Page 94 of Fool's Gold

“Did you mean what you said?” I ask suddenly. “In your letter?”

I hate the way a part of me stalls and restarts like a cold car engine. It’s not like I expect him to renege now, but I guess there’s always a possibility.

Marcus groans, shifting slightly to take my hand. He grins at my sudden silence and reads everything he can between the lines. “Yes, I meant it. Every word. Or else I wouldn’t have done what I did to keep you safe.”

“You’ve been insisting on keeping me safe the entire time, but it’s taken this long for me to actually feel it.” His solid presence at my side is a comfort even if I don’t need it right now. Relief loosens the restrictions around my heart.

“You have to know, I meant what I said. Everything I’ve done is for you. I wouldn’t change a thing.”

“Did you know Jacob was in on it from the start?”

“Not until Celeste showed me the contract. I’m sure you put the pieces together.” He slowly reaches around to pull me against his chest.

There’s no reason for me to tremble this way.

“I really like it when you acknowledge my intelligence. It’s a nice change from the shitty way you’ve been acting.”

Marcus growls, trailing his fingers over my bare shoulder. He clears his throat. “I’m so sorry.”

“Apologies are nice, but they mean nothing without action. I get why you walked away, but damn it, Marcus.”

“Let me get out of this bed, and I’ll show you action,” he murmurs.

Heat immediately curls in my lower abdomen, and I squeeze my legs together. “It’s going to be awhile before you’re able to move.”

Taking the initiative, I climb onto his lap. Panic is close, the thought of almost losing him enough to drive the air right out of my lungs.

But he’s stable and steady beneath my hands, and with the blinds drawn over the window, we’re in our own little world. Isolated and maybe even safe. I press my lips to the corner of his mouth, gently at first. An eclectic buzz zips along my skin as I inhale his scent. Sure, he’s sore and still covered in dried blood, but he’s perfect because he’s alive.

And he loves me.

His hands land on my waist, and I slowly glide my fingers over his shoulders, nibbling closer to his mouth. With a growl, he hauls me against him, and our kiss turns tortuous and deep. A stolen moment of pure bliss because we’re together again.

He slowly tastes me, and a pit opens up in my stomach. It’s all too easy to give in to pure ecstasy.

“I can’t believe I almost lost you.”

“You were never going to lose me,” he grumbles. “No matter what, I was always going to be there with you. Even if I couldn’t be there for you.”

“You are such a dick.” I wind my fingers through his hair and brush my mouth over his again.

His deep chuckle reverberates in my bones as he slides his hands underneath the straps of the dress. “You should have taken the time to change. I’m sure you’re uncomfortable.”

I kiss him again, goose bumps rising along my forearms. “How about we take a shower together? I can wash you and you can wash me?”

There is no going back for us now. Not when I know how he feels. I’m not going to let him pull away from me again. He’s here, warm to the touch and so damn strong, practically vibrating underneath me.

“I love you.” With that, I bend down to touch my lips to his, grinding against the growing hardness beneath me.

The kiss is a promise of now and forever while we’re at it. My heart is so full of fucking hope it’s ready to burst.

THIRTY

Every kiss makes me hers, irrevocably.

Empire has her hand on my heart to absorb every beat, drawing me into her body, forcing me to match her pulse for pulse. The moment stretches out and slows, and I wonder if maybe I’ve really, honestly, died. Because there is no way this is real. Not when it’s the culmination of my every goddamn dream come true.

She’s here and she’s safe.

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