans back, sighing my name, giving me a place to curl up into him and hold him until he’s put back together again.

And I do.

With every kiss, I let him know it’s okay to mourn the loss of his mother.

With every roll of my hips, I take away his fears of losing everything he holds dearly.

With every tug of his hair, I give him the release to be angry with his memories.

With every call of his name, I let him know that I am his forever.

19

AUSTIN

Everything about last night was perfect.

The late-night enchilada dinner in bed while debating movies and music was amazing.

The sex, when we’d had enough of talking, was absolutely mind-blowing.

Jalynn has gone from being the biggest pain in my ass to the first thing I want to see when I wake up and my last kiss before I go to sleep.

I feel like a giddy teenage girl who wants to skip and whistle through the halls as I make my way to my office. Scratch that. I feel like a high school virgin who just got laid for the first time. And it feels fucking good.

Meeting Sergeant Miller was a huge weight lifted off my chest, and having Jalynn there to help me pick up the pieces was a surprising comfort I hadn’t known I needed.

I didn’t want to leave her, but with Bryce still in Tahoe, I had to be in early this morning.

When my cell phone rings with an incoming call, I’m grinning as I see Jalynn’s name flashing on my screen.

“Hey, baby,” I answer as I swing my chair out and take a seat at my desk.

“You sound chipper for being at work much earlier than any normal person should be after only three hours of sleep.”

“Since you’re the reason my smile is plastered on today, you should know exactly why I feel this way.”