Page 28 of Breathe Again

She squirmed under my scrutiny and I gritted my teeth, bracing for the full impact of rejection once again. I’d regret leaving myself vulnerable to her again later if it came to it, but I had to hear it from her own lips one way or another.

She leaned forward, wincing slightly in pain with the movement. She placed her hands on either side of my face and held me there, staring into my eyes. “I have been in love with you since the first moment I laid eyes on you, Cole. Not one day, not one second since has that changed. I know I said some horrible things, and I don’t expect you to forgive me or even understand them. It’s my regret to carry, but yes, I love you now as much as I ever have and always will.”

The final straps binding my heart snapped free. I took a deep breath, feeling like I could finally breathe again, and I kissed her like my life depended on it.

She didn’t hesitate to kiss me back. I wasn’t the boy that had last been with her. I was a man and I knew how to please a woman, and I was long overdue for pleasing mine.

I pulled back breathlessly. “Wait,” I said, hating the disappointment settling in her eyes. I didn’t ever want to see that look again. “I can’t do casual with you, Elizabeth. I have to know where we stand. It’s all or nothing for me. I won’t half-ass this. You’re either mine, or you’re not. That choice is yours, but before this goes any further, I need to know. If you need time to think about it. . . ”

She silenced me with another kiss.

“I don’t need to think about it, Cole. I’m yours. All yours. Always and forever yours, if you can forgive me and still want me.”

I smiled at her. “Mine,” I growled as my lips pressed against hers to continue what we’d started. I picked her up, never breaking contact, and carried her to bed. I didn’t want to rush anything. I’d waited far too long already, but a soft groan of pain jolted my quest.

“Did you take your pills?” I asked, brushing her hair back from her forehead and realizing she was sweating.

She shook her head. “Not yet. I thought I could get by without them.”

Cursing, I rolled off her and went to get the water and pills, trying to resolve the logistics of her injury in my head while still getting what I wanted more than anything. Truth was, my mate was hurt and suffering, and I’d waited fifteen years for this. Her comfort came first. I tried to adjust my pants to hide the evidence that I was already hard and ready for her before I returned.

“Come on, sit up and take these,” I ordered.

“But I hate the way they make me feel,” she whined.

“I know, sweetheart, but I can’t stand for you to be in pain. Please just take the damn pills.”

“Fine,” she conceded a little too quickly.

I laid down next to her and cuddled her close to me. She turned and brought my face back down to hers. I smiled against her lips, giving her only the slightest kiss before pulling back in time to see her pout.

“I’m not going anywhere, Elizabeth. We don’t have to rush this. I don’t want to cause you any more pain.” There was a double meaning in that statement and we both knew it.

“I’m so scared I’m going to wake up and find this was all a dream, some drug-induced fantasy.”

I took her hand and held it to my chest, my heart beating fast from the excitement of just being near her.

“It’s not a dream. I’m here, and I’m not going anywhere.”

“Until you leave again,” she challenged.

“And you’re coming with me,” I told her.

She stared at me, stunned for a moment. “But my family, my Pack, my job.”

“My life is in San Marco, Elizabeth. I’m a Pack leader. Are you seriously asking me to give that all up to stay here?”

“No,” she said quickly. “It’s just happening so fast, I hadn’t even considered the logistics of us being together. This is my home. I’m not a kid anymore ready to pack up and ship off anywhere to follow my heart. I have responsibilities here.”

“And I have them there,” I told her. “So where does that leave us?”

I watched as she puzzled out the answer. I could see her weighing the pros and cons of both, and I tried not to let anger and hurt lash out at her for it. She was right. We weren’t young pups without ties. We were both vitally integrated into our Packs. Traditionally the female followed her mate and was accepted into his Pack, but tradition wasn’t always what was right. Patrick O’Connell had left his Pack and joined Westin to be with his mate, Elise. That had worked out just fine and he currently worked closely with me as my co-Beta.

There had been extenuating circumstances there, though, and that was not the norm. Would Zach, or rather Thomas, since he was taking over as Alpha in a few days, even consider letting me join Collier? I wasn’t certain, because I was Westin.

My phone rang before either of us spoke again. I grabbed it from my pocket and looked at the screen. Kyle Westin. I couldn’t ignore it.

“I have to take this,” I told Elizabeth before answering. “Hello?”

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