Page 88 of Damascus & The Wildfire
He kissed the top of my head. I leaned into him, grateful for his strength and patience. I let the exhaustion slide between us, feeling for once as if I could let someone else help carry my grief.
Chapter Thirty-Two
I nudged open the front door, juggling an iced latte in one hand, black coffee in the other, a sack of burritos, and a small, wrapped gift pinched awkwardly in my elbow. Brisket woofed before barreling toward me, his nails scratching against the hardwood floors.
Even though I’d lived in this house for years, Kenna made it feel like a home with pillows and throw blankets scattered everywhere like she was building a fort, and candles flickering on every surface. The scent of vanilla lingered in the air, mixing with the familiar smell of woodsmoke and leather.
I deftly avoided tripping over the overzealous dog and dumped the burritos and gift on the counter before I made my way across the room to Kenna. Her red hair caught the sunlight slanting through the window, shining like dancing flames as she stood in front of a bookcase. She reached high on her tiptoes to place books on the top shelf.
I smirked as I read the titles. “You really do like true crime,” I observed. “Should I be worried?”
“About what?” she asked innocently.
I raised a brow and handed over her latte. I wiped the dampnesson my jeans before catching her chin between my fingers, tipping her head up so she looked into my eyes.
“Sometimes I think you’re the most dangerous one in the room,” I said.
She leaned into my touch and smiled. “I might know how to kill a man twelve different ways, but I know I’ll never need to. Not with you by my side.”
I pressed her gently into the bookshelf and kissed her, grounding myself in her warmth. It would never be enough. I’d regret every lost minute until I met her, but I planned to spend forever making up for it.
“What did you bring me?” she asked as she attempted to peer around me.
I glanced over my shoulder at the box, and nerves fluttered in my chest. “I’ll give it to you later.”
Kenna pouted, pursing her lips in a way that made me want to bite them. “You’re seriously going to make me wait?”
“Fine,” I relented.
I stalked across the room and held the box out to her. She shook it, the thunk echoing through the room.
“Well, it’s not a puppy,” she joked.
“It’s not a chicken or a goat either.”
She grinned. “There’s always next time.” She ripped the hot-pink wrapping paper off the box. “This has Eva written all over it,” she observed.
I nodded and watched her as she slowly separated the leather vest from the sparkly tissue paper. She bit her lip as she held it in front of her, taking in the Mavericks insignia and the bottom rocker that proclaimed “Property of Merrick.”
For a heartbeat, air stalled in my lungs. The silence was killing me. Did she hate it? Did she understand how important this was to me?
Kenna slipped one arm through and then the other. There was acustom patch on the front licked in flames surrounding an embroidered “Wildfire.” She brushed her fingers across it before gazing into my eyes.
“We both know how fast things change. I love you. I want you to be mine in every way possible.”
“So, this means I belong to you?” she asked, challenge in her tone.
I shook my head. “This means every part of me belongs to you. For the rest of our lives.”
“Do I still have the right to vote?” she asked in her sassiest tone.
She yelped as my palm hit the curve of her ass, and I pressed my lips to hers to silence her protest.
“This patch gives you full veto power on me,” I whispered, sliding my hand from the curve of her ass to her hip. “This gives you the right to tell me what you want. Tonight and every night. I’ll give you any damn thing you want, Wildfire.”
“Really?” she drawled as she ran her fingers down my chest slowly. “You sure you’re ready for what I want?”
Before I could answer, my phone rang. Thane’s name blared across the screen—a summon I’d never ignored. I silenced the call and tossed the phone onto the counter.
