Page 101 of Her Unending Horizon

He rested his forehead against mine.

“I’ve never been a man who deserved good things,” he said. “And then I met you. And I got the best gift of my life. Having you—this—that’s everything.”

I breathed.

And finally, I let myself bask in his love for me.

I let myself bask in my love for myself.

Chapter Twenty-Two

I breathed in the scent of her shampoo as my cheek rested on her head. I cupped the back of her head as she nuzzled against my chest, burrowing closer to me. As her hands slowly crept around my waist, I sighed in relief. My Chloe still came to me for comfort. Me.

Just how much hurt and heartache could the world pour on top of my woman?

“I’ve missed you,” I whispered.

“More. I’ve missed you more. But I’m scared. I hate to see you hurting yourself.” The words were muffled against my t-shirt.

“I’m not, sweetheart. It’s not like that anymore. I need you to trust me, can you do that?”

She tipped her head back, her eyes staring up at me like she was peering into my soul. “You’re not, are you,” she said with a hint of amazement.

“Don’t get me wrong. I’m still fucked up, but I’m pulling my way out. Knowing what I’ll lose if I don’t…” I settled my lips on hers, and she responded beautifully. She was my Chloe and she was welcoming me, not just into her arms, but into her heart. I could feel it.

I parted my stance so that I could tug her tighter, get her to totally rest against me. I loved the way her weight relaxed into me, trusting me with everything she was. And there it was, the most heady feeling in the world, Chloe trusting me.

With one hand, I wove my fingers through the dark, silky strands of her hair as my other hand stroked lower and cupped her ass. Not as full as normal, but not as skinny as I had feared. She’d been taking care of herself.

She bit my lip.

“Hey! What was that for?”

“You’re checking me out as an EMT, not as my lover.”

I chuckled. “Like you’re not going to catalogue every one of my bruises the moment I get naked, Mrs. Post.”

Her eyes glimmered with amusement. “Okay, you might have a point.”

“Anyway, I was just paying homage to your tushie.”

“How about I let you do that in our bedroom.”

I sucked in a sharp breath. “Really? ’Cause last time it didn’t end so well.”

“Last time you were bound and determined to get yourself killed in a boxing ring.”

I didn’t correct her that it was an MMA cage. I figured that at this point it would just make her cranky, and I didn’t want to do anything that would ruin the mood. Plus, it wasn’t relevant at the moment.

I picked her up in my arms. My ribs shrieked, and I told them to shut the fuck up. By God, I was going to convince Chloe I was healed, and the fighting was behind me. And it felt right. Like a new start.

“Zarek, put me down, you’ll hurt yourself.”

“I’m fine,” I managed to say in a normal voice. I got us down the hall and placed her on the bed in a record-winning time. I laid down with her and pushed my nose into her hair again so that she couldn’t notice me breathing too hard.

“Zarek, you might as well come up for air. I can feel your heartbeat galloping like a racehorse on speed. You’re a total doofus for having carried me.”

I lifted up and peeked at her face. “You don’t look mad.”