Total pages in book: 113
Estimated words: 109086 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 545(@200wpm)___ 436(@250wpm)___ 364(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 109086 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 545(@200wpm)___ 436(@250wpm)___ 364(@300wpm)
His lips twisted down. “I gave him something that he’s been wanting the whole time. That’s all. I’m not trying to keep it from you, but I need to tell someone else first.”
“Who?”
“One of the guys from the city.”
I frowned. “One of the Mafia guys?”
He nodded, silent.
“The one you like?”
His lips twisted again, finding that amusing. “Walden and I have always had a weird dynamic. We’re friends. We’re enemies. We’re going to be more enemies than friends from now on.”
My frown deepened.
His hand began rubbing over my leg, tugging me to ride over him. He added, “But that was his doing. Not mine. Not yours. He did that, so the deal I made with Lane closes a door to us. That’s it. The only consequence is that we can’t go to the city again.”
My lips parted. “Ever?”
“Not for a long while.” He blew out a ragged breath. “Is that okay? I know you just met your cousin. And you had that list of tourist things you wanted to do. We can’t go back there. Not for a while. It won’t be safe. I’m sorry about that, about taking away that city from you.”
“Stop.” I pushed up against his chest again, climbing higher on his lap. “I don’t care about that right now.”
“But you can’t visit your cousin.”
I waved that off. “Graham can come here. He is coming here.”
“You never saw a Broadway show.”
“I can watch something on television and pretend I’m there. Have you met me? I have a good imagination. Plus, there’s no line for the bathroom here. Or there isn’t usually. Snacks are significantly cheaper too. If I get drunk, I don’t need to worry about my safety on the subway or if I should cab it home.”
“I still feel bad.”
I rolled my eyes. “Like my aunts won’t figure out some way to get into that city? They’ve been antsy, waiting to reach out to Blake. Maude’s the worst. It’ll be fine.” I laid my hand to his face, cupping it. “You told me you love me. Don’t think for a second I’m ignoring that.”
He snorted, his head resting back as he shook it from side to side. Slowly. “I do love you. And I don’t know what the fuck goes on in your head sometimes, but no. I didn’t come all this way, driving through the goddamn mountains to say goodbye, if that’s what you’re thinking.” He suddenly jerked forward, stopping two inches from me. His next words came out fierce. “I came to get you.”
My mouth parted even more. My chest began pounding. “What . . .” I licked my lips. “What does that mean?”
He pulled me forward, his hand fisting tightly in my hair. He growled, possessively. Primal. “That means you’re mine. A war was already brewing, but for you, I lit a match and dropped it. I’m going to let the whole city burn for you.”
I didn’t know what that meant, but he came for me. Not to say goodbye to me. Not to leave me again. My body sagged forward. He caught me, easing me down gently. My head went to his neck and he cradled me against his chest. His lips grazed my forehead before he whispered, “I love you. I have no clue when it happened. If it was already in that subway train when I made up an excuse to talk to you, or when I saw you at the police station, or when I tasted you for the first time. I don’t know, but it happened and I’m never letting you go. I love you.”
Warmth burst through me.
So I started crying.
Of course.
I lifted my head again, finding him watching me. So serious.
A new tenderness shone from his eyes. “I’ve always walked the line between the two worlds. I was half-Mafia. Half-cop. I had to be both. For me. For Justin. I didn’t know how far over the edge I was willing to go. A part of me was scared to find out because if I did, then who was I going to hurt because of it? I was already trying to protect Justin, my sister, and EJ. My life was fucked, Sawyer. It wasn’t mine. I was living in the gray and I couldn’t find my footing. All that changed when I got you. Everything suddenly made sense. I know exactly how far I’d go to keep you safe. I’m still walking that line, but I’m doing that for me. Right here, right now, there’s no one else pulling my strings except me. I’m both. I’m bad and I’m good. I’ve got no problem doing what I need to do to protect the people I love. That’s you. You and EJ. You are mine. There’s nothing I won’t do to keep you alive. You formed the foundation under my feet and I finally know who I am, all the parts of me. You help meld it all together. You make everything make sense. You gave me that clarity. You gave me freedom.”