Page 169 of Chalk Outline

“Reeve!” she screams, her voice hoarse at the end.

I pull out of her and spin her around. Her eyes flash wide, a smile peeking within them. With one hand rubbing her clit, I pull her by the throat into a hungry kiss.

I swallow her sweet little sounds with each flick of my tongue. Even if I drowned inside her, it wouldn’t be enough.

Wrapping my arms around her, I tuck her closer to me.

“I love you more,” Winona whispers.

I gaze into her loving eyes through hooded lids—years of memories written inside them. My hand comes up to cup her cheek, the pad of my thumb softly tracing along her jaw.

“Find me in your dreams later.” I say, kissing the crown of her head.

Her curious eyes look back at me.

I carry us out of the water and back to the smooth, dry terrain. I spread our towels on the ground and lay Winona down, handing her a water bottle from the duffel bag.

She chugs half of it with a smile, then grabs my oversized T-shirt, new underwear, and some sweats.

“With the rate you tear my clothes off, I will have no clothes left,” she laughs, as she puts them on.

“I will happily stare at your naked body all day.” I wink and shrug.

She arches her perfectly trimmed eyebrow at me. “I bet.”

We hold each other’s gaze for a long moment.

“If you could be anything, what would you want to be?” she asks abruptly.

I blow out a breath. “Well… maybe teach kids and adults how to defend themselves. I could have my own place. Combat skills and books.”

“I love that. I would’ve been there every day.”

Twitching my mouth to the side, I shake my head. “That’s just fantasizing.”

“Not if you can turn it into a reality.”

“But I can’t.” I finish, getting dressed as well. “This is my life, living in the shadows.”

“You don’t believe that.”

“It doesn’t matter what I believe.”

“Well, I believe in you,” she declares, pushing up from the towel. “I’ve known you for a long time. You can make any dream a reality if you want to.”

Her outstretched hand waits before me, and I take it, rising to my feet and towering over her.

“I know you’re not a liar,” she starts, “I know you think you need to deal with perpetrators all on your own, and that’s a heavy burden to carry. I also know your heart and how everything affects you, even when you think it doesn’t. You care, and that’s your greatest strength. One of the many reasons I fell in love with you. Maybe the world tried to change you, but it couldn’t. You kept yourself alive, stood tall, and showed the world you’re unbreakable.”

My heart swells inside my chest, fire blazing through it. It physically hurts to look at her, be around her, or be with her, knowing my soul screams her name even when we’re inches apart.

I grab her hand and twirl her around. Once. Twice. Her sweet giggles encapsulate us.

“Can we stay here for a while?” she asks.

I press my forehead to hers. “I could use a nap.”

“Me too.”