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I reach up and grip the sides of his t-shirt. “And he asked you to keep an eye on me?”

“Yeah,” he says with a nod, pulling back and our eyes meet. “He was worried about Owen, worried about how things ended. But like I said, that was just an excuse. I was going to find any fucking excuse to come back to see you.”

“And then?”

He sucks in a breath. “And then, we spoke for the first time and it just got worse. I wanted…more. Still want more. Honestly, I have no fucking idea what I’m doing here, baby. I’ve never been very good at relationships and I don’t really know how to be in one. But one thing I’m absolutely sure of is that I want you.”

“Dalton,” I breathe, shaking my head as tears sting my eyes. “I don’t have anything to offer you.”

His head jerks back and his brow furrow as he studies me. “I just want you, baby. You already give me everything I need.”

“Dalton…” I whisper as a couple tears fall down my cheek and he wipes them away. Our eyes meet and then he leans in ever so slightly, still watching me. When I tip my chin up to him, he takes the lead, pressing his lips to mine and everything seems to right itself.

Yes, Dalton kept secrets from me.

But he didn’t lie.

And despite all this new information, my body is still screaming that I’m safe, that I can trust him. With everything else going on, right now, I don’t have the energy to fight that. Nor do I think I need to.

His kiss makes everything else disappear.

Gone is the fear that I’ve been living with since Wednesday night.

Gone are the questions of what I could possibly give him.

It’s just him and I.

Us.

And us feels so goddamn right.

So, I’m done fighting it, done fighting him.

I have no idea what we are or where this is going but I’m completely in. And we’ll just see where we end up.

He pulls back, his chest heaving as he meets my eyes and grins. “Still think I should go?”

“Shut up,” I mutter, rolling my eyes and giving his shoulder a shove.

“You never answered my question.”

I arch a brow. “And what question was that exactly?”

“Pizza? Burgers? Chinese?”

“Oh my god,” I groan, fighting back a smile as I shove him away from me. “You’re so annoying.”

“And all yours, beautiful.”

“God help me,” I mutter, turning toward the menus on the counter to hide my ridiculous smile. Lord help me if those four little words from him are getting this kind of reaction out of me.

But let’s be honest, I never really stood a chance, did I?

Chapter Twenty-One

Lennon

The lights are so damn bright, flashing in and out of my line of vision, blinding me.