Page 59 of Heart Thief

“I have to go, Mila. Everything will be fine.”

He’s close to the door and I’m standing in the middle of the living room with ice running through my veins. “Zane, wait!”

He turns and looks at me. And before I even know what’s happening, he’s running to me and I’m running to him. We smack into each other in the middle and his lips are on mine, hard, fast, and demanding. It’s a wild kiss, the kind of kiss I’ve been wanting, the kind that saysI’m crazy for you. The kind that saysI can hardly stand to be away from you.The kind of kiss that tells me he has feelings for me, out of control feelings. Nothing lukewarm here. No, quite the opposite... and I love it.

He pulls away and holds me by my shoulders. “I love you, Mila. I’m sorry if it’s too soon to say that, but there it is. I love you. I’ve loved you since the first moment I saw you. That’s just the way it is. I love you.”

No falling. He’s in love with me.

He kisses me one more time, another rough kiss filled with more emotion than I suspected he felt for me.

And then he’s off, heading for the door with fast footsteps.

“Zane!”

He pauses.

“I love you too. I do. Please come back.”

He turns, his eyes so intense I take a step backward.

“Make no mistake, I’ll be back for you.”

And then he’s gone.

I stand there, unable to move, frozen in place. Fear is coursing through me, along with high doses of adrenaline.

I reach up and touch my tender lips. He kissed me like I’ve always wanted to be kissed. Like he means it.

I rush to the TV and find a news channel that is covering the situation live and non-stop.

I’m glued to it as they announce the Army bomb squad has arrived.

This is Zane. This is his job. Ryker said he was irresponsible, a nomad who wanders the earth. That’s so unfair. He’s a modern-day hero. A man who goes out and does his job without asking for accolades or attention. If I ever hear Ryker lambast him again, he’ll get an earful from me.

The camera is too far away. I can’t really tell what is going on. I can only see a group of people standing on the bridge above the suspended can, huge lights trained on them, and a light trained on the can below them. They lower something down to the can, but the wind is whipping at it, making it difficult.

A reporter keeps saying the same things over and over. A possible bomb is suspended under the Golden Gate Bridge. The bridge is closed to all thru traffic. The Army bomb squad has arrived and has the matter in hand.

Nothing new. He knows nothing. He’s a spectator like all the rest of us, waiting on tenterhooks to see what will happen.

Next, my heart is in my throat as I watch a figure rappel off the side of the bridge, the wind making him sway dangerously.

Is that Zane? I close my eyes.Please don’t let it be Zane.

The reporter narrates what he’s seeing, what we’re all seeing. A man risking his life to see what’s inside the suspended can.

New video footage appears on the screen. The reporter says, “This just in. Video footage of the can being placed on the Golden Gate Bridge. A man, reportedly acting suspiciously, was sighted on the bridge, attaching the rope and lowering the can. He climbed onto the rope in an attempt to lower himself down to the can. However, he lost his grip, and slid down, hitting the can on his way to the water below. His body has not yet been recovered. We have no further information as to why the can has been placed on the bridge or why the man made an attempt to get to it.”

I feel sick when I see the man slip and fall to the cold water below.

The image on the TV switches back to the present. I can’t tell what’s happening and the suspense is killing me. I walk back and forth, nervous energy consuming me.

Zane is there. In the thick of the danger. Possibly standing above a bomb. Possibly dangling next to one.

I could lose him. But then, anyone could lose their loved ones at any given moment. None of us know when our time is up. That’s why you don’t spend your life falling. No, if you love someone you say it. Become the fallen. Zane knew there was a chance he wouldn’t return home. He knew it, and he did something about it. He pronounced his love for me. Perhaps earlier than he might have under normal circumstances. But I’m so glad he did. I loved hearing those words from his lips.

I’ve finally found love. And I don’t want to lose it.

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