Page 111 of Manhattan Tormentor

“Yeah?” Head turned, mouth full of creamy potatoes, Sage’s eyes look like twin flames. The look is felt in my gut.

I know before he even opens his mouth.

My heart speeds up and I can’t swallow the food fast enough.

“I love you back.”

Groans and joking boos go around the table, but all I see is hot blue eyes and a half smirk.

“You tell me this now? When I waited and waited for months to hear that, you little shit.”

Sage shrugs, unbothered as all robots are. I want to strangle him and kiss the fuck out of him.

His parents look insanely overjoyed.

I wonder what kind of crazy this family is.

But I kind of like them too.

I scrape back my chair and grab his hand, giving him no choice but to stand too. “Excuse us.”

“Take your time,” Sena Fierro grins.

“No fucking around, we want to eat dessert soon.” Adds Noah, dryly.

I’ve no idea where I’m going. The house is a mansion. I let my feet carry me down the long hallway until we’re out of earshot. Then I push Sage up against a wall, crowding my body into his until our eyes are level.

“I don’t think they’re gonna approve if you eat me alive out here,” he says drolly, and my heart pounds out of sync.

“Tell me again.”

“I don’t think—”

“Not that, you jackass.”

He smirks, my thumb finds his lips. “Oh, you mean the love thing?”

“Yes.”

While I play my thumb over his lips, he catches me around the back of my neck.

Any hint of jovial Sage has gone, and his voice turns low. “I thought nothing would ever un-focus me from my goals or heighten them to do better at the same time. And then I bumped into you. You made my life hell, and you also gave me something that fed fire into my gut. I love you, Finn. I’ve loved this past six months with you. I can’t imagine a day where your face isn’t there to divert my attention. And I need you to know, I would have eventually come to chase you down when I could no longer stand being away from you. Iwould havecome for you, Finn, because this between us … has always been worth fighting for. I need you. I love you.”

It’s impossible to hold my head up, I drop it and our foreheads meet. His breath fans my face.

He loves me.

I knew. But I still longed for the words.

“I don’t feel whole without you, Finn.” He adds and eviscerates me.

“Oh, you fuck.” I hiss, and he grins, squeezing my neck. “You give me it now…here.”

“Yeah.” he agrees. “No one sees you like I do, Finn. Everyone else has had bits of you and I get it all.”

“Damn. I wanna drop to my knees and drain the smugness out of you, Fierro.”

“Kiss me instead.”

---