Page 100 of Pulse

He drove over the grass and parked at the barn door.

“Pulse, I can walk,” Talia said with a huff.

“Fuck that.” He jogged around and opened the passenger door before his stubborn woman could try to slip out on her own.

She winced as she swung her legs his way.

“Saw that,” he said with a smirk.

“Yeah, yeah,” she muttered, rolling her eyes.

The flash of normal banter had his lips quirking even though he couldn’t muster a full grin.

Pulse kept his arm around her waist as they walked up the stairs. She leaned against him from either pain or fatigue. Her gait was slower than usual, and every so often, she winced. The injuries might be minor, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t ache like hell for the next few days.

When they reached the apartment, he ushered her straight into the bathroom. “Hop up,” he said, patting the countertop. He grabbed her waist and hoisted her onto the counter. When he turned toward the tiny closet to retrieve the first-aid kit, Talia grabbed his cut and stopped him.

She tugged him close and widened her legs. He slipped between them. The added height from her sitting on the counter put their lips nearly level with each other.

“Just give me a minute like this. I’m so tired,” she whispered, resting her forehead against his. “I could fall asleep right here sitting up. I almost feel like I drank too much.”

“It’s the adrenaline crash.” He coasted his hands up and down her back, and she nearly purred.

“Makes sense. Mm… that feels nice.”

“Good.” He’d rub her back for the rest of her life if it made her happy.

When she spoke again, he had to strain to hear. “I’ve never let anyone see me like this before.”

He stilled his hands. “Injured?”

“No, I mean, weak like this… rattled from a bad experience, messy, and helpless. Normally, I’d hide away and lick my metaphorical wounds until I was back to one hundred percent. I don’t like people to know I’m not always strong or at my best, so I isolate myself in those moments. It’s too easy for someone to take advantage of those moments and judge or hurt you.” She straightened and looked him in the eye. “But with you, I’m not afraid of that happening.”

Christ, what a fucking honor. He had to be the luckiest bastard in the universe. Of everyone she knew, he was the lucky fucker who got all of her—the good, the bad, and the vulnerable.

He cupped her face and pressed a lingering kiss to her lips. “I will make sure you never regret giving me this gift.” He kissed her again. “I meant it, you know.”

Her forehead scrunched, and she frowned. “Meant what?”

“Earlier tonight when I told you I love you. My timing was shit, but I meant it. It wasn’t just a heat-of-the-moment confession. I love you.”

She sucked in a breath, and her pupils widened. “Pulse…”

“I love you, Talia.”

Her eyes filled with tears, and her throat moved as she swallowed. “I love you, too,” she whispered.

His heart nearly exploded out of his chest. He’d told Camila he loved her countless times as part of the ruse. And he’d heard it back just as many times. It’d been easy to say, becoming a habitual phrase he’d spoken every time they left each other’s presence. Saying or hearing those words hadn’t meant anything to him.

They did now.

He could feel something shift inside him at her words. Like a missing piece of an elaborate puzzle, he’d assumed he’d lost and would never find.

“Let’s fix you so we can go to bed.”

“Okay.”

She watched intently as he cleaned her palms and knees. He wasn’t surprised by how stoic she remained even when he knew it stung. The task took longer than expected due to bits of gravel he had to pick out of her wounded knees one by one. By the time he finished bandaging her, she’d slumped back against the mirror and fallen asleep.

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