Page 43 of The Auction (The Black Ledger Billionaires #4)

T he second those doors open and she’s there it’s like I can finally breathe.

For a heartbeat, neither of us moves. She stands frozen in the threshold, the veil trailing behind her like a shroud, white silk pooling around her feet. Her eyes are wide and glassy, like she doesn’t trust what she’s seeing. Like she’s afraid if she blinks, I’ll disappear.

Then the flowers slip from her hands. They hit the stone floor with a dull thud, petals scattering in every direction. She gathers her dress in trembling fists and starts toward me—stumbling at first, her heels catching on the fabric, but pushing forward anyway.

I don’t wait for her to reach me. My body moves before my mind catches up, closing the distance in long, unbroken strides.

She all but collides with me. I catch her before she can lose her balance, her arms locking around my neck with a desperation that claws at my chest. She’s shaking—so hard I can feel it in my bones—and I pull her in tighter, crushing her against me until I’m not sure where she ends and I begin.

Her breath hitches against my throat, and then the dam breaks. The sobs are violent, wracking through her small frame, each one tearing something out of me. I press my mouth to her hair, inhaling her scent like I need proof she’s real.

“I thought I’d never see you again,” she whispers, the words splintering apart in the middle. “I thought—God, Jaxon, I thought you’d never find me.”

“I’ve got you,” I murmur, over and over, holding her like the world might try to rip her away if I loosen my grip. “You’re safe now. I’ve got you, baby. I’m here.”

“I’m sorry,” she says, the confession rushing out on a breath. “I should’ve told you everything sooner. I should’ve trusted you. I?—”

“Shh.” I slide a hand to her jaw, tipping her face up until her tear-streaked eyes meet mine. They’re red-rimmed and shining, but they’re still Cassidy—still the girl who’s been under my skin from the second I saw her on that stage.

Fuck. Since the moment a little boy with ghosts in his eyes stepped foot on Emerald Ridge Farm.

“None of that matters. Not now. You’re here with me. That’s all I care about.”

“I love you,” she says, almost like she’s afraid she won’t get another chance to say it.

Her voice trembles but doesn’t break. “I’ve loved you forever, Jaxon.

Since before I even knew what love really was.

I wanted to say it that night—when you said it to me—but I was scared.

I didn’t want to risk losing what little I had of you.

And then everything happened so fast and I thought…

” She swallows hard, her voice dropping to a whisper.

“I thought I’d never get to tell you at all. ”

The sound of it tears me apart and puts me back together in the same breath.

“Baby.” My thumb brushes the damp track of a tear from her cheek. “I love you too,” I tell her, my voice low, rough. “More than you’ll ever know. And I swear to you—no one will ever touch you again. Not while I’m breathing.”

“Jonathan is never going to touch you again.” At some point I’m going to have to admit what I did to find her.

That I called Big Ben and told him Jonathan did in fact hurt her. And Ben assured me he’d keep true to his promise.

But I’m not bringing her monster into our moment.

She makes a small, broken sound and leans in. I meet her halfway, my mouth finding hers in a kiss that’s as much a vow as it is a claim. There’s salt from her tears, the faint hitch of her breath, the way she clings to me like I’m the only solid thing in a collapsing world.

When we break apart, I keep my forehead against hers, breathing her in, grounding myself in the only thing that matters—she’s here. She’s alive. She’s mine.

And I’m never letting her go.

Her lips find mine again.

The first kiss was relief—proof we’d made it back to each other.

This one… this one is different.

It’s a vow.

A promise sealed in the press of her mouth against mine, in the way she clings to me like letting go isn’t an option.

When we part, she keeps her eyes on mine, voice no louder than a breath.

“You found me.”

I rest my forehead to hers, my hands still framing her face.

“The world wouldn’t have survived my heartbreak if I had lost you.”

She lets out something between a sob and a laugh, and I can’t stand the distance anymore. I kiss her again, slow and certain, like I can brand her with the truth.

“Run away with me,” I tell her, my voice low but steady.

“You belong with me—back home with your horses and your paintings. Let me give you a good life. Take care of you. Love you.” My thumb brushes her cheek, and I see fresh tears fill her eyes.

“Let me ask your mom for permission to marry you. Let me buy you the biggest ring I can find and get down on one knee and beg you to be my wife.”

She laughs through the tears now, shaking her head like she’s not sure if she should believe this is happening.

“And when you walk down the aisle, in the wedding dress of your dreams, let it be me you walk to.”

I take her hand and press my lips to her knuckles.

“So run away with me, Cricket… because I don’t have a life if you’re not in it.”

“Yes. Forever yes.”

She smiles through tears, kissing me again—pressing her whole body against mine, her fingers curling into my hair like she never wants to let go.

When I pull her closer, I swallow the little sound she makes, and it goes straight to my chest—and lower.

The kiss deepens, turns hotter, until her hands slide under my shirt like she needs my skin. Hell, I need hers too.

“I’m tired of seeing you in a dress another man picked out,” I growl.

Before she can respond, I fist the fabric at her front and tear it two.

“Jaxon!” she gasps, clutching the ruined edges. “Someone could walk in. And we’re in a church!”

“Killian won’t let anyone past those doors.” My mouth finds her neck, tasting, marking.

“You sent him?” Her voice cracks, almost a sob.

“I did. I sent him.”

Kiss.

“I send biscuits and gravy.”

Kiss.

“I sent a bouquet of lilies.”

Kiss.

“I sent a goddamn army to fight a war all night for daring take my girl.”

She sobs.

“I needed to know you were safe until I could get here.” I press more kisses along her jaw, her collarbone. “And Lucian owes me. I cashed in a few favors.”

Her hands grip my face, pulling me back to her mouth. “Thank you.”

I kiss her hard, my voice rough against her lips. “You never have to thank me for protecting what’s mine.”

She trembles, and I can’t tell if it’s from relief or the way I’m looking at her. Probably both.

I slip my hand past the waistband of her panties feeling how fucking wet she is.

“Fuck.”

She gasps when I drag my mouth up her throat, when my fingers run through her wet cunt and I slide two inside her. “We’re in a church.”

“You think this is wrong?” I murmur, my lips brushing her ear. “I don’t fucking care. Let them damn us for it.”

Her breath hitches, a smile tugging at her mouth. “We’re going to hell for this.”

I smirk against her skin as I move my fingers in and out of her. “Sounds like fun… as long as you go with me.”

I pull my fingers from her and slip them into my mouth, groaning as her taste coats my tongue.

“Fuck…” I savor it, dragging my teeth over my knuckles before letting them go. “I need to taste you, baby.”