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I shook my head. “Absolutely not, Atticus. We stay together.”
“As soon as I can, I’ll return.” His tone was full of steel determination and regret.
A spark of fear ignited in the pit of my stomach. I was about to speak when, suddenly, something soft brushed against my cheek. He was kissing me. I froze, my heart beating wildly as he lifted me off the ground and pressed me against him, his hands traveling down my back and his mouth slanting over mine. My eyes fluttered closed and it became impossible to think.
The water lapping at the shore calmed my racing mind, the warmth in my body radiating outward as thrill coursed through my veins. His tongue was steady, his touch just as firm as his embrace. He was distracting me with a kiss, and it was working.
I pulled back, glancing toward the water. “We have to talk about this.”
“No,” he said, his voice a low growl. “We don’t.”
I opened my mouth, but the words were stuck in my throat. My eyes pleaded with him, but he didn’t give me the chance to object.
He kissed me again, his fingers gripping my hair, his mouth moving gently against mine. His tongue brushed against my lip, and I opened my mouth to permit him entrance.
“Please let me do this, Atticus,” I gasped, my chest heaving. “Let me prove that I can help you.”
He shook his head and pulled me close, wrapping his arms around me. “You are helping me,” he whispered. “It’s my job to take care of you.”
I swallowed hard and raised my hands to his chest, grasping the soft fabric of his shirt. “You don’t have to do this alone,” I said. “Please don’t shut me out, remember?”
He pulled away, but I held him close, stepping back until we were both on the same footing. His eyes glistened with emotion, and his lips were swollen from our kiss. “You know I don’t want to, but I need to,” he replied. “I need to do this alone.” His hands found my waist and he pulled me close again, lowering his head until his lips were a mere inch from mine.
“Why does this feel like goodbye?” I croaked.
“It’s not goodbye,” he whispered. “You’ll see me again soon.”
“Not soon enough,” I whispered, leaning forward.
“I love you, Christine,” he said.
I was too mad at him to say it back. His mouth covered mine in another kiss. It was so soft, so gentle, and I clung to him as the kiss deepened and his arms wrapped around my waist.
I pressed my palms against his chest, but he held me against him, kissing me until all the fear inside me melted away, replaced with a deep longing that pulsed through my body. My blood rushed in my ears, and I couldn’t bring myself to think of anything but him.
We eased onto the ground, the sand digging into my back as he tore at my clothes. The urgency in his kiss matched the wild beating of my heart.
His hands tangled in my hair as he pushed me down into the sand and buried his lips in my neck, kissing me with a frenzied passion that made my head swim.
He inched lower, his tongue a hot trail against my skin, and my body hummed in anticipation as he slid a hand behind my back. I bit my lip as his teeth grazed the sensitive area where my neck joined my shoulder.
I growled, pulling his shirt off his body and exploring him hungrily with my hands. His low groan filled the air as he arched his back, his mouth quickly ravaging my neck. He licked and teased my skin, sending shivers coursing through me with every movement of his tongue. I gasped as he ran a cold finger down my arm, and I leaned into him, my skin desperate for his touch. Our fingers intertwined and he pressed our joined hands against his chest. I closed my eyes as his lips sought mine, our tongues tangling in a passionate dance.
He slipped a hand around my hip, pulling me closer to him so that I could feel every inch of our bodies pressed together. His mouth moved from my lips to my neck and then to my ear, where he whispered my name between desperate kisses. I wanted to be consumed by him, to be taken away by the fire of our love. I cried out as he trailed kisses down my throat, his hands roaming all over me as we melted together.
“Atticus, you’re not leaving us here.”
“Be quiet and let me make you feel good, Little Monster.”
I shoved him hard. “You don’t get to say goodbye to me, Atticus. You don’t get to fuck me, then leave and die.”
He growled slowly and stared at me with an unfathomable expression. His words cut through the oppressive air like a blade. “I’m not going to die, Christine.” His grip tightened, his large body caging me in his arms. “But if something ever happens to me, I need you to promise me you’ll run away with Leo and August.”
I shook my head determinedly, my voice wavering. “No, Atticus. I’m never leaving you.”
“If I die,” he continued in a gruff voice, refusing to listen to me, “I need you to run. Promise me that.”
Despair and agony threatened to overwhelm my senses. “No… Don’t talk like that.”
