Page 47 of The Devil and the Dancer
She walked through the living room and into the practice room, kicking off her shoes.
Gavin followed her. “I understand.”
Chloe paced back and forth because she had the absurd desire to run through ballet positions, and the wood beneath her feet steadied her. “You said all that and then you left, which… I’m sorry, that wasn’t cool.”
Gavin smiled. “I wanted to give you time to think.”
She spun around. “But I think so much! I think so damn much, Gavin. Ioverthink things, okay? Look what happened when Vivian first came. I jumped to conclusions based on almost nothing because I was so afraid. Because her showing up was like every bad fantasy I’d ever had of what it would be like to fall in love with you, only to have you realize that I wasn’t really all that special. That I wasn’t exciting or brave or adventurous enough for you.”
“Chloe—”
“Nope.” She held up a hand again and kept pacing. “I told you, it’s my turn.”
Gavin took his boots off and sat cross-legged in the corner of the practice room. “I’m listening.”
His steady attention and fixed eyes calmed her down. “I’m not brave. Not like Tenzin. Not like Ben.”
“I’m not in love with them.”
“I don’t want grand adventures any more exciting than climbing Machu Picchu or learning how to scuba dive. That is my idea of adventure. And I do want to do both of those things.”
He nodded. “Noted.”
“I’m not looking to go off on treasure hunts. Or find lost libraries. Or… anything like that.”
Gavin smiled. “Chloe, I know.”
She nodded and stared at him. “Okay. I was just making sure.”
His eyes were everything she wanted to see. Tender and warm and steady. They looked at her like…
That’s what love looks like, Chloe.
She came and knelt in front of him. “I fell in love with Tom so fast I lost my head. I tumbled and fell and when things went bad, love felt like a weakness. But you don’t make me feel weak. Nothing about being with you makes me feel less. I feel more. You make me feel brave. Maybe not finding buried treasure brave, but every day and every night brave.”
He reached up and tucked a curl behind her ear. “Moving into my apartment brave?”
The words caught in her throat, and all she could do was nod.
Gavin drew her into his lap. “Loving me brave?”
“Yes.” Tears came to her eyes. “I love you. I love you so much, and I—”
He captured her mouth before she could say more. Gavin gripped her nape and wrapped his arm around the small of her back, plastering Chloe to his chest so hard that she could feel his heart thump against her breast.
“I love you.” He released her mouth. “I love you so damn much.”
“I love you too.”
She kissed him, running her fingers through his hair as she brought his mouth to hers. She straddled his lap, bracing herself over him, and felt Gavin’s hands run down her back and over her ass. He released her nape and gripped her bottom with both hands.
“Fuck me, I love this ass.” He nipped her neck. “Love these thighs.” He picked her up and set her on her back as he braced himself over her, kicking her legs out so he could settle between. “Love everything about you, but I fucking love your thighs.”
Gavin left her on her back and sat up, hooking his fingers in the waistband of her pants as he offered her a wicked grin. “May I, dove?”
“Yes.” She shimmied out of her pants as he stripped them off and tossed them over her shoulder. “I’m going to move in.”
“Good.” He was staring at her legs, running his fingers up and down.
