“You can practice on me all you like,” Bradley replies. “Is there an occasion?”
“Does there need to be one?”
“No, but there can be.” His fingers skim up my back, across my shoulders, and then lightly graze my warm cheek. “Not a necessity, though.”
I sit up and turn to face him. “Are you making fun of me?”
Bradley’s expression softens immediately. “No, I’m saying that if you want to practice on me, then you don’t need to think up a reason. I’d never make fun of you for expressing how you feel.”
My gut twists slightly and my heart skitters through my chest as his hand drops to my waist. “I feel awkward.”
“In what way?”
My heart races faster. This seemed like a good idea at first but suddenly the prospect of bearing my heart and soul is the scariest thing on earth. “Like I’m… exposed.”
“Physically?”
“Emotionally.”
“I think the champagne and fruit are very sweet,” he says with a little smile. “And the dress is very beautiful.”
I glance down at myself, unable to stop a smile. “You think so?”
“I know so.”
Looking back up, my plans crumble. Everything I planned to say, everything I wanted to say in some big romantic show, suddenly doesn’t matter anymore, and that might be because that’s not me. Making an effort surely only matters if it’s from the heart so in a spurt of boldness, I just say it.
“I love you.”
Bradley’s lips part but no sound escapes.
“I do. And I have for a while, I think. At first, I didn’t know how to put a word to what I was feeling and then I was all twisted up about what love really was because I loved Peter but he betrayed me and tried to kill me and I didn’t know how to handle that because I also thought he loved me. The way he acted… maybe it was obvious to others, but he was nice to me sometimes. And it got all tangled in my chest and then you said it back at the farmhouse and I heard it but I was scared because…”
I gasp as all the words suddenly pour out of me. Bradley sits up and takes my hand, threading our fingers together and calming me in an instant.
“Everything goes wrong. My entire life, everyone I’ve cared about has only cared because they wanted something or have been lying to me, but you? You just… you came into my life, and I still don’t understand why you don’t hate me for trying to kill you. Or for drugging you or running away. You took all of it and you’ve never yelled at me or said anything horrible, andit’s really confusing because I feel like I’m on the edge of a knife waiting to slip up and do something that angers you.”
Slowly, I lift my gaze.
“But it hasn’t come and I don’t know if it will ever be as I fear. So I settled in this feeling and I waited because I wanted to make sure it was real. And I realized that what I’m feeling is me. It’s all me and it’s all mine and I like that and I just love you so much?—”
Bradley’s hands suddenly cup the side of my face and he draws me in, silencing my rambling with a deep kiss that melts my mind and has my body sagging into his hold with a low, soft groan.
“I’m not kissing you to shut you up,” he whispers against my lips. “I’ll listen to everything you want to tell me, but I couldn’t resist any longer.”
God, how is he even real?
The kiss deepens momentarily, and then Bradley pulls away with a nudge of our noses. “Continue.”
“I…” My train of thought is long gone. All that remains is a deep sense of peace in my soul that my truth is out there. “I have nothing left to say. I’ve said it all. I love you. I love how you make me feel and how you treat me. I love how everyone around you trusts and respects you because you’re a good man. I love how protective you are and how safe you make me feel, how you make me laugh and smile and comfort me.”
Bradley’s smile widens. “No more to say, huh?”
Shoving lightly at his shoulder, I roll my eyes. “Shut up.”
“I’m kidding.” Snaking his arm around my waist, he draws me close while cupping my neck with his other hand and aligning his thumb with my jaw. “I love you too, Zira. I love your light and your strength. I love the curve of your ass and the bite to your words. I love how you go to bat for those you care for, regardless of what they’ve done. I love your heart and soul. I love all of you and it’s fucking awesome that you love me too.”
Laughter bubbles up, and our smiling mouths collide in a rush of deep, excited kisses. Each breath is laced with amusement and I loop both my arms around his neck.
