of tape. His hands were going to be harder to free.
In the meantime, Darius turned Steve onto his stomach and tied his wrists behind his back using his own roll of duct tape.
“Don’t move a muscle.” His lethal tone left no doubt about his seriousness.
Steve didn’t say a word, which was so unlike him. Kate realized he’d been knocked out at some point. Maybe by his fall, maybe by Darius.
Leaving Steve where he was, Darius crouched across from her, at Dylan’s other side. Even from there, she felt the vibrating tension in his body. His eyes were absolutely wild. Filled with passion and fury and words about to burst out of him.
“I got this.” He drew out a Leatherman and sliced through the duct tape wrapped around Dylan’s wrists and ankles. “Are you all right, Dylan?”
“Yeah.”
Darius held his wrists, stroking gently to bring the blood back into them. “You tripped the motherfucker.”
“He was about to shoot you.”
“You did good. Real good. And you, Kate. Nice job on keeping him busy.”
“You can thank Emma and her rug for that.” Her voice sounded funny because all she could think about was how beautiful Darius was, how strong and wonderful and stern and caring and how she couldn’t bear to say goodbye to him ever again. “Besides, you’re the one who saved us. How did you know to come in here?”
“You just didn’t sound like yourself,” he said simply, lifting his gaze to hold hers. The intensity in it made her breath catch. “I know all your voices. I knew something was wrong.”
Tears sprang to her eyes. The aftermath of being grabbed and threatened at gunpoint and fearful for Dylan—it all snowballed and she wanted to throw herself at him and cry on his shoulder.
But she couldn’t do that. He was leaving Lost Harbor.
“I need to use the bathroom,” Dylan said. “He wouldn’t let me take a leak the entire time.”
“Yeah. Of course.” Darius helped him stand up. Dylan limped off toward the bathroom as Kate and Darius watched his every move.
“I hope he’s—” Kate began anxiously.
Darius cut her off by cupping her face in his hand. “He’s okay. But I’m not.”
Oh my God. Had Steve gotten him after all? Frantic, she patted his chest, his arms, anywhere that he might be wounded. “Are you hurt?”
“No, but I’ll die if I don’t say this. I love you, Kate. It’s not over for me. It’ll never be over.” Pure emotion, open and raw, blazed from his gray eyes. This was a Darius she’d glimpsed, but never seen in his full glory. Loving, powerful, caring, opening himself up to her—he took her breath away. “We can figure this out. I’ll do whatever it takes. I’ll fly back and forth. Spend summers here. I don’t care. Anything except walk away from you. I thought I could, that I wasn’t a romantic kid anymore, but I was wrong. I mean, I’m not a kid—I’m a man, with a man’s heart. And it’s yours.”
She let out a sob of sheer astonishment. “It is?”
“When I saw you arguing with that asshole, like you were made of pure fire trying to keep Dylan safe, I wanted to throw myself through the glass for you. I want you. I love you. I’m yours, if you want me.”
She threw herself into his arms, which he opened just in time. Being held by him again flooded her with transcendent joy. “I love you too, Darius. I’m not used to loving anyone, it’s so confusing. I couldn’t believe you wanted to just leave. You didn’t even ask me if I wanted to come with you!”
“I didn’t dare. I have Dylan with me now, and it all seemed too much to ask of you. But I should have. God, I should have. I should have told you how I felt.” Holding her tightly, he moved his hands in delicious circles on her back. “I’m sorry I ever made you think I could live without you. You’re my Kate. You’re my everything, my light, my joy, my fire.”
The tears were flowing down her face now. “How’d you get so good with words?” she wailed.
“I guess you’re rubbing off on me.” His chest shook with a deep chuckle. “Or maybe you just inspire me.”
The sound of Dylan’s footfalls made them pull apart. The boy looked from one to the other of them, hands on his hips. “I saw that.”
Darius cleared his throat. “Yeah. We should talk.”
Dylan put up a hand to forestall him. “I already know. You