Page 104 of One Little Lie
He shakes his head like his possessive words startled him.
“I like when you get like this,” I admit.
He rests his forehead on mine and cradles my cheeks in his hands. “Like what, sweetheart?”
“When you talk as if you own me,” I admit, and hate the heat that creeps down my neck.
“Some people would probably say it’s unhealthy how strongly I feel for you. It’s not that I own you, but I can’t look at you without a baser instinct screamingshe’s mine.”
“I feel it, too, you know. That primal need? That urgency to be with you? It scares me sometimes.”
He pulls back but doesn’t let go of my face. “What scares you?”
It’s now or never, Rylan.Is it too soon?Yes. Am I going to scare him away?Probably. Can I stop the words from leaving my mouth?Not a chance.
“How much I love you.”
His lips parting is the only sign that he heard me. As his eyes dance back and forth between mine, my nerves amp up, and I’m afraid I’ll pass out if he doesn’t say something soon.
“Are you sure?”
My eyebrows shoot up to the sky. “Am I sure that I love you?”
He nods, and his Adam’s apple works hard to swallow.
“Hatty, my heart and my body have loved you for as long as I can remember. And even when I was trying to convince my mind that we hated you, it knew better. There isn’t a time I can remember not loving you.”
His lips crash over mine in a brutal kiss. Hatty’s hand slides to the back of my head, and he angles me the way he prefers. There’s no mistaking who is in charge of this kiss, of my body, my heart, and my future.
As his lips move over mine, I know without a doubt I wouldn’t survive him pushing me away again. It’s that thought that has me pressing lightly on his chest.
After a moment, he pulls back. The sincerity in his gaze has my heart fluttering an uneven pattern.
Gathering my thoughts, I know I have to tell him the truth.
“Hatty, I’ve loved you my whole life. I love you with my whole heart, but I won’t survive you pushing me away again. I barely made it through last time, so I’m giving you my heart to hold. You have to promise to take care of it because it only beats for you, anyway.”
“Christ, Rylan. I’m never going to forgive myself for hurting you.”
“You have to, though. That’s how we’ll move on. I’m just begging you not to do it again.”
“Never. I will never hurt you again. I promise to take care of your heart, just don’t ever leave me. Now that I have you, really have you, I know what happiness feels like. I need you more than air, sweetheart. That will never change.”
“Does this mean you’re my boyfriend?” As silly as it is, I need a label. Something tangible to hold on to.
“If that’s what you want to call it,” he says cryptically. “But I’m going to call you my forever.”
“I love you,” I say again, desperately hoping he’ll say it back this time.
“I’ll love you forever, Rylan.”
Five words. That’s all it takes for the waterworks to start. I’ve always known words were powerful, but I wasn’t expecting five words to knock me off my feet.
“Hey? Hey, did I say something wrong?” he coos.
I’m a blubbering mess and can only shake my head.
“Are you upset?”
