A Matter Of Justice (Grey Justice #4)(36)

“Is that what you think I’ve done? Walked away without a backward glance?” Leaning down, he gripped the arms of her chair and stopped within an inch of her face. His nose almost touching hers, he growled, “Every damn time I leave you, something inside me dies.”

“Then why—”

“Because I’m too damn old for you, Lacey.”

“You’re not any younger than you were before, but somehow now you can’t stay away from me. Is it because I may be disabled?” Tears sprang to her eyes, and she was furious with herself for showing her vulnerabilities, but when it came to this man, she was a mass of emotions.

“First of all, you’re not disabled, nor are you going to be. And secondly, just what kind of rat weasel do you think I am?”

“Then, dammit, tell me, Kingston. Why have I suddenly become irresistible to you?”

“Have you thought that maybe it’s because I realized that age is a trivial thing compared to living without you?”

“What?”

He went to his knees in front of her. “When I got the call that you were injured, I was thousands of miles away from you. I’ve never felt more helpless in my life. Not knowing if you were alive. Not knowing if I’d be able to get to you in time. I had hours of travel time to relive every moment we’ve spent together, and one thing became abundantly clear. If I ever got the chance to be with you again, I was never going to leave you.”

“And it’s not because—”

He pressed a finger to her mouth. “Lacey, sweetheart. Whatever your legs, arms, or any appendage you have can or cannot do is not why I love you.”

“You love me?”

“From the moment we met.”

She threw her arms around his shoulders and held him tight. Wyatt closed his eyes again, this time in relief. He had almost messed everything up by being so damn stupid.

“Can you ever forgive me?” he asked.

She pulled away to beam at him. “If you can forgive me for being such a bitch to you.”

“We’ll call it a draw.”

“Deal.”

He kissed her then. The way he’d been dreaming about for what seemed like forever. Ever since he’d met her, he had felt the need to be careful, to not show her how much she meant to him. What a damned stupid fool he’d been. But not anymore. From now on, this beautiful, wonderful, incredible woman would know, every moment of every day, how much he loved her.

The kiss was sweet and then so passionate and deep they both lost their breath. Lips devoured, tongues tangled, and fire burned.

“Um,” she gasped against his mouth. “Think we should go somewhere a bit more private?”

The need to be with her in every way possible was the only thing that enabled him to pull away from her and stand. He glanced around the room, more than a little shocked that there were several people in the room with them. He’d been so lost in her, his surroundings had disappeared. Though the other people were doing their best to give them privacy, he saw more than one surreptitious glance.

“Where to?”

“I’m staying at my mom’s for a while.”

He glanced down at her. “I need to be with you.”

Loving the pink glow on her face, Wyatt laughed. Seeing his bold and courageous Lacey blush made his heart literally leap for joy.

“Wherever you want to go,” she whispered.

Dropping one more kiss on her lips, he walked around to the back of her wheelchair. Leaning over her, he growled in a low, soft voice, “We’re going to my hotel room, where I’m going to make love to you until we can both barely move, and then…”

She tilted her head back to look up at him. “And then?”

“I’m going to start all over again.”

“I love you, Wyatt Kingston.”

“You’d better. I’d hate to be asking a woman who doesn’t love me to marry me.”

“Are you asking?”

“Oh yeah, I’m asking.”

“Then I’m saying yes.”

“Your brothers are going to kill me.”

“No, they won’t. They want to see me happy.”

“Then they’ll love me because I’m going to spend the rest of my life making sure that happens.”

“Wyatt?” she whispered. “Push faster.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Their hearts full, they sped down the hospital hallway toward a bright, beautiful future.





Chapter Fourteen





She stood at the penthouse’s private elevator. Desperation and sheer bravado were the only things keeping her upright. All she had to do was enter the number into the keypad. No one but she and Grey knew the passcode. He wouldn’t have changed it. There would be no need. He would never keep her out of his life. It was always her pushing him away. Every. Single. Time. Grey Justice was as sure as the sunrise and, in every way that counted, the most honorable person she’d ever known.

Pressing her forehead against the cool panel of the elevator, Irelyn took a moment to gather her strength. She drew in a shallow breath and fought the dizziness and nausea that had been her constant companions for almost thirty-six hours of frustration as she’d tried to get home. Until now, she had barely acknowledged their existence. Now that she was finally here, ignoring them was impossible.