Chapter 51 #2
Strange, he wasn’t certain that he’d ever felt anything like this before. Certainly not as intense as what he was feeling right now for her.
Suddenly, he picked her up under the arms and swirled her around the room.
“Oh my God,” Ralen muttered. “Something has definitely broken inside him. He’s malfunctioning. This could be some scene out of a romantic movie.”
Cash ignored his mutterings and the way her sisters gaped at them. He set her down gently on her feet, and then grasped the back of her head with his hand before kissing her.
The kiss started off hesitant and soft.
The one kiss they’d shared had been very fleeting. This kiss was far different. He ran his tongue over her lips, and she parted them softly with a small groan.
Fuck him.
That felt amazing.
He didn’t care that she hesitated each time he did something new. All she had to do was hold on and let him take the lead.
He’d always take the lead when she needed him to. He’d always be there to make the decisions. To give her whatever she needed.
Finally, he drew back and stared down at her. “You’re amazing, Addie. Everything I could have wanted and dreamed of, but never thought I deserved. I still don’t think I deserve you. You know, there was one thing I wanted to text you back.”
“What was that?” she asked.
“That you are mine. That you’re mine, and that I was coming for you. I decided instead to just do it. To come for you and tell you how I felt.”
She grinned up at him. “I’m so glad you did.” Then she bit her lip. “Is it weird, though, that we’ve already said I love you and that was our first kiss? We haven’t really done anything, no dating, no kissing, nothing more than that.”
He glanced around to see that everybody had left them alone in the bedroom. That was very considerate of them. They’d even taken the asshole with them.
He needed to get back to that, but he just needed one moment to reassure her.
Lifting her up, he sat on the bed with her on his lap, facing him. Her legs were dangling down on either side of his thighs. He grabbed hold of her chin and tilted her head back.
“This might not be normal and it might not be how most people do it, but screw what most people do. You and I, we’ve lived a lot in our lives.
Life is short and if you find something that you really want, then you need to grab hold of it.
You need to take care of it, and you need to not let it go, right? ”
“I thought that you didn’t want to have this sort of relationship with me because I’m not right.”
Cash frowned. What was she talking about? “Who the hell said you’re not right?”
She stared at him in amazement. “You did. I overheard you that first night we met. You said to Ralen that I wasn’t quite right.”
Fuck, had he? He seemed to recall a conversation with Ralen about her. “Baby, I can’t remember that. If I said that, then I was wrong and I’m so sorry. There is nothing about you that isn’t right. Everything about you is amazing. You’re beautiful and smart and kind, and I really am sorry.”
“I overheard you another time too,” she confessed to him. “You were talking to Ralen in the safe house, and you said that what we were doing wasn’t about attraction or sex.”
He released her chin and ran his hand over his face with a sigh.
“The truth is, baby, I was a fucking idiot. See, you’re amazing, and I’m not.
I’ve done things in my life I’m not proud of, made decisions that were so stupid and affected everyone around me.
I’m a hothead. I have a temper. You saw that before when I grabbed Limpy, and I’m not always able to check it.
Around you, I seem to have more control.
Maybe it’s because I never want you to look at me like you’re scared, or perhaps it’s because I have to be in control of myself in order to take care of you.
Whatever it is, I like myself when I’m around you.
I like how we are together. I like that you smile, and that you can relax, and that you feel safe with me.
And I never want to do anything to hurt that.
But I just didn’t feel like I deserved you.
You were up here.” He raised one hand up high.
“And I’m down here. I told myself that if it was just a temporary arrangement you wouldn’t become tarred by me by association.
That my darkness, my past, it wouldn’t rub off on you. ”
“That won’t happen,” she said. “Because all you ever do is take care of me, so you won’t let it happen.
And you know what? I don’t care if it does.
We all have stuff about our lives we wish we could change, that we could have done differently.
It doesn’t mean that we can’t learn from them and not make the same mistakes again.
And it doesn’t mean that we don’t deserve to feel love and happiness. ”
“I was hoping you’d think that. You know that you’re mine now, Addie, don’t you? For the rest of our lives.”
She looked worried again. “I don’t know how that will look though. I mean, we live in two different cities.”
“We’ll figure it out, as long as you know that you belong to me.”
“Just like you belong to me.”
He drew her in close, rubbing his hand up and down her back. “Are you sure you’re all right with what happened? That asshole didn’t hurt you?” He could feel himself growing more tense at the thought. He’d love nothing more than to end that bastard’s life.
“I’m all good now that you’re here,” she told him.
“That’s my good girl. I’m always going to take care of you.” He kissed her again. “Come on, let’s go make a call to Butch.”
“You and Ralen make it sound like the three of you are enemies.”
“Well, he’s not our favourite person in the world. He’s a grumpy bastard who thinks he’s always right. Bossy and controlling.”
“Yes,” she said. “Those people can be rather annoying.” She gave him a pointed look.
He tickled his fingers over her sides. “Are you saying that I am a bossy and controlling person? That I’m grumpy and think I’m always right?”
“I mean, maybe not grumpy,” she said.
“Sassy brat. You know, you might want to be careful what you say now that Daddy is back in charge. I might just tip you over my knee and smack that naughty bottom of yours. And take away one of your good girl stickers.”
“What for?” she asked with a gasp. “For saying the truth? That’s not very nice.”
“For being mean to your Daddy. That’s not very nice.”
“I would never be mean to you, Daddy. I’m a good girl.”
A knock on the door startled them both and Ralen’s voice boomed through. “If the two of you are finished in there, we need to do something about Limpy out here.”
Time to get back to reality.