Page 115 of Cross the Line
He shrugs. ‘I mean, if the semi I’m rocking is anything to go by—’
‘I’m sorry,’ I splutter, coming to a stop in the middle of the hallway. ‘Are you sayingZaid Yousefmakes you hard?’
He grins cheekily down at me.
‘Oh, ew, Dev.’
He backs me against a wall, just around the corner and out of sight of the main hallway. And yep, I can feel just howexcitedhe is.
‘But it’s knowing that I get to have you with me through all of this that really takes the cake,’ he murmurs, dipping his head so his lips ghost over mine. ‘I couldn’t do this without you, Willow. Any of it. Not after I discovered what it feels like to love you and be loved by you in return. It’s what gives me strength.Youare my strength.’
A lump grows in my throat, and happy tears prick at the backs of my eyes. Yesterday was easily one of the worst days of my life. That fear and anguish when I didn’t know whether Dev was involved, as quickly as it came and went, nearly broke me. But his return built me up again. It hardened my bones and strengthened every muscle and ligament within me. It made me stronger than I ever thought I could be, and I’ve done the same for him.
I never want to live without that power.
I want to live with him right beside me. Always.
I’d tell him as much, but Dev goes on, that grin of his slowly spreading.
‘Seriously,’ he says. ‘How lucky am I that I not only get to travel the world and drive fast cars, but I get to do it with the woman I love by my side?’
‘Very lucky,’ I agree, resting my hand over his racing heart. Mine is beating just as fast. ‘I think it might even be fate.’
‘Written in the stars, huh?’
I tip my chin up in open invitation. ‘Do you think the stars could write a future where you kiss me in the next five seconds?’
‘I think they could make that happen.’
And what do you know – the stars give me exactly what I want. They always do.
