Total pages in book: 68
Estimated words: 71312 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 357(@200wpm)___ 285(@250wpm)___ 238(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 71312 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 357(@200wpm)___ 285(@250wpm)___ 238(@300wpm)
“Hey. I didn’t mean to—”
“I know you didn’t.” She grips my shoulders. “I want you too. Don’t you know that? But this can’t be us, Falcon. We can’t be the couple who has sex every time something goes wrong. It’s a bandage. A patch. It doesn’t fix anything.”
“Bandages work miracles sometimes, Vannah.” I lead her hand to the bulge in my jeans. “And I could use a miracle about now.”
“Falcon—”
“Say it.”
She looks at me, her eyebrows raised. “Say what?”
I shake my head. “You don’t even know, do you?”
“Falcon, I—”
“You didn’t say it back, Savannah. I told you I love you, and you didn’t say it back.”
My words.
Does she remember?
“I was… I was… Your dick was in my mouth, Falcon, and I—”
“My dick’s not in your mouth now, Vannah. Ideally, I’d like it in your tight cunt, but you stopped me.”
“I—”
“I’ve only said those words to a woman once before, and I didn’t feel half for her what I feel for you. You’re a drug to me, Savannah. But a sweet drug that I never knew I needed. The kind of drug that eats at you, body and soul, but that you’d die without.”
“A…a drug?”
“I’m not a poet, Vannah. But I fucking love you, damn it.”
She scrapes her fingers over my cheek. “How could you doubt me?”
“Easy. I haven’t heard you say it.”
She tilts her head up and kisses me gently. “I love you, Falcon. You. With all your flaws and with all your fire. With all your strength and your good, good heart. You, Falcon Bellamy.”
I close my eyes, savor her words. Nothing about drugs. Just simple words of love.
“But…” she continues, “that doesn’t mean we should fuck in here. We can fuck at home.”
“At my home?”
“Well, yeah. Mine’s unlivable at the moment.”
“At our home, Savannah. It’s our home.” I pull her to me and kiss her hard.
I grind my cock into her belly, but she pushes back again.
“I love you, Falcon. I want you. But not here. I can’t. Not again. Too much has gone on here.”
“Yeah. Our first fuck, and I wouldn’t change it.”
She cocks her head, her eyes wide. “Wouldn’t you? Do you remember what happened that night, Falcon?”
Hell, yeah, I do. Raven stopped breathing. Code blue was called, but she didn’t need to be revived. She began breathing again on her own.
And I know what I’m doing.
I’m fucking Savannah in the same room, hoping Raven will survive again.
She’s right.
We can’t do it here.
Besides, we were damned lucky no one walked in on us. What if someone had been admitted to the hospital and had needed this room? A cancer patient who walks in on two people screwing.
“All right,” I finally say.
“I love you,” she says again, this time in her soft voice that makes my skin heat.
“I love you too,” I echo.
And those are the truest words I’ve ever spoken.
I’ll never take them back.
Which means I can’t lose Savannah. Not to a rival family. Not to anything.
I’ll find a way to make sure of it.
“Go back,” she says. “Sit with Raven. Don’t leave her side. I truly think she’s going to be okay, Falcon, but you need to stay with her. You’d never forgive yourself if you didn’t and something happened.”
I shove my fingers through my hair. “But I can’t leave you alone at the house.”
“I’ve got Earl. When does your security get here?”
“Hell if I know. Let’s ask my dad.”
We leave the vacant room and head back to Raven’s room, where my parents and Hawk are all seated next to the bed. “Dad, can we talk to you for a minute in the hallway?”
Dad rises. “Sure, son.” He leaves the room and closes the door, leaving it open just a crack.
Two nurses whisk by us, and the nurses’ station isn’t far away.
“Let’s go to the end of the hallway,” I say. “For some privacy.”
Dad nods, and once there, “What’s this about, Falcon?”
“I want to stay here with Raven, but I don’t want Savannah at my place alone. When does your security start?”
“They’ve already started. Your place is being surveilled, and your bodyguard should be arriving”—he checks his phone—“about now. Looks like I have a text from him.”
“This is all unnecessary,” Savannah says.
“It’s necessary,” Dad counters. “I don’t want you or Falcon in danger.”
“No, that’s not what I mean,” she says.
“She’s talking about Earl, the bodyguard her father sent. I won’t let him stay in the house.”
“I can have him checked out,” Dad says.
“I already did, but you have more resources. That’d be great.”
Savannah sighs. “Falcon, I have something to say.”
“Just a minute, Vannah.” I turn to Dad. “Have you been in touch with Gallo?”
Dad shakes his head. “I don’t deal with mobsters.” He looks at Savannah. “Sorry, I didn’t mean—”
She raises her hand to stop him. “Not a problem, but I—”
“Just check him out, then,” I say. “In the meantime, I need to get Savannah back to my place securely.”