And that’s when it hits me.
Like a sledgehammer to my chest…
I love her.
I fucking love her.
The realization doesn’t scare me like I expect it to.
Fuck, I’m anything but scared.
I want it.
I want her.
Every single piece that she’ll give me.
And I’ll take it like a homeless man begging for scraps.
Because for her, I’ll beg, cheat, and steal.
For her… For this feeling… I’d do just about anything.
There’s no falling. Hell, before I even realized it I had already hit the ground without a parachute. That’s how fast it feels like it happened.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” Her soft voice breaks the silence.
I almost tell her…Almost. But then something stops me.
Maybe it’s because I’m afraid of how she’ll react, and the last thing I want to do is fuck this thing up. But also because I have things to settle. The most pressing of those matters regarding Kat and Helen. If I’m going to do this, I want to do it right.
Just another thing Clarke Hamilton has changed.
“Just admiring the view.” I press a kiss to her lips.
“Yeah. Yeah,” she murmurs against my mouth, waiting until I pull back to say more. “Now, I demand to see raisins.” She giggles when I squeeze her side.
“You really want to see them?” I ask, because hell, what wouldn’t I do for this woman at this point.
She nods excitedly.
“Fine,” I grumble playfully, reluctantly slipping out of her. Instead of lowering her to her feet, I hoist her up higher, loving the feeling of her legs wrapped around me as I turn and I carry her toward the basement door.