“I don't want you to think about anyone in your past. No now, not ever again. You deserved a hell of a lot more than any of those bastards gave you."
"If it helps," she said with a faint smile, "I killed most of them.”
“She shook her head and said," If there's one thing I've learned in my life, it's that shitty things happen. You can't always stop them. They just happen. And yeah, you can let them destroy you, but what's the point? Might as well learn to deal with all those shitty things and move on."
"Is that what you did?"
"Yes." She paused. "And you will too. You just have to accept your loss and try your best to live out the rest of your life without letting the loss destroy you."
"Easier said than done," he muttered.
She laughed. "Who said life was easy?”
“She rubbed her lips over him, then lifted her head to meet his eyes. "Tell me what you like."
"Everything," he choked out. "I like everything you're doing."
"Tell me," she insisted....
Although it nearly killed him to say it, he mumbled, "Start slow. Make me beg for it.”
“ “It makes you feel powerless, doesn’t it? You want me, you can’t fight it, and it makes you crazy.”
… “Maybe I just don’t treat sex as casually as you do.”
“Oh no, it’s all about control.” He dipped his head so that his breath tickled the bridge of her nose.
She didn’t know where he was going with this, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to. “Kane.”
“Control can be a very good thing to have, but sometimes you need to let go. Why don’t we try to see if you can let go, Abby?”
“I won’t hurt you,” he said quietly. “For once in your life, lower your guard and let yourself feel something, damn it.”
“She glanced at the bathroom door once more, her cheeks growing warm as the glass door slid open and Kane emerged from the steamy shower stall.
Naked.
She swallowed, unable to tear her eyes away from his nude, dripping-wet body. He had the kind of rock-hard physique that would make other women drool. His broad chest tapered to a trim waist, and his legs were thick and dusted with golden hair. He was lean, not bulky, with perfectly sculpted muscles that looked like they'd been carved out of marble. He was hard. Everywhere.
"I'm afraid it's too late for you to join me in the shower," he said in a silky voice. "Though we could still make good use of the bed.”
“Kane couldn't remember the last time he'd had a real conversation with a female. His chats with women consisted of sentences like "Do you like that, babe?" or "Roll over, I want to screw you from behind.”
“Kane..." she hesitated. "I lied to you last night."
His green eyes searched her face. "What did you lie about?"
"When I said... when I said I didn't want to kiss you again." Her breath came out in an unsteady puff. "I lied.”
“The Emperor decided to make a proclamation to his troops about the importance of compassion in the face of the rising tide of heinous fuckery and political weaselocity in the nearby kingdom of the United States.”
“Who's to say that once I run, I'll find that isn't enough? Who's to say I won't end up feeling exactly the way I do right now-not safe, but stifled? Maybe I'll want to run again, and again, and eventually I'll end up back on those old tracks, because there's nowhere left to go. Maybe. Maybe not. You have to take the risk, don't you”
“Deep in the fundamental heart of mind and Universe there is a reason.”
“There’re eighty-six thousand, four hundred seconds in a day, right? There’re one thousand, four hundred and forty minutes in a day.”
Her brow knitted. “Okay. I’ll take your word for it.”
“I’m right.” I tapped my finger against my head. “A lot of useless knowledge up here.
Anyway, are you following me? There’re one hundred and sixty-eight hours in a week.
Around eighty-seven hundred and then some hours in a year, and you know what?”
She smiled. “What?”
“I want to spend every second, every minute, every hour with you.” Part of me
couldn’t believe something that cheesy had come out of my mouth, but it was also so beauti fully true. “I want a year’s worth of seconds and minutes with you. I want a decade’s worth of hours, so many that I can’t add them up.”
Her chest rose sharply as she stared at me, eyes widening.
I took one more step and then went down on one knee in front of her, in a towel.
Probably should have put some pants on. “Do you want that?” I asked.
Kat’s eyes met mine, and the answer was immediate. “Yes. I want that. You know I want that.”
“Good.” My lips curved up. “So let’s get married.”
“..depression still kept guard on him, and chased after him like a shadow - or like a faithful wife.”
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