Say something!
Every muscle in my body, every nerve ending, even my blood sang, bellowed, and roared to chase after her. But I didn’t. I just stood there. Watching. Waiting…For what?
For her to turn around and change her mind?
Why would she? Better yet, whyshouldshe?
My heart thumped to the beat of a ticking time bomb. If I let her leave, she was gone. There would beno getting her back.
She’d taken care of me that night of the fire. She’d cleaned me, clothed me, sang me to sleep. She’d been a light in the darkness. The sun to my shadows.
Her truck rumbled to life as she slid into the driver’s seat and slammed the door. The gears shifted. And then she was rolling away, her truck gaining speed with each turn of her tires.
“Wait!” The sound out of my mouth was foreign to my ears. Like I’d forgotten how to form words. But the attempt shattered whatever spell—or curse—had kept my words at bay.
My feet started moving. First one step. Two steps…then I was running. Sprinting to catch up with her truck.
She wasn’t going that fast, thankfully. I smacked a hand against the door as I sprinted beside it. Cheyenne’s tear-filled gaze met mine, her face turning into a mask of surprise. She damn near took me out with the driver-side mirror as she skidded to a stop.
“Maverick?” she cried as I wrenched open the door. “What the hell?”
“S-stay,” I whispered, my breath sawing in and out of me. I wasn’t sure if it was from the run or the pent-up anxiety thrumming through my veins.
A gasp fell from her lips, more tears welling in her bright blue eyes. She cupped a hand over her mouth, a sob escaping her. “You just… You tal—”
I didn’t let her finish. Leaning over, I dragged her mouth to mine. “Stay with me,” I breathed, resting my forehead to hers and cupping her face. The words felt raw, weird coming out of mythroat. “Please, don’t go. I want you here. I want you with me. I’m sorry I didn’t say anything earlier. I…I wanted to…God, I wanted to.”
Cheyenne’s soft, warm hands cupped my own, her bottom lip trembling as more tears slipped down her cheeks. But a smile brighter than any sunrise bloomed on her lips.
“Well, damn, cowboy. All you had to do was say somethin’.” A laugh rumbled out of me. One with actual sound, and I’d never felt such happiness than in that moment. I leaned back and flicked her nose gently.
“Hey!” She batted away my hand, and I used the moment as an excuse to unfasten her seatbelt and urge her out of the truck. She let me, her mouth finding mine the moment she was out. Her arms wrapped around my neck, her kisses deep and wild. I lifted her up, savoring the feel as her legs snaked around my waist.
Cheyenne broke the kiss first, drawing back to look at me. “You talked,” she breathed, smoothing her fingers over my brow. It still hurt a bit from last weekend, though it’d started to close. “What made you?”
I cupped the back of her neck, drawing her in close so I could kiss her once more. Slow. Unhurried. I felt every muscle in her body melt into my embrace. Desire swirled to life in my chest. Dear Lord, I wanted her.
“You,” I said, pulling away. “The thought of you leavin’ and not knowin’how much I need you.”
She placed a whisper-soft kiss to my lips, a mischievous glint twinkling in her eyes. “How much, cowboy?”
A grin tugged on my mouth. “Want me show you?”
She smirked, and when she spoke her words were low, smokey. “I want you to tell me…andthenshow me.”
I kissed her once more. “I think I can do that.”
Chapter twenty-seven
The Devil Wears Lace
Cheyenne
“You… The thought ofyou leavin’ and not knowin’ how much I need you.”
Need. Not want.
I didn’t think my heart could take anymore today. He didn’t just want me. Heneededme. And as much as I hated to admit it, I think I needed him to. That was the only thing that could explain the pain I felt driving away.
