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Shaw’s smile ebbed. “Because Stone has always been the best at talking Liam down.”
“I’m not sure any of us can talk him down right now.” As I looked back toward the forest, the wind picked up, throwing leaves into the air and whipping my hair into my face. For a second, my hair blocked my view, and it reminded me of how I felt like I could never quite see Liam.
The pacifist? The killer?
The man who wasn’t quite there? The wisest of us all?
“He’ll come back,” Shaw said. “He always does. He always looks after us… and now he has you to look after too.”
I looked at him sharply. “I thought…”
I didn’t finish the thought. It hurt to think of Liam’s brothers thinking less of Liam than he was.
“Well, I am an idiot.” Shaw was back to smiling again. “Maybe I didn’t fully see my big brother before.”
“What changed?”
“A woman came into my life and woke me up.”
“Oh? Who would that be?”
“You know you’re the only woman I see now, Amelia. You ruined me.”
“You seem pretty intent on ruining me.”
“If you let me.”
The banter between us felt charged, then he leaned down and covered my mouth with his.
I responded eagerly to his kiss, my fingers tangling in his hair as our tongues met. Shaw's kiss was different from Stone's. It was softer, but no less passionate. Stone kissed me with a fiery hunger that left me breathless, that felt like he was taking more than I was willing to give, that felt as charged as the conflict between us. But with Shaw, it was a slower burn that left me wanting more.
We pulled away, gasping for air. Shaw rested his forehead against mine, his hands still cupping my cheeks. "I was lost without you, Amelia."
The words sounded so raw. I wasn't used to that from Shaw.
I had a son. I couldn't afford to belostwithout anyone. I always had to be able to take care of him, on my own.
"I missed you," I whispered back, because I had to tell him something true, something that wasn’t quite so dangerous. But the admission still felt like my heart tearing open, because if I left him, I would miss him for the rest of my life. I could feel it already, a hollow in my chest.
He cupped my jaw with two fingers, his bright green eyes gazing into mine intently.
"I love you," he whispered..
My heart skipped a beat. I hadn't expected to hear those words from Shaw. He seemed like he always took everything so lightly.
Maybe he said it because Stone had hurt me. Maybe he was trying to convince me that he had really changed.
Maybe he just couldn’t bare not to tell me how he felt.
My first impulse was to tease him and ask how many girls he'd said that to. But then I saw the way he was looking at me, as reverently as wolves looked at the moon. Something broke loose in my body, seeing him look at me that way. The impulse to doubt him died along with the teasing.
I owed him the truth, no matter how much it made my heart race.
"I love you too," I whispered.
Shaw smiled, and the corners of his eyes crinkled. I ran my hands up over the warm muscle of his body, feeling how solid he was under my palms, as if I could always rely on him..
We kissed again, slower this time, savoring each moment. Shaw's hands slid down my body, tracing every curve as if he was trying to memorize me. I moaned into his mouth as he lifted me up and carried me back into the darkness of the forest.
