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“Dammit, Kenzie. Enough.” I framed her face. The ache in my chest felt as powerful as the goddamn ocean, swelling and rising up with the truth.
“You deserve so much more than this, Zeke. You deserve a real marriage. A real wife and family. Real—” she broke off, catching herself before she said the word that burned on the tip of my tongue.
Love.
“And if I want this to be real?” I rasped.
Her brow creased, and then she slowly shook her head. “No, I know you don’t,” she declared. “You said you couldn’t because of Blooms—because of the other women and your responsibilities—”
“I lied, Kenzie,” I confessed quietly. “I said that because it’s easier than admitting I was too afraid to fuck up a relationship.”
“How could you…”
“Because my sister almost died.” The words came out rough. Edgy. Untrained because of how few times I’d said them. “A woman I love almost died because I wasn’t there to protect her.”
“That wasn’t your fault, and you saved her.”
The sunset was long past, but the moonlight now glittered across the open ocean and reflected on the tear-soaked surface of her eyes.
“Ace saved her… and if I had paid more attention, maybe he wouldn’t have had to.” I gritted my teeth and reached over the console for her hand, taking it tightly in mine until I felt her ring bite into my palm.
Larry had told me to do what I could… but he wasn’t around to tell me what to do when all I could do didn’t feel like enough.
“Then why did you marry me, Zeke?” she asked softly.
I dragged my gaze to hers, feeling my throat tighten.Thiswas why I’d brought her here—to tell her the truth I’d been trying to ignore for so long now.
“I married you because I wanted you—because I wanted you in all the ways I shouldn’t from the moment I saw you, and suddenly, I saw a way for me to have you,” I rasped low. “I want a future with you, Kenzie. I want this marriage. I want Jake. I want the house. The pool. The family. I want it all with you. Wholeheartedly. Selfishly. Desperately. I. Want. It. All.”
It was the hope in her eyes that was my undoing. It was boundless. Endless. Unfailing. No matter what came against her, it never dulled that hope.
“I married you because I’m in love with you, angel. From the moment I met you, no matter what I’ve done, I haven’t been able to stop myself from falling in love with you.” Every word split my chest open wider, pieces of my guarded heart tumbling free. “And I know it’s not right. I know you have your son to think about—his future to think about. I know I have Blooms to think about… but goddammit, I love you, and I want us. Whatever happens, I want us.”
“Zeke…”
I bit down on my tongue, tasting blood, as I left the final piece of my heart bared before her.
“But if that’s not how you feel—not what you want, I’ll respect that, and as soon as you get Jake back, we can—”
“Stop.” She wouldn’t let me finish, leaning over the console to frame my face with her hands. I stared at her, our breaths colliding in the small space. “From the moment you let me walk out of your office with those books and without demanding an explanation, I loved you. And when I said I’d marry you, I wasn’t just thinking about Jake. I thought about how it didn’t make sense for you—that I had nothing to offer you in return—but I said yes anyway because I selfishly wanted a chance to love you. Even if it wouldn’t last.”
I groaned, my heart wanting to explode. “Kenzie…”
“I’ll happily take everything with you, Zeke, but all I ever wanted was you,” she murmured, her lip quivering. “I love you.”
Kenzie loved me.
My wife loved me.
My growl hardly took form before my mouth covered hers, my tongue sweeping past the boundary of her lips and tasting the sweetness of victory. I needed her, and I needed her to know I needed her
I broke the kiss for only a second to unbuckle her seat belt and haul her over the console onto my lap.Thank God, she had a dress on tonight.The fabric bunched as her knees spread on either side of my thighs, and I moved the seat back as far as I could.
Our mouths connected again like two magnets snapping to their opposing pole, the kiss voracious and consuming.
Our hands bumped into each other, both frantic to move the layers of clothes between us. Hers were easy. With one hand, I dragged her dress up to her waist, my other hand delving straight for her core.
“Fuck, you’re soaked, angel.” Her underwear was drenched as I tugged them to the side.
