Page 159 of Love Sick

“I can promise you forever.” She presses a kiss to my cheek. “Forever is what I want. If that’s what you want too, you know how to find me.”

Extracting her warmth from my grip, she stands. I say her name as she rushes to the door.

She glances back before the door shuts. “Just take some time to think about it.”

Five full seconds pass. Eight erratic heartbeats.

What the fuck is there to think about? The woman of my dreams just sat before me and promised me everything I’ve ever thought to want. Before Grace, I didn’t know what desire was—not only physical, but emotional, too. I thought I did, but I was just a child playing pretend, seeing a single star and thinking it was the galaxy.

Wanting her is part of every breath, buried deep in the most primitive areas of my brainstem, impossible to live without. Deprivation is lethal.

Seriously flawed? The only thing about her that’s seriously flawed is her belief she’s not good enough.

I stand and run to the door. She’s already halfway down the stairs when I nearly fall over the railing. “Grace!”

Sunlight strikes her long hair as she turns toward me at the landing. It flashes over the brown, highlighting her, a golden lodestone drawing me closer.

She frowns. “That’s not thinking about it.”

I make my way toward her. “I don’t need to think about it.”

“Yes, you do.”

At the top of the stairs, I pause. “Do you need me to pretend like there’s a choice?”

“Julian—”

“There’s no choice here.” I descend the stairs slowly. “I could fake like I really need to think about this. I could make you plead for me to come back. But what’s the point? I’m all in. I’m so deep I can’t see you treading the surface. If you say you’re ready to dive under, then come get me. I’m swimming blind in the darkness. Come light the way.”

I reach the landing.

She stands with her arms crossed, bottom lip between her teeth. “You’re sure?”

I nearly laugh. “Areyousure?”

Her arms drop to her sides, and she nods.

Thank god.

Her body against mine is familiar, but it’s also like a fantasy come to life—something I thought I’d never have again. My fingers sink into her soft hair, and one arm wraps around her back, anchoring her to me.

The taste of her relieves a pressure I didn’t know had built inside me. The air around us crackles. Or maybe I’m delirious. The kiss is probably too hard, but I can’t ease up. Everywhere we touch sizzles and she matches each move I make, giving as good as she gets.

“God, I missed you,” she whispers when I give up on kissing and crush her in my arms.

If I had more shame, I’d try to quell my satisfied smile. As it is, I’m practically laughing.

No. Iamlaughing.

She turns her face toward me in the tiny amount of space I’ve allowed her. “Are you—Julian, are you laughing?”

“I feel like I won the lottery.”

She giggles. “Aw, that’s sweet.”

“Mmm-hmm. And now I want you.” I pick her up and steer toward my apartment. “In bed. For a long time.”

She submits to my manhandling, glancing at my face. Hers goes bright red. “How long?”