Page 99 of Wild

“Wow,” I breathe.

He kisses me, a slow and lazy kiss. He takes his time, our lips dancing together to a song only we know.

I cup his jaw and look him in the eyes. “I love you, too,” I finally say. “I wanted to hate you, I still do sometimes,” I laugh, rubbing my nose against his, “but it’s still the impossible truth that I love you more than I knew was possible. All these years I’ve been chasing after this feeling, searching for it, but it wasn’t the feeling I needed to find. It was you.”

“You,” he echoes.

CHAPTER24

HOLLIS

Irun, struggling to keep up with the impossible speed I’ve set on the treadmill.

Last night nearly killed me, being up on the stage, singing the song I wrote for Mia, and not even being able to look at her. A part of me wants to push her for us to tell her dad. This secret is weighing on my shoulders, the pressure painful every second I’m near him. As much as my mind wants to run wild, to think Mia’s ashamed of me, I know it isn’t the case. She’s spoken of her dad’s behavior in the past when she’s dated, and she knows he’ll be a thousand times worse with me.

Because I’m a musician … and because my past escapades have been splashed across headlines.

But even if I could take it all back, erase it like it never existed, he’d never approve of my relationship with his daughter.

He’s her dad, I can’t expect any less.

It doesn’t change the fact I’m in love with her. I’ve never known what it’s like to be in love before, now that I have, it’s a feeling I never want to let go of.

Love like this is the best kind of madness.

My feet pound against the treadmill, my body dripping with sweat. I feel like my body could give out any second but I still keep pushing.

“Get off the fucking treadmill,” Cannon demands in his dad voice. “You’re going to kill yourself.”

“Maybe that’s what I want,” I growl at him.

He rolls his eyes. “Get. Off.” He bites out the words.

I don’t listen.

He slams his hand down yanking out the safety belt so it comes to an abrupt stop.

I fall, face planting on the rubber track.

“What the fuck man?” I glower at him, picking myself up.

“I had to save you from yourself.” He shrugs, placing his hand on my shoulder and steering me away. “What’s going on?” he asks in a lowered voice, leading me over to the water fountain.

I bend, guzzling down the water. Standing up straight once more I lift the edge of my shirt, wiping my sweaty face.

I let out a breath and stick my hands on my hips. “Mia’s not ready to tell her dad, but fuck … it feels wrong spending all this time with him, having himmentorus and he doesn’t know. He’s going to be pissed if he learns how long this has been going on. It’s going to be Thanksgiving soon and he fucking invited us to his house, man. Like we’re family or some shit and all I can think about is him finding out there and stabbing me with the carving knife.”

Serious,steadfast, always level-headed Cannon busts out laughing.

“He’s not going to stab you,” he chortles. The bastard even wipes tears from his eyes.

“He might,” I grumble. “I am sleeping with his daughter.”

“You didn’t say fucking. I’m impressed.”

I sigh. “Believe me, we fuck, but we also don’t. It’s different with her.”

“There are feelings,” he fills in.

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