Page 69 of Knot a Tie
My blood runs cold. “What do you mean?”
“You are off the hook and free to come back to the house in Chelsea, if that’s what you want?”
I can hear the hopeful note in her tone, and it floods me with relief.
I take her hand carefully off the steering wheel and kiss her knuckles, revelling in the delight I feel to have my lips on her skin. “I want that.”
“Good, because I got into a huge fight with my dad about this. I put us first,allof us and took a huge risk. But it paid off. Daddy is on board. I gave a statement about everything that happened and how you saved me.”
“And your father accepted that?” It seems too good to be true.
“He did after a while.”
I nod slowly. “Okay, so where does that leave us?” I’m more confused now than ever. I had hoped to see her again, kiss her one last time and try to tell her how I feel. This has surpassed that. Rayne has surpassed every expectation I had of her and this relationship.
“It leaves us free to be together. To get to know one another on a deeper level before we mate. If that’s what you want, of course.” Her murmured last words squeeze my heart.
“More than you know. But I’m still a bit confused. Are you sure your dad isn’t going to come for me?”
“I’m sure. He knows how I feel about you.” Her voice has gone low and husky.
“And how is that?”
“My soul aches without you. A part of my heart feels empty.”
“I feel the same. You have touched a part of me, Rayne that I didn’t know was there. I don’t think anyone will ever be able to bring this out in me ever again. I want it. I don’t want to lose this feeling. I don’t want to loseyou.”
“You won’t.”
She gives me a bright smile, but I can see the strain under the happiness.
“What’s wrong?” I ask quietly.
“Nothing, I’m just supposed to be going into my pre heat. The suppressants are fighting with my biology and the last few days have been exhausting.”
“Suppressants?” I murmur, worry coursing through me. I’ve seen what those things can do when bought on the black market.
She nods. “I made the decision a while ago when I wasn’t mated and approaching my twenty-first.”
“Oh, so they were prescribed?”
She nods to my relief. If anything ever happened to her, I wouldn’t be able to carry on. I was prepared to go on living knowing she was safe and happy with James and his pack. But if she wasn’t here, then I would wither away. This bone-deep,soul-deep connection that I have to her is mind blowing and I want to keep exploring it. I didn’t think I would ever have a chance to.
“Rayne,” I croak.
She glances at me before turning her gaze back to the road.
“I don’t know what love is, but I think this is it.” There, I’ve said it and I don’t care how desperate or foolish it makes me look. I needed her to know.
“I don’t know either,” she replies like the beautiful, sweet goddess that she is. “But I’m really looking forward to finding out with you and the rest of the pack.”
I sit back, the feeling of happiness washing over me. It’s something that I thought was far out of my reach, that I didn’t deserve it, or need it even.
There is just one dark cloud in my sunny sky.
“What about Mick and his crew?”
“Daddy has enough to start making arrests today. He won’t stop until he has every one of them. Maybe, though, to be on the safe side, you should stay inside for a while? Come back to Chelsea and just stay there until the streets are clear. I don’t want anything happening to you. Anythingmore.”
