Oblivious to my euphoria, Preston’s face contorts with anger. “The odds were terrible. One in three, Kit. One in three.” He grabs me by my shoulders and shakes me. “I could have lost you.”
My smile deepens. “But you didn’t.”
He clasps my face in his hands, his intense gaze roaming over every inch of my face. “I didn’t?”
“No. We’re ali—”
His mouth captures mine.
Everything around us becomes one big whirl as he secures me in his arms.
I melt against him, too afraid to let myself think.
All I can do is feel.
Our kiss is brutal, overflowing with every single emotion we’ve ever felt for one another.
His teeth nip my bottom lip, coaxing me to open my mouth wider so he can explore me farther with his tongue. When I do, the butterflies come buzzing back with a force so strong, it makes me dizzy.
I scratch my nails down his back hard enough to leave marks as we steal each other’s air.
“I’m sorry,” he rasps, his voracious lips moving from my mouth to my jaw as he palms my breast.
What are you doing, Kit? –my mind questions like a bright neon hazard ahead sign.
He’s going to lie and hurt you again.
The thought is a sucker punch to the sternum, and I shove him with every ounce of strength I possess.
Preston frowns in confusion. “What’s wrong?”
Nothing’s wrong. Quite the opposite since my brain is finally overruling my dumb heart.
“I can’t…” Moving my arms and legs, I swim away. “I can’t do this.”
Trudging out of the water isn’t nearly as fast—or as graceful—of an exit as I hoped, but I manage to make it out in record time.
I glance around, trying to gather my bearings so I can figure out the fastest route back to the resort.
This way I can pack my things and leave.
Storm clouds roll in, eclipsing the sunset as thunder booms in the distance.
A nearby sign tells me the resort is only a half mile away, so I head in that direction.
Lightning flashes through the darkening sky as I pick up my pace.
And then it starts pouring.
Preston’s deep voice roars something behind me, but thunder rumbles again, drowning him out.
It’s just as well, though. There’s nothing he can say or do to change my mind.
I gave him my heart and he ripped it to shreds.
I won’t make the same mistake I did with Becca and grant him the opportunity to do it a second time.
I won’t settle for less than I deserve.
Preston isn’t my anomaly like I thought. If anything, he’s worse than the others. Not just because he lied—because even though his reasons don’t excuse his dishonesty—I can at least wrap my head around why he did it.
What I can’t overlook is that he’s made it perfectly clear since day one that the organ in his chest is nothing but a vacant cavity.
Therefore, he’s incapable of ever giving me the one thing I need.
Continuing this merry-go-round with him is pointless because it leads to nothing.
Except me getting hurt. Again.
I hear his footsteps gaining momentum behind me, so I break out into a sprint.
It doesn’t work, though, because he’s still hot on my heels. “Look who’s the one running away now.”
Relief fills me when I see my bungalow up ahead.
“Goddamn right I’m running. As far away from you as I can get.”
And as soon as Barry processes those divorce papers, all ties between us will be severed for good and I can move on from this mess.
A flash of lighting illuminates the sky. “You fucking coward.”
That does it.
I stop so fast he nearly slams into me as I turn to face him. “Excuse me?”
I’m a lot of things, but a coward isn’t one of them.
That’s him.
Because unlike my soon-to-be ex-husband, I own my shit. And no matter how terrified I might be of something bad happening…I’m still willing to put everything on the line and take the risk.
I don’t obscure, calculate, and dissect all my moves like he does.
I’m not afraid to fucking feel.
Lifting my chin, I put several feet of distance between us. “I am not a coward.”
“Yes, you are,” he growls as the heavy rain batters us. “All you’ve ever wanted is right here, and you’re running away from it.” His gaze traps mine and his expression becomes one of sheer obstinance. “It’s flawed and fucked up…but it’s real. Because you, Kit Bishop, deserve the real fucking deal. The constant, unwavering, selfless, for better or worse, never goes away and they’d do anything to see you smile kind of love.”
Instantly I’m transported back to that night on the bridge where he first uttered those words.
The ones that saved my life.
He swallows hard, like whatever he’s about to say next terrifies him, but he’s determined to say it anyway.
“I told you someone was gonna come along and give that to you. I said they’d crash right into you and never let go.” He strikes his chest with his fist. “That person is me.”
The organ in my chest awakens with a forceful thump before kicking into overdrive. “What are you saying?”
He stalks toward me like a predator. “I’m saying that I love you, Kit. That I’ve always loved you…even before I knew what love was.” The groove in his forehead deepens. “I can’t promise I’ll never fuck up again, because we both know I will. But what I can promise is that I’ll spend the rest of my life proving you can trust me, because from this day forward it’s complete and total honesty…even when the truth hurts.”
A trembling breath leaves me as his words reverberate inside my chest and spread through my marrow. “You love me?”
The force of his stare pins me to the spot. “I love you.”
They say something as small as the flutter of a butterfly’s wing can cause a typhoon halfway around the world.
They were right.
Only, the typhoon is right here in front of me.
And even though I should walk away because it has the power to annihilate my heart and soul until I’m nothing but a speck of matter…
I hurl myself into the eye of the storm.
The fall down was turbulent…filled with bumps, bruises, scars, and burns along the way that were so brutal we almost lost each other.
But in the end…he caught me.
Just like he always does.
His mouth crashes against mine as another roll of thunder rumbles above us.
I lock my legs around his waist and he wraps his arms around me, anchoring me to him before he starts walking.
“Say it again,” I choke out between fervid kisses.
He threads his fingers through my wet hair. “I love you.” His gaze darts over my face, bouncing from my lips to my eyes. “So fucking much.”
Every time he says it my chest feels like it’s going to crack wide open and spill everything I feel for him.
“Preston.” My pulse echoes in my ears. “I—”
“No.” He clasps my chin. “Not until I earn it.”
I want to tell him that’s not how it works…but he’s right.
I’ve always jumped into love headfirst—and even though I know exactly how deep my feelings for him run—I don’t want to tell him something so significant until I’m positive he won’t lie to me anymore.