Page 228 of At the Edge of Surrender

“Oh, Kane…”

I could see the thoughts play out in his mind. A spinning record he would never be able to stop.If only I could go back and save her…if I could help her the way I help these women and children.

My own thoughts raced through my mind, the tattoo on the inside of my wrist burning with its truth.Find me in the darkness, bring me to the light.

For three gutting days and nights, it had been the plea of my soul. For someone to find us. To bring us out of the torture that we’d been subjected to. And I could almost feel the relief I had when we were rescued. When I’d been brought into the light.

How could I ever, ever consider what he did wrong?

Kane’s frown was grim. “Know what you’re thinking, Em. But you need to know how ugly this goes. How dangerous it is. Everything I do is criminal. From my bars that we use as a cover for the moneylaundering that we use to support ourselves and those we set up with new identities, all the way to the fact that we shot a man dead today, and I don’t have an ounce of regret in doing it.”

My chin wobbled. “Because you’re a fighter, too.”

I was sure, right then, that he would always fight for me. For us.

And all the walls that I’d tried to keep erected were finally floored.

Demolished.

Ruined.

Because I could feel myself slip over the edge, right into that free fall that I’d been so terrified of.

Surrendering.

Surrendering.

Regret rippled across his face. “You really should run.”

“Is that what you want me to do?”

A big, big hand was back on my face, softly caressing as he murmured, “Think you know the only thing I want is for you to love me back.”

And that last barrier cracked wide open, and a rush of tears gushed down my face. “As if there was any chance of me not loving you?”

Emotion gripped him, and he pulled me in, his nose brushing mine. “What are you saying, Little Warrior? That you’re mine?”

“Kane Asher, I think I was yours the second you picked me up off the floor at Twisted Moon.”

“Fuck…Emery.” Gulping, he dropped his forehead to mine. “I love you. I love you with every breath that this body will give me. With every sunrise and every twilight and every fucking second in between. For every single one of my days.”

The only thing I could do was curl myself against him, my mouth buried in his neck when I fully, completely surrendered. “I love you. With all of me. With everything.”

FIFTY

KANE

Freedom.

I didn’t think I’d really understood the meaning of it until right then. The wind lashing across my face, the heavy metal of my bike vibrating below me, my girl wrapped around me from behind.

Her tits pressed tight against my back and the thud of her heart battering through me like a beautiful storm.

Right then, we were traveling down the south end of the mountain after I’d taken her to watch the view of the sun going behind the lake.

“It’s so beautiful,” she’d whispered.

I couldn’t help but ask her, “Does this feel like home?”

---