Page 89 of Because of Logan

I holdon to Skye and breathe in her orange blossom scent. I hold on to her as relief floods me. The weight of worry and not knowing where she was has been lifted off my shoulders, but the stress of it has made me so tired, I could fall asleep right now, like this, kneeling on the cold, hard floor with her in my arms.

We stay in that empty room for a long time as commotion slows and quiets outside the door.

I move her away from me, just enough that I can see her.

My eyes flit all over her face, drinking her in. Her blue eyes are bright with unshed tears. There’s so much love in them. So much want.

“Skye...”

I kiss her then.

Gentle at first.

Just a brush of lips.

A taste.

A lick.

A nibble.

I try to hold back. I do.

But the fear I felt before, the desperation when I didn’t know where she was, takes over and breaks free.

I kiss Skye as if my life depends on it.

I kiss her to make sure this is real, and she’s here in my arms and unharmed.

I kiss her because I cannotnotkiss her.

And she kisses me back with the same intensity, with the same desperation and need.

Skye kisses me back as if her life also depends on it.

When we break apart, her lips are red and swollen. My own feel the same.

“Skye—God—this is not how I imagined saying this. Not at all, but I can’t wait any longer. I can’t hold it in for one more second.”

My thumbs graze her cheeks as I hold her face up to mine.

“I love you. I’m crazy in love with you, Skye. And I was so scared something would happen to you and you wouldn’t know. You wouldn’t know how much I love you. How important you are to me. How big a part of my life you are.”

Her eyes fill with tears and spill over. I catch them with my lips. I kiss her tears away.

“Shh, don’t cry, don’t be upset.”

“I’m not upset. It’s not sadness spilling out of me. It’s love. Love for you. I love you too, Logan. I’m crazy in love with you.”

She repeats the words I said to her, back to me. They form around a watery smile, and I catch them with my mouth. I taste love and tears in her lips. This might be the absolute worst place and time for a love declaration, but if anything, this horrible situation serves to show me time is precious and short.

Love should never be held back, contained, or denied. Love is a wild animal. It does not belong in captivity. It needs to be freely given to grow and thrive.

I’m done holding back. It’s time to let go and trust.

“I’m all in, Skye. I’m all in.”

Chapter Forty-Three

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