Page 91 of Lethal Threat

I nuzzle her ear. “I’m sorry about the fight. I am just doing what I can to keep you safe and happy.”

She traces her fingers over my cheek and down my neck until her hand comes to rest on my chest. “Me too. I don’t want to fight. I know you’re trying. I am too.”

I tip her face up to mine. Her lips are so, so soft. God. I’m done for. She feels so right in my arms. The more I hold her, the more I know she’s the only woman that fills up the void inside of me.

I kiss her deeply, slowly. Thankful for this moment.

When I pull back, she clings to me with trembling hands.

Emotions roll through me. Smoothing back her hair, I tell her something that’s weighed heavy on my mind. “You don’t remember this, but when we first met, you brought me back from the brink. I was in the darkest place of my life. Every day I thought about ending the pain.”

Her breath catches. “Cole…”

“You gave me a reason to see a different way. With you, I felt alive again. You helped me get into PTSD therapy. You saw something in me I had forgotten even existed. I owe you my life.”

Her arms wrap around me in a vicious hug. We hold each other so tight I wonder if we’ll ever be two people again.

“I’m sorry I can’t remember, Cole. I wish that everything about us wasn’t gone from my memory.”

I dip to her mouth again. Brush my lips over the corner of hers. “You don’t want to remember it. I mean that. Starting fresh would be the best thing that could happen for us.”

“I think the truth would make us stronger.”

I sigh and press my forehead against hers. “I’m afraid it won’t.”

“You’ll tell me one day.” It’s a plea.

Pressing my face into her silky hair, I murmur, “I will. But not today.”

She nuzzles deeper into my chest. “You’re leaving me here on my own.”

I’m not sure if it’s a statement or a question. “Against my better judgement, I am. But you have to agree to check in with me regularly.”

Her hand slowly circles over my chest. “And if I don’t agree?”

“I’m sending someone to pick you up in an hour.”

Her breath catches, then she lets out a little growl. “You would, wouldn't you?”

“My only job is to keep you safe.”

Sierra goes very still in my arms. I can only imagine what’s coming next. But she surprises me.

“I’m lucky to have you.”

I press up onto my elbow, rolling her onto her back. “I’m beginning to understand why people in love might do crazy things.”

She smiles. Just a small smile. Even though the light is low, I see the mist gather on her lashes. “Are you in love, Cole?”

There’s no doubt in my mind.

I let that sit for a beat before I confess the enormity of what I’m feeling. “There’s no other word to describe the size of this thing between us.”

A beat of silence passes. What I’d give to read her thoughts.

Her bottom lip curls in until her top teeth worry at it. “This is all so fast…”

For her everything is new. It has to feel like a whirlwind. Not for me. I’ve loved her for nearly a year.