Page 56 of Raven's Curse
She palmed his cheek. “I needed a lifeline.”
Chase pressed into her touch. “Seems only fair, seeing as you saved me, first.”
She closed her eyes, a few tears slipping free. She wasn’t sure if they were from his words or maybe leftover from earlier. A mix of love and guilt. But she didn’t care as long as he held her — kept her grounded.
A kiss.
Soft.
Loving.
Then, he eased free and rolled to the edge of the bed, hanging his head as his shoulders drooped a bit. “So, not that I’m worried, but we didn’t use…”
She sighed. “I have an implant. Not that I’ve ever fully trusted it before, but…” She pushed up and wrapped her arms around him from behind. “I’d be lying if I said I’m having a hard time caring if it works or not.”
He glanced back at her over his shoulder. “Does that mean you’re not going to shoot me in the ass if we somehow got pregnant?”
“Pretty sure I’m the one who’d be puking and craving ice cream, but no. We’re good.”
God, his smile. As if she’d just told him he’d won the lottery. It eased any inklings of doubt.
“You’re way past good, sweetheart.” He rose, turned, then gathered her into his arms. “Another quick shower because your damn lips are still blue, then sleep. The real world can intrude later. First, we get to live in our bubble a bit longer.”
“You still promise to hold me all night? No creepy watching in the chair?”
“All night.”
“Chase.” She held his gaze as he placed her on her feet in front of the counter. “I really don’t know what I would’ve done if you hadn’t…”
“You would have pulled through. Found a way to keep going. Not because anyone asked you to. But because they didn’t. Because you’re hands down the strongest person I know. It took me nearly a week to crawl back to the light.” He leaned in closer. “To realize you’re my light. That you brought me back, so… It’s okay if you need to break. I won’t lose any pieces.”
Tears pooled in her eyes — slipped free while he readied the shower. She took his hand when he offered it, holding still for a moment. “What if I can’t rebuild them?” She swallowed. “The walls.”
He eased her in close, kissing her softly. “Then, you can come inside mine. I’ll keep you safe. Who knows, maybe we’ll learn that we don’t really need them.”
“We’ll share your walls?”
“Why not? You’ve already got my heart.”
His words stole her breath. Not that he hadn’t hinted at it. What being crazy about her meant. But hearing him say it…
She squeezed his hand. “I guess it depends on if you snore or not.”
Chapter Fifteen
Love.
It all seemed so simple now. How he’d been fighting it all these months. Shoving it down because he’d been scared. How he’d gotten buried beneath the guilt. The pain. But now that he’d given in…
He couldn’t go back. Couldn’t lock it away. Not after she’d trusted him to bring her back from the edge. To be her lifeline. He hadn’t been lying. She’d saved him, first. Given him a reason to regroup — step up. He wouldn’t fail her.
Chase pulled Greer a bit closer, breathing her in as he stared into the darkness. Rain pattered against the roof, the faintest suggestion of gray light brightening the room. She’d fallen asleep a heartbeat after curling into him, the easy weight of her head on his chest, her arm looped over his waist, settling something deep inside. And he knew this was what forever felt like.
She whimpered, twitching against him until he rubbed her arm — eased the furrow on her brow — then drifted off. She’d been dreaming most of the night, none of them seemingly good. Likely reliving the past week. All the pain, the loss.
Finding Eli like that…
Chase would be lying if he’d said he hadn’t been worried she’d spiral. And not just a little. The kind of backward slide that fed on darkness — preyed on guilt — until only a shell remained.
