Page 69 of Fall Into Me

“You said you could outrun me.” She jutted a hip out and raised one dark brow.

“Run,” I emphasized. “Not sprint like we’re being chased by the walking dead.”

“For such a big, scary-looking guy, you’re a bit of a softie.”

“There’s nothing soft about me.” I frowned at her, doing my best to flex my arms even though I was about to fucking die.

“Oh yeah?” A little grin started to spread on her face. I was intimately familiar with that look. I reached up and gripped her hips, pulling her down onto me with a squeal.

“Fane!” She slapped two hands onto my chest. “This is a public gym.” She looked around, her brows furrowed.

“And it’s close to midnight. No one is here.”

“That doesn’t mean we should—”

“I’m not going to fuck you at the gym, Rose.” I kept my hands gripped on her hips, bringing my chest flush with hers. “I just wanted to prove to you how incredibly notsoftI am.” I kept my hold on her firm, grinding her down along the hard length of my cock.

“This is…inappropriate.”

“You gave me yourfuck meeyes first.”

“I did not—”

“Liars get punished, baby.”

“Well,” she swallowed, chest rising faster with each passing second. “In that case, Idefinitelydidn’t.”

I started to lean up, intent on stealing a kiss before I left her to her running to finish up with my weights while I thought about all the ways I would, in fact, punish her so deliciously when we got home when she leaned back a little. A look of complete and total seriousness on her face.

“Are we going to talk about it?” she murmured, eyes softening, fingers twining together around the back of my neck.

“About what?”

“Stupid doesn’t suit you, Fane.” She gave me an eyeroll and hopped off me.

“I just don’t think going to see her is a good idea.” I scratched at my eyebrow before getting to my feet. It was my mom’s birthday on Sunday, and though I tried to make it home to visit her for that day every year, I wasn’t sure I should anymore.

“You’re her son,” Cali said softly, like it was the simplest thing in the world. Like it should be enough.

But it wasn’t. Not for her. Not for me.

“I know I remind her of him,” I muttered, my voice rougher than I intended and she flinched at the bitterness, and guilt twisted low in my gut.

“I didn’t mean—”

“No.” I cut her off, forcing a long breath. “You’re right.”

Cali didn’t look away, her steady gaze digging into the parts of me I kept locked down. “When you picture a future where you don’t see her anymore, what do you feel?”

Relief.

The word sat heavy on my tongue. Shame curdled in my chest because what kind of son feelsreliefat the thought of losing his mother?

Cali walked over to me, winding her arms around my waist and resting her chin on my chest. “You’ve decided already.”

“I have.” I tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. Grounding myself in her softness. Hergoodness.

“Don’t you think she deserves a real goodbye?” She pressed her cheek to my chest, and I rested my head on top of hers.

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