Page 129 of A Curse On Black Lake
“I know you have a gift, and I don’t think it’s weird. I think it’s amazing. I thinkyou’reamazing,” I rasp and do the same thing to her other knee.
“I know, Eliana, that you are the most wonderful woman I’ve ever met, and I would happily drop to my knees to tell you thank you every chance I get if you let me back in.”Even if I don’t deserve it, even if I’m scared of the consequences.
Her eyes blink rapidly, and my stomach lurches. For a moment I thought the Spirits had grabbed her, yanking her from me, but her eyes are clear. She’s trying not to cry.
My knees ache against the floor, but I stay where I am, waiting with bated breath for her to say yes, no,anything.
“Push me away again, and I’ll never let you near me to see what you’ve done,” she says.
“It won’t happen again,” I tell her sternly, and I mean it. I won’t betray her trust ever again.
“My Grams taught me that it was better to forgive than carry around the weight of a grudge.”
I frown thinking about how she’s done exactly that, exacting her revenge on people in this town by making them think she is as bad as they assume she is.
The corner of her mouth tips up. “I didn’t say I listened. But in this case I will. I’m done with carrying bitterness for people who don’t understand me because they’ve never stopped to try. So why would I carry resentment for someone begging me to let them in?”
“Really?”
“Stand up,” she says.
I get to my feet and lean forward, caging her in. “Any other self-respecting woman would tell you to go stick it where the sun don’t shine. But for some reason I can’t get myself to say that to you. Probably because you’ve pushed your way under my skin, and I like your grouchy ass way too much.”
I grin and lift her onto the counter, pushing my hips between her knees.
She rests her head against the cabinet door behind her.
“Can I kiss you now?” I ask her.
Her brow tips up again, and I want to kiss it. Her attitude makes my skin feel hot and my blood roar.
“Please?” I ask her. “I’ll get on my knees again,” I offer.
Her lips split into a wide smile, and she shakes her head.
“I’m not sure you deserve to,” she says.
“Fair enough,” I mumble and take a step back.
“You can hug me though. I need one of those,” she says.
My knees go weak, and I wrap the back of my hand around her neck and the other at her spine, holding her tightly. Her arms squeeze around me, and the anxiety of losing her washes away, but the desire to make her fully mine fills my veins. My lips find her temple, and she leans into my neck.
“I’m so overwhelmed and confused. I’m numb. What am I going to do?” she asks.
I pull back to look her in the eye. “We’ll figure it out. I’ll help you get some plants back in the ground, and maybe we can trim back the others that were damaged. They can grow back, right?”
“Yeah, but they likely won’t grow back fast enough to produce anything. And my flowers…” she cuts off and her breath stutters before she bursts into a sob again.
“I’m sorry, darlin’. But the flowers will grow again. I’ll make sure of it.”
She huffs in my neck. “Do you have a secret recipe for making things grow faster?”
“Um, I think manure works,” I mumble into her hair.
“Smart ass,” she mumbles.
“You can call me whatever you want as long as I get to be with you.”
