Page 104 of L.O.V.E

“A month later, he ran her down with his Impala. She was in a coma for two weeks before she passed.”

“You blame yourself,” she said, swallowing hard.

“I should’ve tried harder.”

Natalie stared at me, lips pursed, a thousand questions in her eyes, but she didn’t downplay my guilt. “So what’s all this then?”

“When it’s finished? A safe place for victims. Any resource they need, they’ll have, right here. Doctors. Counseling. Child Care. Lawyers. Detectives. Food. Clothing. Online schooling. Upstairs? Apartments, rent free, for as long as they need. A day. A week. Months. Doesn’t fucking matter.”

“You’re a good man, Cole Adams.”

“My mother says I have a Savior’s complex. Maybe she’s right. I don’t know. When Cadence died, I blamed myself. Shut down for a while. Hid in the gym. Training was my only outlet, the easiest way to exhaust the anger and guilt. The only other thing that helped me out of my funk was helping people.”

“All those charities you support,” she whispered, wrapping her arms around my waist, laying her cheek against my sweaty chest. “You tried to save me, didn’t you? When you’d insisted I take those self-defense classes.”

She was right. Still, I said, “You’ve never needed saving.”

“I need saving right now, Cole.”

“That so?” I chuckled, turning her toward the elevator. “From what?”

“Take me back to bed, and I’ll tell you.”

Heavy-lidded eyes met mine and, with a sweet smile, Natalie grabbed my hand and tugged, urging me toward the bed. She smelled like sex and tasted like toothpaste. When I pulled her toward the shower, she dug in her heels and shook her head no.

“I’m a sweaty mess,” I argued.

“I want you dirty, Cole,” she said, her voice dripping with need.

The hounds of Hell could’ve dragged me kicking and screaming to the fiery pits, and I would’ve fought my way back, picking my teeth with their bones.Fuuck. She wanted me dirty. Sweeter words? Not in my lifetime.

I gave her dirty. I gave her deep. I gave her hard. I gave her bites and licks and moans and every filthy thought that came to mind.

And when I came inside her, I gave her all of me, holding her tight, panting, “I love you. God, I fucking love you.”

We lay silent and still, only our breaths between us. I was exhausted and sated and so damn happy, and I couldn’t let her walk out of my life again.

Dropping a kiss to her nose, I whispered, “Tell me where you live.” I already knew. Did that make me a jackass? Too fucking bad.

“Why?” she asked, eyes bright and hopeful.

“You know why.”

“Because our mothers believe we’re soulmates?” she teased, snuggling closer, her heated skin melting into all of my empty spaces.

“We are.” I smoothed a hand over her naked ass, then gave her a hard slap, her squeal an angel’s song. “Why can’t you admit they’re right?”

“If it’s true, if you’re my destiny, then it won’t matter if you know where I live. We’ll find our way back to each other.”

She wanted to play. I wanted to beg her to stay.

“You little devil.”

“What do you say?” She pushed away from me, planting a palm on my chest. “Shall we test the theory?”

I’d play along. Anything to keep that smile on her face. And hell, I could use her game to my advantage. “On two conditions.”

“What conditions?”

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