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“Except it’s not okay. The exact same thing, minus the car crash, almost happened to you. You saw me, at gunpoint.”
“Stop!” I pounded my fists against his chest, the tears starting to spill. “Just stop. Don’t say anything else. Don’t do what I know you’re going to do. I can get past it. I already have. I’m fine. Don’t do this.”
“Lizzie, youhaveto let me do this. For once in my entire fucked-up life, I care about someone more than myself. That someone is you.” He combed his fingers through my hair, and I lost it. “I want you more than anything, but I’m a cancer to you, LizBelle. I’ll kill you.”
“You’re a coward.” I pounded on his chest again, finally pulling back to see his face. “Coward, you know that? It gets rough and you shove me out the door. Thought you were stronger than that. I am. I’m willing to face this.”
“I’m not willing to risk you.” His jaw clenched and tears lined the bottoms of his eyes.
I kissed him, hard and fast. His arms snaked around my waist and pulled me flush with him. No way was I letting him get away with this. He was mine. For so long I hid from the world, from what I wanted, because of fear.
Yeah, sure, his life scared the crap out of me. But I wanted him! He was mine.
His tongue brushed along mine like he owned it. Owned me. His hands slid along my arms to my neck, his fingers dancing over my body the way they always did. He was blind, but he truly saw me.
Better than anyone ever had.
Never judged me for my quirks. Just accepted me as I was. A little broken and crazy, but a fighter. Strong.
Suddenly, he broke the connection. “LizBelle. Wait.”
I cupped his face and rested my forehead to his. “Don’t do this.”
“It’s the right thing.”
“The right thing is me and you together.”
“No. The right thing is you moving on. Bigger and better. With someone who won’t bring you down. LizBelle, you had a gun pointed at your head!” He eased me off him. “I can’t think straight when you’re so close to me.”
I wiped the tears streaking down my face. “Damon,” I whispered. He was really going to do this, wasn’t he? “I don’t get any say in this?”
He stood, his fingertips following the coffee table until it stopped, then he stood straight and scrubbed his face. “No. You can’t see the big picture here.”
“And you can?” I stood up, getting mad now. “So you get to decide everything? On your own?”
“I might be blind, but I see this very clearly. And I see me dragging you down with all the shit I’m involved in.”
“You’re out. You—”
“Obviously they aren’t letting go so easily. I willnothave you in danger, LizBelle. That’s it. Don’t you get it?” he yelled. “You are theonegood thing I’ve ever known.One. Strongest, sexiest woman I’ve ever been with. I willnotruin that. You hear me? I won’t. I’ve ruined everything I’ve ever touched. Except you. I won’t ruin you.”
I covered my face with my hands, willing myself to not start bawling any harder than I was. “It’s not fair. I love—”
“Don’t! For the love of God, don’t say it. Don’t say the words.”
“But I do. I really do.”
He kissed my forehead. “I do, too. But it doesn’t change my decision. Go be with Doug, someone who’s on the right path. Someone who can take care of you.”
Damon took care of me, better than he ever gave himself credit for. We were better together.
“You should go,” he said, then gave me one last kiss on my cheek. “And, LizBelle?” he asked me.
My tears blurred his image. “Yeah?”
“Don’t come back.”
Chapter Fifty-Two
