“I—”
“I understand why you thought you had to, but that doesn’t erase the fact that you did. It doesn’t erase the hurt.”
He takes a threatening step forward, forcing me back. I almost stumble off the curb, but of course, he’s there, catching me before I fall, pressing us chest to chest.
“Careful,” he murmurs.
I can barely breathe in his arms, suffocated by the heat crackling between us.
My brain is screaming to push him away, but my heart is louder saying,don’t you dare.
The pull is too familiar even in a fit of rage.
He reaches up, his fingers trace the long length of my hair, hesitating over the ends like he’d done for years. “I would take back every ounce of pain I’ve caused in a heartbeat.”
I nod sadly. “I know.”
“It’s good to see you, Mads.”
“I saw you earlier.”
My heart somersaults in my chest.
“It’s always good to see you.” He smiles softly.
“I need to go,” I say with little force behind it.
He locks eyes with mine. “Tell me you want to be with him for the rest of your life. Tell me you don’t feel what I feel.”
“It’s been years, you can’t possibly still feel…”
He pulls me in closer. “Tell me you stopped loving me, and I’ll walk away right now.”
“You will?” The question slips out before I can stop it.
Do I want him to fight for me?
“Not a chance in fucking hell. I’m never giving you up, Mads. You’re the love of my life. My better half. You’re mine, and I’llfight until the day I die to prove I’m worthy of you loving me back. I’ll beg for your forgiveness and fight for your love.” His voice hardens with conviction. “And we should get one thing straight. That man inside? He’s inconsequential. He will be a part of your past before you know it.”
I can’t help my lip twitch at his cocky confidence. “Nate.”
“You can fight it, but you’ll realize it’s time to come back to me soon enough.”
I raise a mock eyebrow. “Oh really?”
Maybe he’s right.
“Yes, you might hate me, but a day hasn’t passed since Camp Horizon that I haven’t loved you.”
“I don’t hate you, and it’s just the familiarity.” The words are barely heard over the city traffic whizzing behind us, hoping I can hide behind the lie.
He raises my hand and puts it against his chest. “Feel that, Mads? That thunder in my chest? Before you, my beautiful goddess, my heart never beat this steadily. You lit something in me I didn’t know existed. The flame dimmed while we were apart, and it would have died completely if we were done. Now that you’re back, I realize it was never beating for me, it was beating for us.”
My hand curls into a fist against his chest, and I bang it once, then do the same with my forehead.
“You don’t know what you’re talking about.” I fight against my emotions.
I need to tell him about Corey.
