Total pages in book: 129
Estimated words: 121871 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 609(@200wpm)___ 487(@250wpm)___ 406(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 121871 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 609(@200wpm)___ 487(@250wpm)___ 406(@300wpm)
I licked my dry lips, my heart racing at the way his eyes followed the movement. “I’m still a work in progress. There might be times my fears speak before I can think rationally. But I promise I’m trying.”
“London, I know that. I had time to think while you were away, and considering everything you’ve been through, I just feel lucky that you even gave us a chance.”
I rested my palms on his chest, feeling how hard his heart raced. In time with mine, in fact. “It’s not luck. You gave me space to trust you. And I do. I trust you more than any man I’ve ever been with. You make me feel safe. And somehow you manage to do that and still excite the hell out of me.”
A pleased smile curled the corners of his mouth. “Aye?”
“Aye.” I grinned, pressing my entire body to his, ignoring the flare of pain up my right side. My smile slowly wilted but only because my feelings were so overwhelming. “I love you, Murray. I’ve fallen in love with you.”
His eyes flared as I watched his entire expression light up. “I … Christ, woman, don’t you know I’ve been in love with you for ages?”
The guttural confession caused a flare of red-hot heat to flush over me, and I reached for his mouth. Our kiss was deep, exploring, filled with everything we felt and more, but eventually the ache in my ribs had me dropping back to my heels with a grimace. “I want to make love to you so much, but even if I was up to it tonight, I have my period.”
Murray grinned, joy radiating from him as he cupped my face in his hands. “A ghràidh, we have a lifetime to make love. Tonight I just want to hold you in my arms.”
“I love you,” the words burst forth again, desperate, and true.
His thumb swept my cheek as his eyes roamed over my hair and face and back to meet mine. “I remember the first time I saw you. You were outside Pages & Perks with Tierney and I was on the docks, unloading a catch. You didn’t see me because you were too busy staring out at the water as Tierney nattered away in your ear. I felt like I’d gotten hit by a thunderbolt when I saw you. You were the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen in my life.”
Tears filled my eyes because I hadn’t known any of that.
“And then we met in the Lantern and you were even more bonny up close. More than that, I just … I felt this thing between us I didn’t understand. Like I’d known you before somewhere. Like … you might be the person who knew me best. Made me whole.”
My tears slipped free because I’d felt the same way. A connection I couldn’t explain.
“But there was a sadness in your eyes and a guardedness … and my life was complicated too. And I thought to myself, I can’t believe I’ve met my fucking soul mate,” his words were gruff with emotion, “and I can’t be with her.”
“Murray …” I bussed into his hand as he tried to catch my tears. “I felt the same way. From the very start.”
With a shaky exhale, he leaned his forehead against mine and whispered, “Thank goodness fate stepped in, eh?”
I laughed softly. “No, it wasn’t fate. I just pulled my head out of my ass, and you couldn’t resist my proposition.”
At that, Murray threw his head back in laughter, even as he cuddled me close. I wrapped my arms around his back and felt his joy vibrate through me, wiping away all the terror of this morning and replacing it with this new, beautiful memory.
42. London
The next morning, I woke up in Murray’s bed alone. Our bed. That had been decided sleepily last night when we arrived home. No more separate bedrooms. Apparently, Murray and Kelly had a conversation while I was gone in which she revealed she knew we were together. I was glad it was only because she’d caught us kissing and nothing more mortifying for all of us.
The pain in my ribs, thigh, and neck hurt worse than yesterday as I rolled over to check the time. Thankfully, my period cramps had gone away. Last night Murray had insisted I eat some French toast, then he’d procured a hot water bottle for my cramps and held me in his arms until I fell asleep.
The electric blackout blinds were down on the wraparound floor-to-ceiling windows so I had no idea what time it was by way of the light.
Murray had charged my phone for me. That sent a warm feeling through my aches and pains until I noticed the time. It was nearly eight o’clock.
Thankfully, today was my usual day off work. Kelly hadn’t returned home by the time I fell asleep, but we’d decided not to share the Nick part of the equation and just say that I’d fallen down some stairs during a chaotic fire alarm. No matter how wise or mature Kelly was for her age, she was only fourteen, and we both wanted to protect her from adult worries for as long as we felt it was right.