Take Your Time (Boston Love #4)(89)

“Luca,” I whisper, voice breaking a bit. “Luca, I…”

The words never make it past my lips, because he pulls me away from the rail, into his arms, and crushes me to him in a rib-cracking hug. His forehead hits my shoulder and I hear him release a huge, shuddering breath.

“Thought I’d lost you.”

I ignore the stinging pain in my ankle and tighten my arms around him. “I’m right here.”

“They could’ve hurt you. They could’ve—”

“But they didn’t. I’m right here. I’m okay.”

His grip flexes and I get the sense he’s barely hanging onto his control. “Delilah, you don’t understand. Never had a family. Never had a home. Never had anyone who belongs to me.” His words shake. “Most of my life, I never thought that was even in the cards. Not a possibility. But… then I met you. And I started to see a different kind of future than the one I’d mapped out for myself.” He breaks off, voice muffled against my skin. “The way I see it, you’re the best chance I’ve got at building a life. A family. A real one. Because when I’m with you… I’m home.”

My hands move from his shoulders to his neck. Gently, I lift his chin so I can see into his eyes. They’re swimming with so much warmth and love and worry, it breaks my heart.

“Earlier, you said something to me. Something that freaked me out, made me run. But the truth is, I’ve spent the past few months running. From you, from the truth, from the way you make me feel.” I swallow. “I don’t want to run anymore, Luca.”

His eyes flare. “Babe—”

“The thing is, I think I knew the first moment I saw you that I’d fall in love with you, if I let you get too close. So I pushed you away. I knocked over Jenga boards and made shitty excuses and told myself I could never have you, that it would never work out. Because things in my life never really seem to work out. Why should love be any different?”

His hold tightens.

“I was a bitch to you. Tried every trick in the book to keep you away. And even still… you saw straight through me. You’ve always seen straight through my bullshit, to what’s really going on. Even before you really knew anything about me, you could tell exactly what I was thinking without me ever opening my mouth. One look in my eyes was enough.”

I take a deep breath and drop all the guards I keep up around myself, filling my stare with everything I’ve ever felt for him. All the faith and the trust and the sheer, inescapable love. I pour it all into a look.

I love you, my eyes tell him. Wholeheartedly.

“Can you read what they’re telling you now, Luca?”

I see victory flare in his gaze, hot and hopeful, as his face drops down to mine.

“You love me,” he growls against my lips.

“I love you.”

“No more running?”

“No more running.”

Crushing his mouth to mine, he picks me up and spins me around in a circle in the middle of the catwalk. I don’t think about the fact that we’re standing over potentially lethal sea creatures, or that I’ve basically ruined Phoebe’s wedding reception, or that there’s still going to be fallout from the loan sharks after Duncan. I just let the man I love hold me close and kiss me until there are stars in my eyes.

When he finally sets me back down, I’m breathing hard and grinning like an idiot. The grin wavers a bit as my weight lands on my twisted ankle.

“What? What is it?” He’s instantly alarmed.

“Nothing,” I murmur.

“You’re hurt.”

“It’s nothing!”

He ignores me, bending to examine my ankle. “Christ, Delilah! Why didn’t you say something? You need a doctor.” His fingers move over the bone lightly, but I still wince at his touch. “Not broken, but definitely sprained.”

“See! No break. I’m fine.”

He glares up at me. “Why didn’t you tell me you were hurt?”

“Um, hello? I was a little busy making a sweeping declaration of love. Or did you miss that?”

He rises to his feet, smiling as he wraps an arm around my waist to support my weight. “No babe. Definitely didn’t miss it.”

“Oh, good, because I’m not very good at long speeches and that was one of my better ones. I’m not sure I could repeat it with the same amount of emotional oomph, you know what I’m saying?”

He shakes his head. “Not remotely.”

“If I didn’t love you, I’d probably hate you.”

“Love you too, babe. That said, you’re still going to the doctor.”

“No! I’ll put some ice on it. Good as new.”

“Sure, we’ll ice it. After we go to the doctor.”

I sigh. “Isn’t there some kind of memorandum about you not being able to boss me around anymore, since we’re madly in love and everything?”

“No.”

“Well, that just sucks.”

His lips twitch as he bends and sweeps me up into his arms without further ado, like a bonafide damsel in distress. Which I’m not. Anymore.

Damsel in recent distress?

Damsel formerly in distress, now over the moon with bliss?

“Hey! I can walk.” I grimace. “Sort of. Actually it’s more of a hobble but I was managing quite well before you stormed in—”