Page 52 of I Am Lioness

“When I want to be, yes.”

“And now happens to be one of those times?”

“Damn right, now quit evading. Can you do that for me?”

I tilted my head to one side and slipped my arms around his neck, giving him a small smile. “I’m not saying it’s going to be easy because we know how easy it is for me to get lost in my head, but I promise you I’m going to do everything in my power to keep busy and make the best of our time apart.”

Warm lips met mine again in the most tender of kisses that nearly left me breathless.

“Thank you.” He murmured and I nodded, my eyes fluttering shut at the feel of his hand running down my body.

“No, thank you.”

We spent the remainder of our time together lost between the sheets of the bed. While it was nothing like the feverish, hungered fucking from Friday night, it was still equally as passionate, if not more.

By the time we made it into the shower, I was far too sated and quite spent to even allow myself to feel a spec of sadness over the coming weeks ahead. All I could do was live in the moment and relish the feel of being wrapped in his arms until it was time to say goodbye.

Afterwards, Knox went about packing his bag and I took my time getting ready for the day ahead. Just because he was leaving didn't mean I couldor wouldskip the gym. If anything, the gym would be my refuge while he was gone.

I could blow off steam and train my life away harder than ever before. If my opponents were scared in the past then they would be absolutely terrified now because Lioness was going to annihilate. No mercy.

A few hours later, Emmanuel pulled the SUV up to the drop-off area of Austin–Bergstrom International. The mere sight of the departures sign shot my stomach up to my throat in a thick lump but I swallowed it down, hoping to keep it together for Knox’s sake.

With his bag in hand, we made our way inside the building and despite our conversation earlier in the morning, every step closer to check-in felt like another piece of my heart was being ripped away.

I couldn’t help it. I wanted to be strong, to see this for what it was, to be supportive of his choices as he had always been of mine, but the truth was, I didn’t want him to go.

Stopping just before the check-in line, I looked away from his penetrating gaze as fresh, unbidden tears welled in my eyes, blurring my vision.

“Come here,” he rasped, pulling me into the warmth of his chest, his arms nearly crushing me from the strength of their grip.

“Please don't.” My voice wavered.

I could hear the thump of his heart, feel it hammering beneath my cheek as frantically as my own.

His throat bobbed with a swallow. “Don't what?”

“Don't say it. I can't handle it.” I admitted, clenching the back of his tee for dear life.

“I won't.” He said softly. “Look at me.”

I shook my head, unable to face what I knew would likely be such an intense expression, it would break me.

“Baby, look at me.” He implored gently, taking my face in his hands to meet his fierce blue-eyed stare.

“This isn’t goodbye. It's I’ll see you later, remember?”

That was all it took. Just the mere mention of the word broke the dam wide open, rolling white-hot tears down my cheeks. He wiped them away with his thumbs but they reappeared anew.

“These tears,” he wiped them away once more, “watching you cry,for meof all things… It's breaking my heart. Please don't cry.”

My lip quivered uncontrollably. “I can’t help it.”

He regarded me for the briefest moment, his eyes flickering between mine. “Fourteen days.”

“Fourteen days.” I repeated. “And not a minute later.”

“Not a second later.” He countered before sealing his mouth over mine with a kiss that took my every last uneasy breath away and filled me with nothing but hope, strength… And maybe even love.

---