Page 58 of Soaring in Flames (Reborn 2)
Chapter 15
Maya
Ifelt fitful and mybody felt feverish as I turned against a warm comforting surface that felt far more muscular than my bedding. My lashes fluttered open to find myself looking into a crisp white undershirt with the scent of fresh snow surrounding me.
Marco.
“Marco?” I mumbled, raising my head to find a pair of mint green eyes intently piercing through me. His look pinned me with an unintentional command that had my stomach tightening with desire while frustrating me at the same time. Everything from earlier flooded back in.
Instead of overwhelming myself, I tried to think about a rational question that didn’t include emotion. How long had I been asleep? I didn’t feel like it had been very long because my body still ached with exhaustion.
“Baby girl.” His hand swept over my forehead as his rough voice rolled over my ears. “How are you feeling?” My skin broke out into chills as he ran his nose against my cheekbone and my hands tightened on his shirt. Wanting him closer despite feeling odd about our argument.
“We got into a fight,” I mumbled my eyebrows dipping.Clearly I was not cut out for the ‘don’t be emotional’ train.I didn’t know how to feel about the argument though...would things change between us? I mean, was it bad that we fought? Did that make our relationship bad? When my mother and Jed fought it had been nothing less than horrible.
“Hey,” Marco cupped my jaw, “stop, Maya.”
“Stop what?” I swallowed nervously trying to not look away from his gaze. Honestly, part of me felt embarrassed for earlier. Not that I wasn’t being honest about what I’d said or felt, but it just felt...rash. I think I’d been overtired and my nose had hurt a lot, so I had decent reasoning. At least that was what I told myself.
“Overthinking,” he pointed out, pressing a kiss to my nose that felt a heck of a lot better now, “I can see it happening.”
“I just... I mean, are you mad at me? I feel weird about us fighting,” I mumbled, my brows dipping. “What if this changes things? I don’t want to be like Jed and my mother—” I sighed into the kiss Marco pressed to my lips, soft and soothing, causing the anxiety from my body to seep out.
“First of all,” he stated, softly cupping my jaw, our foreheads pressed against one another, “we are absolutely nothing like them, okay?”
I searched his face, paired with a fierce convicted expression, and nodded seeing that he truly believed that. He continued, “Second, I’m not mad at you. I have absolutely no reason to be mad at you for speaking your mind, Maya. If anyone needs to apologize it’s me.”
I frowned, shaking my head. “I don’t think so.”
He hummed and nodded. “I do. I owe you an apology. I shouldn’t have, and neither should’ve Henry, made it seem as though we were discounting your opinion on how to handle the situation.” I could see his eyes flash with what I knew was his dragon, probably disagreeing slightly, before he continued, “We are a tad overprotective of you, Maya. Sometimes that clouds my decision making, I’ve found.”
My smile grew. “Yeah? A tad?” I hadn’t realized it at first but it was true. They were protective over me. I wouldn’t call it ‘over’ though. I loved it.
His eyes lit up with slight mischief as he rolled us so that I was under him looking up at his stunning face. I smoothed my hand over his slight five o’clock shadow. “I just want, no I need, you guys to let me handle some things on my own. I never have an issue with asking you all for help.”
Marco examined my face and he nodded. “I know. You’re right. I need to walk the walk, not just talk the talk, as they say.” I smiled at the phrase as his next words warmed my chest.
“I said you’re an equal and I need to treat you as such. But Maya, I will never stop protecting you. You need to know that, honey. You’ve become...” he exhaled, examining my expression before continuing, “you’ve become everything to me, Maya. If someone tried to hurt you then they deserve ten times that.”
A warm shiver ran across my skin at the darkness in his gaze. I swallowed, feeling a bit nervous at the intensity of his words. Mostly because I could feel the phrase that I wanted to say right at the edge of my lips. It was more than a phrase though. It was a wave of emotions that had only been growing in strength and power. I wanted to let it loose and to tell him exactly how I felt, even if it was new. I knew how I felt even if I’d never experienced it before. It was clear as day to me...but I worried about how he would react.
What if he didn’t love me like I knew I loved him?
“Everything?” I preened slightly as his eyes filled with liquid heat, turning them into burning emeralds. I loved this side of Marco. I mean I loved most sides, but this was different. Marco was so strong and serious most of the time, that seeing him slightly more relaxed, yet still heated? It made everything inside of me turn up ten million degrees. I knew that he was only like this with me. That this was special between us.
“Everything,” he nodded softly.
I bit my lip and searched his expression before going for it. I think I knew Marco wouldn’t hurt me. I think I knew how he felt...but it was still a risk. “Marco?”
He looked up from where his gaze had strayed to my lips, his chest rumbling slightly under my touch. “Yeah, baby girl?”
Here goes everything...
“I love you.”
Marco’s entire form froze and my pulse beat rapidly having no idea what the heck to say or do. Luckily, I didn’t have to wait long, his voice was rough and his gaze very intense. “You love me?”
I swallowed, nodding. “Yes. I think that’s what this is—”
