Page 73 of Point Proven
I shook my head, moving it another inch toward him. “Not you. Not how I feel about you?—”
“How you feel about me? When you put all our lives in danger? When you elected to lie to me while claiming you trusted me? We said we wouldn’t dothisshit again. Youknew…you fuckingknewI was struggling and continued with the bullshit anyway?!”
Curling my fingers against the marble, I nodded. “I understand what I did, and I take full blame. I put your life in danger, Simon, Liam, Lev, Matt… I’m the reason you got shot. I’m the reason you struggled, and I know that. I take it all, and I know I have to put in a lot of work. I don’t… don’t know if I’ll ever make it right. There’s no one else to blame but me.”
Stabbing my thumb into my chest, I inhaled another shaky breath. “I don’t deserve you. I know I don’t, but I love you. I still fucking love you!” Tears welled, and I couldn’t get them to stop. “I fucked up, and I lost your trust, but I’ve never lied about needing you, wanting you, craving you every minute of every day. And… And if you leave, I’ll die. I’llbeg, Thorne Graves, because I… You mean everything, but I didn’t show you that.”
He took a handful of steps forward, planting himself on the opposite side of the island, his hand flattening against it. “And how thefuckcan I believe a word you say?”
“You… You shouldn’t. There’s nothing I can say to make you believe me. I have to prove it, and I want to. I want to be different for you. Even if it takes time, I want to be better for you. But I have to show it.”
Exhaling heavily, he dropped his elbows onto the marble as he rubbed his eyes with his palms. “I can’t… Oren, I can’t fucking do this shit.”
“I know. I’m not asking you to, because I understand what I did isn’t acceptable. And I’m not asking you to make a decision immediately. But… But I love you. I’m sorry… Not that the word means anything right now, but I am. If I could cut my heart out in offering, I would.” Swiping my sleeve over my eyes, another tremor wracked through me. “I am sorry,” I whispered. “But you were hurt way more than a simple sorry can fix.”
Raking a hand through his hair, he lifted his gaze to meet mine. “I have nothing more to give, Oren.”
“Then… Then let me do what I should’ve done and give to you. All of me. No more secrets. No more lies. No more hiding. No more shelving shit. Just offering myself to you and… and being there for you in the capacity I always should have.”
“No more secrets? No more lies? No more hiding? These were all things you told me when we took the next step in our lives. And look at where that got us.”
“It didn’t get us anywhere. Not what I wanted and not what you deserved. What you did… How you reacted was valid, and I’m not asking for forgiveness. I don’t deserve it. But I’m going to be open with you. A-Any question when you want.”
His jaw feathered, fingers scratching against his stubble. “ I don’t… I don’t fucking know.”
“That’s okay.” Blowing out a breath, I picked up the cleaned spoon. Giving Mercy a quick pat, I dropped it into the sink, returning my gaze to him. “I just… I want you to know everything, and that… that I deserve nothing from you, but Iwant you. I always do, and I’m working on being that person for you.”
He pushed himself to stand fully, tongue dancing across his lips. “Fine.”
“Fine?” Swallowing, I curled my fingers around the sink to keep from swaying.
“Fine. I’ll stay.” Striations danced across his jaw as he drummed his knuckles across the marble.
My lips tugged, threatening to form into a smile, but I stopped it from fully spreading. This… This was only the start, and I needed to do a lot of work to prove to him I took this,us,seriously.
“Okay. I have a cake in the oven, but there’s leftover pasta in the fridge if you want some. I’ll heat it and… and the bed is already made. Laundry’s put away too if you want clean clothes, and Mercy’s bed I vacuumed too if she wants to rest.”
He dipped his chin with a slow nod. “Alright. I’m going to uh… head up and take a shower.”
“Towels will be in the closet and should still be warm. Do… Do you want me to make you anything?” Twisting my ring back and forth, I flicked my gaze to him.
He glanced down at his bag. “The pasta is good. I’ll start my clothes when I finish up.”
“No!” I blurted, holding out my hand. “Sorry. I-I’ll do it.” Swinging around the counter, I wrapped my fingers around the strap.
Grabbing my arm gently, he stopped me. “Oren. I can help. You don’t have to do everything.”
Shaking my head, I hauled it to my chest. “I know, but… but I got this. You can get the next load?—”
Before I could finish, his mouth met mine. Knocking the bag from my grasp, he grabbed my hips, pulling me against him.Deepening the kiss with the movement, he took a step toward me, forcing me back against the counter.
Melting instantly, the burning I’d hidden cascaded down my cheeks, mingling with our flushed lips as I allowed him to swipe his tongue over my molars. My arms curled around his waist, removing any inch of space between us.
He groaned into me, gliding one hand up my side before it coiled around the back of my head. Fingers tangling in my curls, he tugged me closer, planting a few more kisses against my lips before slowly pulling away. His forehead met mine, a sigh following as he stayed there in silence for a few seconds before finally electing to speak.
“God, I fucking missed you.”
Breathing in his scent, a stifled sob left me. “I missed you so much.”
