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Austin stared out the window of The Plaza Hotel focusing on nothing as Paige shuffled through the television channels. The news story she stopped on pulled his attention to the television. It was the report of what happened to them, including the so-called attack at the hospital.
When Detective Connolly stepped into the shot to make a statement, Austin took a seat and listened as the facts poured out. The only thing not included was that Paige had killed Hunter. Instead, they catalogued it as a suicide.
Paige turned toward Austin, her eyes wide and her mouth open in the same kind of shock radiating through him.
“Did they?” she asked, pointing toward the window.
“I honestly don’t know, Paige. Detective Connolly was so shaken by what happened to him at the hospital that he just might have done that one on his own.” He glanced at the television and back at Paige. “Either way, it makes both of us free and clear of any wrongdoing.” He added a shrug for emphasis. “So, we’re free to go home after we get a decent night’s sleep.”
“I’m not sure I’ll ever sleep again,” Paige mumbled.
He slid into bed next to her and pulled her into the nook of his arm. “We will, eventually,” he said and kissed her forehead. “Until then, I’ll do my best to keep the nightmares away.”
She looked up from his chest, and a tear spilled down her cheek. She didn’t need to say the words because they reflected as clearly as the sunrise over the city, but when the shaking words whispered between them, he smiled at the ones left unspoken.
“Thank you for not giving up.”
“Baby, I could never give up on you,” he said and gently planted a kiss on her cheek. “How would you feel if I applied to Dartmouth?”
She blinked at him and shifted onto her elbow. “But your dreams...”
He shut her up with a kiss and then said, “Dartmouth has a decent medical program. Besides you’re there, and if I’m being honest here, you are my real dream.”
“Even after all this?”
“Especially after all this,” he said and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
Paige seemed to curl into herself, and her gaze dropped between them. “You know what they did to me.”
“Yes. But you aren’t the only one damaged by this,” he said very softly, and her gaze lifted. “I couldn’t stop what happened any more than you could, and that’s going to eat away at me, just the way what they did will tear you apart inside.”
“So, why go through that pain?” she asked, and a little part of him died inside.
“We have something here, right?” He wasn’t sure he wanted to hear the answer, but her tentative nod sparked his hope. “Do you trust me?”
She blinked at the question, and her chin trembled. “I trust you with my life,” she said and her husky voice cracked, making it sexier than normal. “But I’m not sure I can give you everything you want.”
“What is it you think I want?” he asked, using his softest, calmest voice despite the aggravation eating away at his stomach.
She dropped her gaze to his chest, avoiding his eyes. “Sex,” she whispered.
His head fell onto the pillow and he stared at the ceiling, silently counting down from ten in order to make his voice calm and devoid of anger.
“Is that really all you think I want from you?” he asked without looking at her. She didn’t answer, and he stifled the urge to growl out a swear word or two. When he finally made himself look at her, the tears were spilling down her cheeks, and she was looking out the window instead of at him. “The past few months I didn’t make a move because I needed to know this was more than just the bedroom connection, because God knows we have the sex thing down to a science.”
Her head snapped towards him.
“You wanted to know why I didn’t touch you? It’s because I didn’t trust what I was feeling. I had to be sure it wasn’t just a sex thing.”
She stared at him.
“And I basically asked you to move in with me at the hotel, so that should give you a clue about what’s really important to me.”
“You still...” She couldn’t finish her statement and she sat up, wrapping her arms around her legs.
“If we let this fall to pieces, then that fucker wins, and there is no way I’m going to let that happen. You know why?”
Tears spilled and she shook her head, still looking out at the city lights.
“Because I fucking love you. That’s why.”
Her chin trembled and she buried her face in her hands. Each sob ripped through him, and he sat up, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her into his lap. Her arms snaked around him, and she cried into his shoulder, clinging to him like if she let go, he might disappear like a wisp of smoke.
After what seemed like forever, she picked up her head and met his gaze.
“I’m such a mess,” she said, wiping her face.
“Yeah, you are, but I’m not exactly the rock of stability, either.”
She uttered a soft laugh and pressed her lips to his. “You’re more of a rock than you know.” Her breath tickled against his lips, and when she pulled away, she met his gaze.
“I think this, what we have, is worth it,” he said.
Her eyebrow cocked. “You think?” she asked with a teasing sniffle.
“Yeah. I think. As long as we’re both in the same place.”
Her hand caressed his cheek as she stared into his eyes, and he bit his tongue, avoiding asking her the direct question. He wanted her to say it of her own accord, and he was afraid he may have already pushed it too far. When she leaned her forehead against his, he swallowed the disappointment.
“I didn’t realize how far gone I was until...” she said and paused, taking a deep breath before continuing, “... until I thought I’d lost you.”
He pulled away, and their eyes met. She leaned in, delivering a soft kiss with a spark behind it. He let it morph into more, and their tongues mingled, intimate and tender, tangling in a slow roll that took his breath away. It was the type of kiss that promised more, but he also knew now wasn’t the time to explore the boundaries.
He broke the kiss and pulled a slow breath before opening his eyes to hers.
“I am in the same place, Austin, but I’m afraid that might not be enough.”
He smiled, cocking his head while he kept her gaze. “I can’t promise you it will be easy, but I can promise it will be worth the fight.”
The End
* * * *
Continue the Magick Series with PRACTICAL MAGICK.
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