Page 139 of Love Me Dangerous

With a groan, he arches deep inside me, pulsing hard. We rest there, our heaving breaths loud in the quiet space, my body feeling so alive, so cherished. He folds over me, planting kisses up my spine, his lips tender. It’s such a delicious contrast to his recklessness just moments ago. How can just one person be everything I need from one minute to the next so perfectly? Like he can read me. Like he was made for me.

He folds me into his arms, then carries me to the shower. Under the warm spray, we kiss and touch. It’s been weeks since he was here but I feel like I need to memorize him all over again. He grows hard againstme but seems to be in no rush for what comes next, washing my body like I’m something precious.

We make love again, slower this time, his reverent touch everywhere and his kisses languid and sensual, and fall asleep wrapped in each other’s arms.

The next day, after a huge breakfast, Dad and Linnie take William ice skating downtown. Zach and I take a long walk in the snow. He tells me about the close friends in Alaska who have been caring for and protecting William, and the upcoming custody case, and about Sawyer, his best friend and lifeline when he left home.

“I saw my mom,” he says as we walk hand in hand.

I try to read his emotions with a quick glance, but he’s gazing ahead. From what little he’s shared, I only know that they’re estranged and that Zach resents the way her choices put him and William in danger.

“She’s standing by Kristov, even though he’s destroyed her.” He kicks at a fallen branch, sending it into the deep drifts lining the path. “She didn’t even show up to the custody hearing.”

“I’m so sorry.”

He squeezes my hand. “It’ll make the process easier, I guess.”

“But you’ve still lost your mom,” I say.

“I lost her a long time ago.” We walk for a while, our hands swinging lazily, with the low sun peeking through the forest, turning the hardened snow crystals to glittering gems.

“Now you get to make a new family,” I say. “You and William. He’s lucky to have you.” That same yearning and hope stir to life inside me.

Zach slows, giving my hand a gentle tug so we’re facing each other. “You taught me how good it feels to belong, Sofie. For a long time, I was scared I wouldn’t know how to raise him, how to help him heal. But you showed me it’s possible.”

“I only showed you what was already there, Zach.”

He takes my other hand, his eyes turning serious. “I need to tell you something.”

My breath catches in my throat. “Okay.”

His eyes tense, and he huffs a breath, like he’s nervous. “And it’s okay if you don’t say anything back. I wanted to say this the first moment I stepped out of the cab. And I wanted to say it the night ofthe blizzard, and that next morning, but I didn’t want you to think?—”

My chest tingles and my legs feel like jelly.

He cradles my face, those slate-blue eyes so earnest, so trusting. This alone would be beautiful to me, and so precious, but he utters the words I’ve been holding tight in my heart.

“I love you.”

Hope and joy bubble up inside me so fast that my heart flutters like a bird. “I love you too, Zach.”

He closes his eyes for a moment, his long lashes dark against his cheeks. And then he kisses me softly, his lips lingering on mine. I close my eyes and drink in all that I’m feeling.

Zach pulls me closer. “Say it again.”

“I love you. So much.”

With a soft groan, he kisses me again, his tongue flicking with mine. “I’ll never get tired of hearing that.”

I press my hips into his and he slides his hands into my back pockets, urging me against him. “Then I’ll be sure to keep saying it.”

“I like that.”

He kisses me again. “What do you think about marrying a cop?”

My breath catches in my throat. “Depends on the cop.”

He grins. “Me.”

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