Page 102 of Let the Light Shine Through

“Some is. But some is treatable. And you don’t have cancer, do you?”

“No.” Barely above a whisper, she says, “But I will.”

We sit in silence as my eyes search hers, wanting to see that spark I love so much. The one I hope is still there. Every other time I’ve tried this, I’ve failed. Gia doesn’t break. She doesn’t fold. She stands tall, waiting for an equal, but never really expecting one. The only way to get Gia’s walls down is to knock down some of my own first.

“I told Salvy to go first because I wasn’t ready. The cornice he was standing on, the same one I would’ve followed him down on, broke. It just fell away, without warning, and it swept my best friend up in a wave of snow so deep it buried him alive. I had all the supplies to dig him out at my disposal, but it didn’t matter because I was too late getting to him. All because I wasn’t fucking ready. I let him go without me, and he died because of it.”

“You didn’t have any control over that, just like you don’t have any control over this.”

“Maybe, but I’m not letting you go ahead without me. I’m not making that mistake again. I’m ready now.”

“I can’t ask that of you. I won’t.”

Needing to touch her, to feel her, to show her, I cradle Gia’s face in my hands, promising, “You don’t have to,” because I’ve made my choice, and it’s her. It’ll always be her.

Roz

“Whatever you’re about to do, wherever you’re about to take this, remember someone else was just there, attempting exactly what you are,” she says, her breath teasing my lips.

After all that, she still thinks she can scare me off?

“You forget I know when you’re faking,” I tell her, blowing on her lips and making her moan before I drag my hands down her neck and then her chest to capture her tits in my palms. “And when you’re not.” I squeeze, feeling her ribs swell beneath my fingertips. The nipples in my hold pebble through both her shirt and hoodie, and I have to stifle a groan to say, “The Turkey Vultures didn’t get this far.”

“How do you know?”

“Because you have a tell.”

I grip the back of her neck, putting our lips within millimeters of each other’s, then drop one hand to her waistband, slipping inside her boxer briefs.

Her scoff is forced and I feel her words more than hear them as she says, “You weren’t around long enough to know if I sneezed.”

My tongue slips out to wet my bottom lip, and Gia does the same, touching hers to mine. I almost give in and kiss her. Almost.

Fuck. I want to taste her again so badly.

She sucks in a breath as my fingers make contact with the top of her slit, and I pause, meeting her eyes.

“Do you wish it was them touching you?”

She jerks a nod that I don’t believe for a second.

Fuck that.

I shove my hand the rest of the way in, feeling her drenched already.

“Who’s got you wet right now?”

“Them,” she grits, closing her eyes tightly.

“Do you like it?” I make sure my lips touch hers with each word. “Do you want more?”

She nods again, her eyes still shut.

The moment my fingers spread her pussy lips, the lines between her eyebrows crease, but as soon as I push inside with my middle finger, they smooth back out.

Gia wants me as much as I want her, but she feels guilty for wanting me. If I were dying, I’d probably feel the same way. But Gia’s not dying. Not today. So today, I’ll prove to her why her guilt is pointless…because I’m already hers.

Even though her eyes are closed, the skin on her eyelids continues to move like she’s watching an action flick.