Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 90211 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 451(@200wpm)___ 361(@250wpm)___ 301(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 90211 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 451(@200wpm)___ 361(@250wpm)___ 301(@300wpm)
Except it’s always like this when Liam’s around. He draws me to him, no matter what happened, even when I think it’s going to kill me he’s still there to devour the space between us. I feel my walls crumbling, but I’m not ready to forgive him, not yet.
“How do I know you’re not going to keep doing this to me?” I hold up a hand, stopping him from getting too close. He listens and doesn’t advance further. “How do I know we’re a team? And you’re not going to shut down again?”
“I promise—“
“No, no more promises. That’s your thing, isn’t it? You swear up and down, you never break your word, but what’s that mean? How’s it matter? I don’t know… if I can trust…”
“I swear, Regan.” His voice trembles. He steps closer. I flinch back and I can tell that hurts him. “All my life I’ve kept up walls. Everyone but Finn was nothing more than an obstacle. I went through hell when I was young, and I made myself promise I would never let another living person ruin me again, never let them get under my skin, hurt me, steal from me. I build walls against the world, let myself scar over, until you showed up and started digging all that away. You tore into me, Regan, in ways I never imagined. Seeing you burn that car, the joy it brought you and realizing how that might’ve been the first moment you’ve ever been alive, it changed me, seeing you change too. I don’t want… to be like this. I need… to be with you. I swear, Regan, on everything I am, everything I want to be, no more holding back, no more keeping you away. I want this. I want you.”
My heart beats so fast my head feels light. It’s everything I wanted him to say and more. I move toward him but stop short, still afraid of taking that last step. What happens if we do? What happens if I lose myself in him, let myself trust him fully, only for him to be like my father? I won’t shrink back, not anymore. I’ll never make myself small and perfect for another person ever again.
“I want you too,” I whisper, my voice cracking with how much it hurts to say. “But there’s still Luke… there’s the war… I don’t know what to do, Liam. I don’t know where to go.”
“Let me help.”
“He’s missing…”
“We’ll find him.”
“I don’t know…”
“I know. I know.” He closes the distance between us and pulls me against him. I gasp, hugging him tight as the smell of him envelopes me, the warmth of his arms and the firmness of his chest bleeding into me, giving me enough strength to stay upright as he tightens his grip on me. “I’m here, love, I’m here and I’m bringing you home. I don’t care what your father said to you. He doesn’t matter anymore. We’ll find your brother and we’ll fix this.”
“I want to believe you.”
“You don’t have to. I’ll show you.” He pulls back enough to kiss me. His mouth devours mine and I tumble into it, shocked at how good it feels and how it brings me back from the brink. I moan into that kiss, whimper and gasp, tears streaming down my face.
“I want this,” I tell him, kissing him again, desperate for more. “I want it and I’m afraid of it.”
“I care about you, Regan, so fucking much it hurts. I love you. I broke for you already. You take me somewhere… somewhere safe, somewhere I never thought I could go.”
I gasp with the shock of hearing those words coming from a man I didn’t think would ever be capable of saying them. I kiss him furiously now, holding on tight, and even though my brother’s still missing—even though he’s gone somewhere far away, probably into hiding—
Somewhere safe.
I pull away from Liam with a jerk and a startled yelp.
“What’s wrong?” Concern burns across his face. His eyes scan the park. “Are you okay?”
“I know!” I kiss him again, beaming now. “I think I know where Luke is hiding?”
He smiles like I’ve lost my mind, which, to be fair, I probably did a while back.
“Alright then love. You lead the way and I’ll happily follow.”
CHAPTER 28
REGAN
The tires of Liam’s BMW crunch over gravel. The car sways as we roll down the rough road. He scowls around, at the massive, towering pines, the leaves scattering light across the brush.
“This is not my scene.”
"Huge shock there.” Nerves pluck at my fingertips. I’m worried we might’ve wasted a long ass drive, but if I’m right—
I refuse to let myself think about what’ll happen next.
“You know how many times I’ve left the damn city?”
“Let me guess. Never.”
“Dozens. I’m not a freak.” He smiles sideways at me. “But I still hate the countryside.”