Page 123 of Mine to Take

His eyes sear mine as he continues to stroke my cheek.

“What I feel for you has nothing to do with your brother. After all these years, I don’t give a shit about what happened with Sabrina. You’re the only one who matters, sunshine.”

As tempting as it is to believe him, doubt bubbles up inside me, making it impossible.

“You admitted at the bar that you wanted to get back at my brother by sleeping with me.”

He squeezes his eyes tightly closed and bows his head. “You’re what I wanted. Just you. I’ll admit that hurting River was a bonus. I wish it hadn’t been. More than anything, I hate that it tainted the beginning of our relationship, because that’s exactly what it was.”

My heart flutters as I weigh his soft words.

When I remain silent, his thumb strokes over my lower lip. “Your silence is killing me. Tell me what you’re thinking.”

I release the pent-up air from my lungs as our conversation circles through my brain.

Maverick is the first guy to come along and make me feel like I’m not made of spun glass that will break when the slightest bit of pressure is applied. And I’ve loved every minute of it. Even—or maybe especially—when he pushed me out of my comfort zone.

I’ve relived every single time he laid his hands on me.

The idea of going back to a pale imitation of what we’ve explored together is depressing.

My teeth scrape across my lower lip as I shake my head. “I don’t know, Maverick.” Even though it guts me to say it, I force out the truth. “I’m not sure if there’s a way for us to move forward.”

He scoots closer before snaking his hand around the nape of my neck and tipping my head upward until his lips can hover over mine. “Don’t say that. The past couple days without you have been shit, and it only drives home how much you mean to me.” He gulps. “How much I need you in my life. I don’t want to lose what we’ve only just found. I don’t want to lose you.”

His warm breath ghosts across my lips.

It’s intoxicating.

All I want to do is inhale a deep breath of him and hold it hostage in my lungs forever.

To always keep him close.

Even if this is the only way to do it.

“I’m scared,” I admit. “Scared that even if we try to make it work between us, you’ll treat me differently. Or worse, you’ll decide that you need someone with less baggage, and you’ll walk away.”

His brows furrow. “That’s not going to happen, sunshine.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Because I’ve never cared for anyone the way I care about you. When we’re apart, I think about you all the time, and when we’re together, I don’t want to let you go. You might not realize it, but your nickname fits you perfectly, because you fill my world with bright sunshine. And when we’re not together, everything feels blanketed in darkness. I just want to bask in your presence so your light can shine down on me.”

Tears prick the backs of my eyes.

No one has ever said anything so beautiful to me.

“Are you sure?” The question is out of my mouth before I can rein it back in.

With a shake of his head, his lips quirk. “I’ve never been more certain about anything in my life.”

“Okay.” Joy explodes inside me before rushing through my veins until the tips of my fingers and toes tingle with it.

When he presses a kiss against my lips, I whisper, “Will you promise me one thing?”

“Anything.”

“I don’t want you treating me like I’m some kind of fragile flower. I loved everything we did together.” I straighten my shoulders. “And I refuse to accept anything less.”

---