Page 101 of The Pretty Psycho

We tumbled down the remaining stairs, with me behind her, and her trying to push me back, to protect me, but there was no use. We were on the ground within seconds, my body still covering hers and both of us breathing heavily.

My ears rang from the aftershock. My back throbbed, and I could already feel my arms bleeding from where I wrapped them around her. The gravel underneath us definitely didn't do anything to soften our fall.

I pulled back to look down at her, only to see her frantic eyes dragging over my face and her mouth moving, but I couldn't hear shit.

"I'm okay," I said. Or at least I think I said that, but my head was getting split in two and my body felt like it went through ten rounds with an MMA fighter. "Everything is okay."

Sweat dripped into my eyes, but her horrified expression told me it wasn't sweat.

"I'm bleeding, aren't I?" I asked, still looking down at her. She nodded quickly, trying to extricate herself from me, but I wasn't having it.

The buzzing in my ears slowly subsided, just in time for me to hear her voice.

"You're bleeding. For fuck's sake, Adrian. Get off of me. I need to get you medical help."

Voices boomed around us, people panicking, some shouting, some giving out orders, but I just wanted to stay here.

"Adrian!"

"Goddammit, Vega," I groaned. "There's no need to yell."

"You can hear me?" She smiled.

"A little too well," I mumbled, closing my eyes. "Use your inner voice."

"My inner voice says you're bleeding, you big oaf," she admonished. "You need to move. I need to look at your wounds."

"I'm fine," I grumbled, moving slowly off of her, but she was right. I was definitely bleeding, and I was definitely hurt, but I didn't want her to worry. "You saved me." I grinned, knowing I probably looked like shit.

"Again," she said, pushing herself up. "I saved your ass again, even after you made me so angry." She smacked me on the shoulder, making me yell out.

"What was that for?" I exclaimed.

"For being a fucking idiot," Vega answered.

I was. There was no doubt about that, but as we sat here with all this pandemonium around us, I didn't want to waste another second.

Pulling her onto my lap, it was her turn to grumble, but before she could say anything, my lips claimed hers, swallowing the moan threatening to slip out as my hand wrapped around the back of her throat.

"I love you, Bambi."

"I know," she said grumpily, eyeing me with that lingering anger.

"Say you love me back." I chuckled.

"No."

"Bambi." I pouted. "Say it," I urged her as my lips descended on her cheek, then her throat, then her chin. "Say you love me." I kept my mini assault, until she turned putty in my arms, wrapping her own around my neck.

"I love you," she finally said. "I'll always love you." She kissed me quickly before she moved back, frowning at me. "But if you ever do something like this again, I'm going to kill you myself."

She would. I knew she would, but there was no need for something like this ever again, because I was free.

Free of my father.

Free of his expectations.

Now was the time to build the life I wanted to have with her. Now was the time for our future.

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