Page 78 of Starting Back
“I suppose,” I relented, burying my head into his chest.
“Listen,” he whispered and kissed the top of my head, “I should have reached out, whether or not we agreed to. I was an idiot, because everything I felt for you confused and scared the hell out of me.”
He grabbed my arms and pushed me back, dipping his head until I raised my own.
“I didn’t want to disappoint you either. Leaving you at that airport was the hardest thing I ever had to do.”
He traced the curve of my jaw with his thumb.
“Knowing how good we were together, how amazing we’d be if we could just make it work somehow, it killed me. I was afraid of ruining all the good we had for that little amount of time too. I had the inkling to move back even then, although I know it was a crazy as hell thought, even for us.”
A smile tugged at my lips as I fidgeted with the collar of his jacket.
“So, now what, Kristina? You tell me.”
I pressed my hand to his chest, my own pulse kicking up when his heart thumped against my palm.
“Do you want to come home with me?”
When I’d asked him the first time, home was the temporary oasis of my vacation suite. Having Leo in my real home was a big step and one that still frightened me, if I was honest.
But the alternative, walking away and never feeling this way again, always wondering what could’ve been, terrified me to my core.
“I was about to ask you the same thing.”
He pulled me into a blistering kiss, full of slow passion instead of sad desperation.
It was wonderful yet scary as hell when dreams came true.
TWENTY-NINE
LEO
“Wow, you do live close to the firehouse,” I said, taking a quick glance at Kristina as I turned onto her street. I was still half afraid she’d jump out of my truck and tell me goodnight once I pulled up to her house.
After that kiss, there was no way in hell I was letting her walk away again. We’d already wasted too much time giving each other space that neither of us really wanted.
What I wanted washer—so much that I could barely see straight. To kiss me in a crowded bar, essentially claiming me in front of the whole damn town, was a huge step for her and hot as fucking hell.
If she didn’t agree to leave, I would have hoisted her over my shoulder and dragged her out, not giving a shit about who saw or what they’d say.
In fact, the more people who saw Kristina kiss me tonight, the more satisfaction seeped into my veins. I’d claimed her as much as she claimed me on that crowded barroom floor, and if she let me, I’d keep claiming her all night long.
“I do,” she finally replied. “Emma loves running to the window to watch the lights and listen to the sirens.”
“I owe her sirens. I’ll figure out a way to take her for a ride.”
“She’d love that.”
I studied her face, looking for any signs that she regretted asking me to come home with her, but all I found was an easy smile spreading across her lips.
“You can park behind my car in the driveway. There’s room.”
I nodded, easing my truck behind her SUV and cutting the engine once I parked.
I shifted toward her and slid my hand over the nape of her neck.
“I’m following your lead. I want you so much, but we’ll take it at your pace. I just want to be with you—”
