Yes, and shouldering all of the responsibility along the way,I almost retorted with. As per usual, Blake’s overwhelming responsibility with holding everything together, even in the faceof a potential tragedy, was ever present. I had no doubt Talos helped as much as he could but there was no way Blake hadn’t kept my care solely up to him.
How hard had he fought to keep himself levelheaded while Talos called for help?
How many times did he pray for me to open my eyes to make sure I was actually still in there and not long gone while my body fought to continue going?
None of it seemed fair for him to harbor that amount of culpability. If anything, he was a damn hero in my eyes. The moment I’d realized he was there with me was the moment all felt right in the world.
He breathed out slowly. “I’m just... I’m glad I started out earlier on that hike than I planned. I got to the peak a little after you fell. Something was telling me to go before the sun was up, so I did.”
Using my hold on him, I forced him into bending forward, curling my other arm around his waist from behind to help flatten him against my body. His cheek was slightly damp against my bare chest, a slow exhale shuddering out of him the moment I locked my arm in place. His hair was soft as I threaded my fingers through the tangled lengths, cupping the side of his face to keep him there.
“Hear it?” I asked. “My heart beats because of you. I’malivebecause of you.”
As soon as he started to shake his head, I tightened my hand to stop him.
“I mean it.”
His body stiffened. “Do you... you actually like me being here with you?”
“Absolutely.” There was no hesitation in my voice, nor in how swiftly the confirmation fell from my mouth. “If falling off afucking cliff is what got you to come home with me, then I’d do it all over again.”
He scoffed. “That’s morbid.”
“And true.”
I felt a shiver move under his skin the moment I slipped my hand under his shirt again, tracing the dimples etched into his lower back. I loved touching him. I loved the small twitches and faint sighs he made from something so simple as me tracing a nonsensical pattern wherever I pleased. I loved his hidden masochism and how fucked up he liked to get as I made a mess of him. I loved those bright smiles and the way his eyes sparkled when the sun hit them just right.
Everything about this man, I wanted to keep all for myself. I wouldn’t be letting him go so easily, not when I was right on the precipice of this,hopefully,being a permanent thing. There would be no one after him—no one could compare.
I wanted to memorize every goddamn inch of him. To be able to conjure him even in my dreams. I wanted to know every little thing that made him tick and everything that made him come undone. There would be nothing left hidden from me by the time I was done.
“No more adventure sports,” he muttered.
“Can’t stop me from trespassing onto your property.” Technically, he could, but I’d gotten my way around plenty of figurative and actual fences in my time.
“Should I be scared I ended up saving a stalker?”
The light teasing in his voice made me breathe out a sigh of relief.
Was he finally coming back to me?
“Can’t stalk someone who likes it.”
He forced his head up from my chest, a vague kind of smile playing on his lips. “You’re trouble. You know that? I couldjust ban you from the property. Have police posted outside the entrance all summer.”
“Is this a bad time to remind you I have a billionaire friend?”
He rolled his eyes, pinching my side lightly. “Yeah, let me know when that lawsuit is supposed to hit my desk. I want to have a fresh bottle of whiskey unsealed and ready to go.”
“To party, I hope,” I egged on. “It’s not every day someone gets sued.”
“Are you trying to say I’m special?”
“To me? Definitely.”
His smile widened ever so slightly. “Maybe I’ll sue you right back for fucking up my ratings and scaring my whole staff with the airlift.”
I gasped. “A countersuit. I’d be honored.”
