I didn’t move away.
He slipped his fingers down the side of my face. “The more I’m around you, the more I know I love you more than I love my brothers and sisters, more than I love myself.”
I gave him a sad smile. “More than furry little Noah?”
“Well. . .let’s not go that far.” He winked.
I chuckled, but also felt like I was close to crying. Always when I was around him, I turned into an emotional wreck.
“Give us a chance?” Cain slipped his hand to the back of my head and pulled me closer so that my face was only a few inches from his. “Please.”
“I told you that you scared the shit out of me.”
“I’ll grow on you.”
“Let’s just hope I have my hands and feet when you do.”
“You will. And I’m still sorry for saying that to you.”
“That’s not the problem. It’s that you meant it.”
“I won’t be without you, Phoenix. That’s my hard limit”
“That’s it?”
“And I won’t share you with other women or men, not in a romantic way.”
“And?”
He shrugged. “Other than that, you’re free to be you.”
“But how free would I be?”
“How free do you want to be?”
“You would let me walk out of the house or. . .go to school and—”
“School?” He quirked his brows.
“I. . .have my GED now.”
He let go of my head. “When did this happen?”
“After I ran from you.”
He grinned. “So, you want to go to college now?”
“I was thinking about Glory Community College. . .as a start.”
His expression brightened. “What would be your major?”
“I don’t know. I think I want to learn everything.”
“You should. It’s fun to learn.”
I bit my bottom lip.
He took my hand and squeezed it. “I’m fucking proud of you.”
I rolled my eyes. “It’s just a GED.”
“That’s still a big deal, and it was a huge step. Good fucking job, Phoenix.”
I did my best not to blush. “Quin has hers too.”
“Oh really?” Cain chuckled. “Due to you?”
“Due to herself.”
“No. I don’t believe that. You’re good for her.” He leaned in closer. “In fact, you’re good for her and me.”
I turned my view to the bed. “I want a beautiful life, Cain.”
“I support whatever you want.” He closed in some of the space, only leaving an inch between our lips. “But you have to give us a chance.”
He kissed me, and I closed my eyes and parted my lips. His tongue darted in and out, tasting me. Then, a soft rumble left him as his masculine scent surrounded my body, making me feel loved and protected.
Groaning, he wrapped his arms around me and consumed me more.
This. . .I want. . .this. . .
When Cain pulled away, he gazed at me with pleading eyes.
My heart stopped. I froze right there.
“Give us a chance, Phoenix.”
My heart returned to beating and boomed in my ears.
“Of course. . .” He frowned. “My approach has been. . .”
“Insane. Criminal. Psychotic.”
“But. . .there’s been good. I can be your hero. There’s a dark side to obsession, but there’s also a loving bright side too. Let me show you.”
“I’m scared to take a chance. I barely survived one crazy lover.”
“I’m not him.”
I let out an exasperated breath. “You’re not.”
“You’re scared and terrified, but I’m begging you to do it anyway. Fall in love with me.”
I grinned. “Just fall?”
“Jump off the cliff and fall with me.”
My nerves flared on edge.
“Close your eyes, Phoenix.”
I did. I shut my lids. Everything darkened around me.
Cain’s voice flowed within the obscurity. “Do you see the edge?”
A bright moon rose above me, illuminating the darkness. Next, a cliff appeared before me. It was tall and steep. And the air was crisp and cool. The sounds of wind and nature surrounded me.
I whispered within the moonlight. “I see it.”
“Walk close to the edge and tell me what you see below.”
I tip toed over, leaned forward, and peered over the edge. I thought I would see ocean waves crashing into the bottom of a cliff or maybe even rough, rugged land below. Instead, all I saw was darkness. There was no below here, just a drop into something that I couldn’t quite make out.
Cain’s voice filled the space. “What do you see, Phoenix?”
“Nothing.”
“But that doesn’t mean nothing is there. Sometimes you have to get closer to see it.”
“That’s not exactly what you say to someone as they stand on the edge.”
“It is if you’ve already fallen and you’re waiting for them at the bottom.”
I opened my eyes. “Is that how you feel?”
“I’m down below, waiting and hoping. Obsessed. Starved. Halfway delirious.” He tightened his arms around me. “And I can see you close to falling, tip toeing on the edge, but you’re not there yet.”
I trembled against him.
“And all I can do is yell up at you to jump.”
I moved his arms away. “And what happens when I jump?”
“We’ll see.”
“When would you trust me to not run?”