She was right there.
Right there.
And she was his.
“You okay after all that happened tonight?”he asked.
“I am now.”
He felt a rueful grin hit his lips.“Not sure how that canbe, me losing it on you.”
“Because you gave that to me, and it’s precious, I needed itand you needed to let it go.”
“Well, if you say it like that,” he joked.
Her mouth got soft, letting them have that moment of humor,before she kept talking.
“There’s also more.Because you asked me if I was okay and Ineed that too, Jag.We’ll work this out, with time, getting to know each otherbetter.And you’vegottatell me if I’m wrong, but Isense you need space to sort your head out.The thing is, I don’t.I needyou.I’ve needed you since that day I first saw you.I need you to ask.I need totalk things through with you.I need to lay shit on you.And you can’t holdback, thinking I need space.Thinking I need what you need.I’ve beenshouldering everyone else’s shit for a long time, honey.I don’t want that.Iwant someone with me to help me carry the load.”
Shit, he’d fucked up.
“That’s me, Archie.I’m that someone.I hear you and I won’thold back again.”
“If you mean with me and the burdens I’m carrying, okay.Ifyou mean with you, you do what you need to do too.If you need to hold on towhat you’re feeling until you’re ready to give it, you do what you have to do.Am I making sense?”
He nodded.
Something changed in her face and he braced at the sight ofit.
She didn’t make him wait.
“The thing with your throat…I won’t touch it again.”
He settled some extra weight on her, not much, justhopefully enough to show her he was relaxing and take her to that place withhim.
“With your mouth, I’m good.Not your hand apparently, okay?”he shared.
“Okay, boyfriend, but just to say, you put my hand therewhen we were talking about tats.”
“I was in control of that, tonight—”
She cut him off, nodding.“Yeah, I get it.And I’ll steerclear.”
He touched his mouth to hers.
Lifting away, he realized he still felt foggy, tired.
But also relieved.
Jesus, he’d been holding that so deep and so long, he didn’teven know it was there.
And it was weird, the hold it had on him was so strong, howdazed and fatigued he felt in letting it go.
Still, if felt fucking great to let it go.
“Now, tell it true, are you hungry?”she pushed.
He looked at her beautiful face, her eyes warm on him, therelief she also felt openly visible.
