I took her hands in mind. “Baby doll, I will give my last breath to protect you. I would do that even if there wasn’t a baby in the picture. But now, we need to be more vigilant about our surroundings, who we talk to, who we tell about the pregnancy. Rianne wants me dead.”
“She doesn’t feel you’re good for me,” Layla said. “She thinks falling in love with a vampire is suicide.”
I reared back. “So you’re in love with me?”
She pulled away and captured a fingernail in between her teeth. “I don’t know. Are you?”
“I’ve never been in love. But if feeling like I can’t breathe when you’re not with me is love, then I guess I am.”
Her mouth hung open as she held her heart. “Whoa!”
I was suddenly light-headed. The silence between us became deafening.Did I just tell her I loved her?
“Um…” she said.
I swallowed a lump in my throat that felt more like a big fat fur ball. “Baby doll.”
She scooted to the edge of the cushion and mashed her fingers against my lips and said, “Shhh.” Then she kissed me softly.
“What are you doing to me?” I whispered.
She giggled. “I could ask you the same thing.”
I eased away. I’d been the one pushing her to talk, and suddenly, I didn’t want to. I gulped in a boatload of air and pressed on. “Layla, the next nine months will be a test of our relationship. We need to settle some things, like where you want to live.”Please stay with me.I would never force her, but she couldn’t be out on her own without protection.
She shivered. “I was thinking. I could ask Harley if I could crash with her until I can figure things out.”
I knitted my brows. “Harley? Fuck no. I was thinking you could stay with me.”
“Like a married couple?” She bit her bottom lip. “I don’t think we’re ready for that.”
I grinned. “Why? You don’t want to fuck me every night?”
She snorted. “We wouldn’t come up for air. Sam, I want to take us slow.” Then the light snuffed out of her eyes, and she gave me a sad smile. “Everything is happening too fast.” Her gaze drifted out the accordion glass doors. “I wish my mom and dad were here.” Tears clouded her eyes. “I’m out here on an island. I feel like I can’t trust anyone anymore.”
I curled her hair around her ear as regret knotted my stomach. “Again, I’m so sorry about your phone. I am an ass. A big one.”
27
LAYLA
Istared at Sam’s lips, feeling the remorse coursing through him. Still, I couldn’t have a relationship with him if he continued to do things behind my back.
“You’re a gargantuan ass,” I said. “You still haven’t told me why you took my phone.”
He pushed to his feet and went into the kitchen.
I followed like an angry eager beaver. He was not getting out of this. I didn’t care if he’d just told me in a roundabout way that he loved me, which I would process later. For the time being, if we were in it together, it was the perfect time to clear out our demons—or at least some of them.
He removed a knife from the butcher block beside the six-burner stove.
I propped a hip against the farmhouse sink. “What are you doing with that?”
The blade glinted in the morning light spraying in from the windows.
“You look pale.” He had a funky look on his face that I couldn’t make out.
“I’ll let you know when I need blood. Now talk.”
