I’d be doing everything that I had to do to keep her.
Rome’s words, words that had once been my words to him, were the perfect thing that I needed to hear at that moment in time.
Because as of right now, I wouldn’t be giving Harleigh up.
Not now, not ever.
“What’s with that look on your face?” she asked huskily. “I’m not sure if I need to run for my life or throw my arms around you and hang on.”
I pulled her into my chest and said the only thing I could say. “Choose the second choice. Because I don’t think I could keep myself from chasing you if you run.”
She snuggled in deeper, pressing her lips against my still-sweaty chest.
“Don’t worry, Slate. You’d have to chase me off at this point. There are quite a few things about you that have me addicted.”
I smiled.
“Like what?” I asked.
“Your kiss,” she said softly, her breath mingling with my chest hairs. “Your touch.” I swallowed when she trailed a kiss from one pec to the other. “You. All of you.”
I rolled her over and pulled her on top of me.
She went up on an elbow and said something I never expected to hear from another woman again. And oh boy, did I want to hear it all over again. Repeatedly. Forever.
“I think I’m falling in love with you, Slate Solis.”
I fisted my hand in her hair and pulled her down to my mouth.
“That makes two of us, cupcake,” I said against her lips. “Just remember, I’m jealous and possessive. I’m fairly sure your dad likes me but not that much, and I don’t care if I have to piss him off to keep you. You’re going to have to control your family if you want this to work.”
She laughed in my face. “Oh, Slate. I’ve had my family wrapped around my little finger since the day I was born.”Chapter 16I’m not sure where you learned to whisper, but I’m guessing inside a helicopter filled with chainsaws.
-Slate to Harleigh
Harleigh
“That was so much fun!” I clapped my hands together as I practically skipped out of the exit for the ride we’d just gone on. “Did you like it?”
I looked over to Slate to see him kind of green.
“If I’d put any thought into how this vacation was to go, I would’ve said no,” he admitted. “Motion sickness and virtual reality are not paired well.”
I paused. “You know, I did try to tell you on the plane what it would be like, but then that flight attendant interrupted us by telling me to buckle in, and I forgot. You make me do that, though.”
“Make you do what?” he asked curiously.
“Make me forget what I was going to say.” I shrugged. “Sometimes when I’m talking, I accidentally look into your eyes, and every single thought that was in my brain just floats away like a dandelion that’s been purposefully blown.”
His lips kicked up into a semblance of a smile.
“I…” He shook his head. “I don’t know what to say to that. It’s not like I purposefully mesmerize you with my eyes.”
“Is there anything else you want to do?” I asked. “I mean, since you just humored me and went on that one?”
‘That one’ being the Avatar ride in Animal Kingdom.
The virtual reality one that I swore he’d be okay on but was obviously wrong.
I’d been reading up on the rides that we’d planned to go on today, and most of the people that were talking about the ride on YouTube swore that the ride didn’t cause their motion sickness to flare up.
“I want to go on that one because I’m hot as balls.” He pointed at the particular picture that was in front of me. The one that the ride took you through the water and explained that you ‘might get wet.’
“That’s Magic Kingdom,” I informed him. “We’re in Animal Kingdom.”
“Well then, let’s go there,” he suggested. “There’s nothing keeping us here, right?”
“Well,” I hesitated. “No, not really.”
He hooked his arm around my shoulder and guided me through the crowd, stopping at the first little cart he could find and pointed at the ice cream sandwich. “I want one of those, and she wants the Mickey chocolate one.”
I grinned wickedly.
“I’ve corrupted you and brought you to the dark side,” I teased.
He ripped open the plastic covering his ice cream sandwich and tossed it into the nearest trash.
I did the same and took a hasty bite, forcing myself to cool my jets when all I wanted to do was jump his bones.
I was feeling things for this man that I hadn’t felt ever.
It was a surreal feeling.
I mean, I’d watched my parents have this kind of relationship. Had watched half of the Free kids—the kids of the original members of Free like Janie, Pru, Phoebe and more—find that kind of love.