Page 85 of Volatile

Yeah, he’d dealt with his flower aversion too. They weren’t roses, but if that’s what she wanted, that’s what she’d get. Every day, if needed. As long as she was his, he’d handle any thorns.

“I missed you too,” she said softly, “but I was so awful to you. Over and over. I wasn’t sure if you’d ever forgive—” Her stomach growled, and he laughed. “Sorry. My lunch break is late.”

Jon grabbed her hand. “Let’s get you something to eat. Then we can talk.”

“Wait.” Were those fucking tears in her eyes? He touched her face, and she smiled slightly. “I don’t know if I can do this, Jonathan, but I am willing to talk.”

“That’s a perfect start.”

“And I feel like if I don’t do it right this second, I’ll lose my chance.”

“I’m not going anywhere. You’ll never lose your chance.”

She glanced around at all the people milling up and down the sidewalk. As far as he was concerned, they were the only two who existed, but he led her over to the side of the building, sheltering her against the brick.

Her eyelids fluttered closed for a second before glancing up at him. She took a deep breath. “I may have been wrong about you, but I wasn’t about me. I’m not like... her.”

“No, you’re not, and you never will be.” She dropped her head, but he lifted it back. “And that’s what I love about you, Ivy.” He grasped her chin and stared into her eyes, wanting to kiss her so damn badly. “I don’t want you to be her. I want you to be you. You were right to call me out before, but Julia’s truly gone now. Her portrait, her influence, everything. I only have space in my heart for one woman, and it’s not her.”

“But you and me... we’re so different.”

“Not in the ways that matter.”

“I’m scared, Jonathan.” Her eyes misted over. “Of getting hurt. Emotionally. That I won’t be what you need and....”

“Shhh.” He brushed his lips over hers, and she trembled. “I’ve been hurt before too, but you’re too worth it for me not to take that chance again.”

“But you need certain things. Control. And since I can’t meet that need, you might have to go elsewhere to get it. That would shatter me.”

The first of her tears fell, and he held her tight, needing to absorb all her pain and uncertainty. It was up to him to lay it all out for her, no matter how open and bloody that made him.

“As I said, Ivy, I’m not going anywhere unless it’s with you. And you don’t need to change who you are to make sure that happens. But what you fail to realize is that it’s you who has the control and the ability to hurt me far worse. You not being submissive is a greater risk to me than my dominance will ever be to you. I’m not a Dominant because I have a need to overpower another. I’m a Dominant because I can’t allow another to have the power to crush me.”

And she had that power. Her very nature was his weakness. More than anyone else, she could destroy him so deeply he’d never recover. She could believe in him to her core, but if she didn’t want his care and protection, there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about it.

But none of the what-ifs mattered. Yes, she made him fucking vulnerable, and yes, he’d fucking deal with it. If his past taught him anything, guarantees were a joke, but that didn’t mean you stopped shooting for one. Ivy was his lucky star. She was the woman who’d proved him wrong.

Turned out, he wasn’t done with love after all.

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