Total pages in book: 27
Estimated words: 24910 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 125(@200wpm)___ 100(@250wpm)___ 83(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 24910 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 125(@200wpm)___ 100(@250wpm)___ 83(@300wpm)
“Do you ever stop brooding? Or is this just your default state now?”
He huffs out a low laugh, rough and edged with something that twists deep in my stomach. “Just trying to figure out what you’re doing here, Emma. Because last time I checked, you’re the one who ran off, remember? You could have gone to any goddamn mountain and yet you came to mine.”
His words hit like a slap, cutting through the warmth of the fire, and I push up onto my elbow, narrowing my eyes at him even though he’s still staring into the flames. “I didn’t run. I made a choice.”
That finally gets his attention. He turns his head, his gaze locking onto mine, the shadows casting harsh lines across his face. He stands, crossing the space between us with a few long strides, until he’s looming over me, forcing me to sit up, refusing to let him tower over me. The air crackles with something hot, something dangerous, and I feel it vibrating in my bones.
“And what about my choice, Emma?” His voice is a low growl that vibrates through me, sending shivers along my skin. “You think I wanted you to go? You think it was easy watching you walk away without a word?”
I flinch at the raw edge in his voice, but I keep my chin high, meeting his frustration with my own. “I thought it was best for both of us. I thought you’d be better off without me.”
He steps closer, so close that his breath brushes my cheek, warm and rough. His voice drops to a whisper, but there’s nothing gentle about it. “You’re wrong. I haven’t let anyone in since you left, Emma. Not one person. Because you ruined me for everyone else.”
The truth of his words slices through me, leaving me breathless. My heart clenches, pain and hope twisting inside me, and for a second, I can’t find the words. They stick in my throat, but then they tumble out, unsteady, raw. “I never stopped loving you, Slate. Not for a second.”
Something flashes in his eyes—relief, anger, a need so fierce it makes my pulse race. Before I can process it, he’s closing the distance between us, his hands cupping my face, his thumbs brushing roughly over my cheeks. The firelight flickers across his expression, all the anger and longing laid bare.
“Then why did you leave?” he demands, his voice breaking on the last word, his forehead resting against mine.
My breath hitches, tears burning in the corners of my eyes, but I refuse to look away, to hide. “I thought I needed to prove something to myself. I thought... I thought you’d find someone better.”
He lets out a harsh breath, pulling back just enough to look into my eyes, his expression a tangle of anger and something softer, something that makes my chest ache. “There was never anyone better, Emma. Never.”
Before I can respond, before I can let the truth of his words sink in, Slate’s mouth is on mine, claiming me in a kiss that’s all fire and frustration. It’s not gentle—it's rough, desperate, the kind of kiss that shatters walls. I gasp into it, and he takes advantage, deepening the kiss, his hands sliding into my hair, holding me like he’s afraid I’ll disappear again.
I cling to him, my hands fisting in his hair, pulling him closer until he topples forward, and we crash back onto the bed. The small mattress gives beneath our combined weight, and I arch up into him, feeling the solid heat of his body pressing into mine, the delicious friction of it. The blanket slips away, forgotten, as his lips move against mine with a hunger that’s impossible to deny.
The kiss is everything we’ve held back—years of desire, of regret, of love that never really went away. It consumes me, makes me feel like I’m drowning in him, like he’s the only thing keeping me from slipping away into the storm outside. I pull him closer, wrapping my legs around his hips, needing him closer, needing to erase the space between us.
He breaks away first, panting, his forehead pressed to mine, his breath coming in hot, uneven bursts. His thumb strokes my jaw, rough and tender, and the look in his eyes makes my throat tighten. “This isn’t just about the past, Emma. This is about now. About us.”
My chest heaves with the weight of everything unsaid, and I cup his face with trembling hands, my thumb tracing the rough line of his jaw, feeling the rasp of stubble beneath my fingertips. “Then show me, Slate. Show me I’m not just dreaming this.”
He growls low in his throat, a sound that makes my pulse spike, and his lips crash into mine again, his hands sliding under the hem of my shirt, finding the bare skin beneath. I shiver at his touch, the roughness of his palms against my sides, a moan escaping me that he swallows with another kiss, deeper, more possessive.