Page 143 of Cruel Abandon (Fallen Royals 5)

“Careful,” he says, scooping me into his arms. “I don’t think I got it all.”

I loop my arm around his shoulders and he navigates us back to his bedroom. I haven’t completely let go of my room yet, even if I slept there for half of a night. I might need the safe haven eventually.

He lays me down on the bed and turns off the light, then crawls in behind me.

“You okay?” I whisper into the dark.

His warm chuckle hits my ear. “I should be asking you.”

I shift to face him and wiggle closer. Face to face now, there’s nowhere to run. Not that I can see anything, really. Just the outline of his face, a black silhouette against the darkness of the room.

“I’m good,” he eventually says. “Happy, you know? Which kind of makes me…”

“Nervous,” I fill in.

“In a word.”

He leans in, and I automatically close my eyes. His lips brush my forehead.

An ocean crashes inside my chest. I can’t say it feels like drowning—it’s more like… floating.

“I love you,” I whisper. “It’s probably too soon, or—”

“It’s not,” he says quickly. “I—”

“Please don’t say it back.” I cover his mouth with my hand, then smile to myself. This is how I woke up, but it was negative. Now, I’m trying to staunch the flow of happiness. I’m bleeding saltwater and trying not to float away. “I just… I’m in love with you, and I wanted you to know it right now, because that’s how I feel. I know I’m rambling. You should only say it when you know it for sure. In your heart.”

He grins against my palm. “Sky?”

“Yes?”

“I fucking love you.”

I pull my hand away. Can he see me staring at him in the dark?

“You do?” I ask.

He touches my cheek, swipes just under my eyes. “You’re crying.”

“I don’t mean to.” I rub at my face. “Happy tears.”

“I thought you would’ve picked up the love from my possessive streak. No?”

I choke on a laugh. “A girl should never assume.”

“That’s fair.” He draws me closer. “We have another three hours before the sun rises. Are you tired?”

I use his momentum and flip us, until I’m straddling him. The blankets slide off my back.

“I’m not tired,” I tell him.

He rises to meet me and kisses me soundly. “Good.”

39

Sky

We spend the next twenty-four hours in bed.