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I blink at him. “You haven’t. Caused me pain, I mean.” My voice firms. “It wasn’t your fault we got taken to the island. It was some sick asshole—yes, a real curse, this time—who did it. You’re the one who kept me safe. And the shooting range thing just happened. I was fine. Plus, you took care of me. Again.”

“But the trip. The op.”

“You did that to keep me and the others safe.” Holding his gaze, I add, “Yes. I was scared. Foryou. Because I couldn’t bear it if I lost you.”

“Tate.”

“I know it’ll get easier, just like Lucy and the others said. Will I always worry about you? Yes. But that doesn’t mean I don’t want to be with you.”

“Ah, Tate.” He frames my face and kisses my forehead. “I want to be with you, too.”

My heart thuds hard.

Do I tell him?

I swore I would.

But it wasn’t supposed to be like this, with my eyes bloodshot and stinging and my nose all stuffed up. It was supposed to be romantic. When I thought about all the ways to tell Erik I love him, I tossed around ideas like a heart-shaped cookie with the words in icing on it. Or maybe a cute little note tucked next to his coffee in the morning.

On the other hand…

I don’t want to wait. And I think Erik needs to hear it.

So I catch his hands, twining my fingers between his. “I love you, Erik. That’s why I was worried. Because Iloveyou. And that’s what happens when you love someone. You worry about them. But I would rather have you and worry than be on my own.”

Erik stares at me, emotion working in his eyes. “You love me?”

“I do. I know it’s soon, but it’s how I feel. I’m sure of it. I’ve never felt this way about anyone before. Not even close. And?—”

But I’m silenced by a kiss. A hard and hungry one. Erik cups my nape and kisses me desperately, plunging deep, stroking and tasting. His fingers tunnel through my hair. He grows hard beneath me, nudging between my thighs.

When we finally break apart, he gazes at me with something that looks a lot like wonder in his eyes. “I love you, too, Tate. With all my heart.”

Joy blossoms inside me.“Erik.”

“I never thought much about finding the perfect person,” he says. “I thought I was happy being single. But I realized it was only because I hadn’t met you yet. Now I get it. What being in love really feels like. It’s so much more than words. It’s just… it’s knowing you’re the person I’ve been waiting for all my life.”

Tears spring to my eyes again. But unlike before, they’re ones of happiness. “I feel the same way.”

And as I lean in to kiss him again, all the questions I had about the trip, the worries, the fears… they all slip away.

All that matters is being with the man I love.

Everything else can wait.

So I turn in his lap, so I’m straddling him. “Erik.”

His brows go up. “Tate?”

“I want you,” I answer in a throaty voice that sounds unlike my own.“Now.”

His erection jerks beneath me. “But… I thought you’d have questions.”

“I do. But this is more important. Not just having sex. Making love.”

“Now?”

“Now.”