Defiant Heir (The Heirs #3) - Michelle Heard Page 0,43

kept you safe.”

Fallon just stares at me for a while, then she asks, “You can’t remember?”

Shaking my head, I explain, “The last thing I can recall clearly is us having lunch at the restaurant. There are jumbled pieces of getting ready for the date, but I don’t remember getting in the car or driving.”

“It wasn’t your fault,” Fallon states. “You turned my side of the car away from the truck and pinned me to the seat with your arm. You did everything you could.”

Hearing the words from Fallon makes me feel a hell of a lot better.

Then Fallon murmurs, “I told you to take that route.” She takes a shaky breath. “It was my fault.”

Frowning at her, I shake my head. “No, Fallon. It’s definitely not your fault.”

“You said we should never have been on that road, to begin with,” Fallon argues.

God, I wish I had never said that. I didn’t know we took Fallon’s route.

“I didn’t mean anything I said that day, Fallon. It was all lies. I wanted you to forget about me and to move on with your life.”

Fallon’s gaze burns on me as she asks, “Did you really think I’d move on?” She lets out an empty sounding chuckle. “Because then you don’t know me at all.”

“I wanted to spare you future heartache,” I try my best to explain.

Fallon moves around me and goes to sit on the bed. “Even if you had remained blind, even if your vision doesn’t fully return, I would’ve stood happily by your side, Kao. That’s what it means to love someone unconditionally. I wanted to be the one to help and comfort you.” She takes a couple of deep breaths, and I can hear the ache in her voice as she continues, “You didn’t spare me from any heartache.”

“I was… God, I was stupid, Fallon. I was caught up in my anger. I wasn’t myself.” I don’t know how else to explain the dark place I was stuck in.

“I saw the revulsion on your face,” she whispers, her voice tight. “And I don’t blame you.” She lets out a painful burst of laughter. “God, right before the accident, we were joking about you being the beauty and me being the beast in our relationship.” Her voice hitches.

Darting forward, I sit down beside her and pull her into an embrace. “Don’t say that.”

Fallon yanks back. “But it’s the truth!” She gasps for air. “I look like a monster, Kao!”

Determined to show her the scars don’t matter, I frame her face with both my hands and lean into her. “You can never be a monster.” She tries to pull back again, but it has me snapping, “I don’t care about the scars, Fallon! I love you, not because of how fucking gorgeous you are, but because of how priceless you are. Your strength is unbelievable. You are compassionate, loyal, and you never back down from anything.” Wanting to show her that I mean every word, I close the distance between us and press my mouth to her quivering lips.

This is not how I wanted our first kiss to happen. I wanted to make the anticipation build. But that doesn’t matter anymore because as Fallon gasps, I tilt my head and move my lips against hers. She lifts her hands and takes hold of my forearms, and when she doesn’t push me away, I slip my tongue into her mouth.

Awareness of the incredible woman Fallon is, fills every inch of my heart. When my tongue brushes against hers, I can only hear my thundering heartbeat.

God, this woman is my everything.

My mouth caresses hers tenderly, my lips and tongue drinking in the intoxicating taste of her. I pour my love into the kiss, and before I lose control, I manage to pull back.

I wish I could see the color of her eyes right now.

“I don’t want to lose you, Fallon. I love you with every inch of my being,” I murmur, praying to all that’s holy she’ll give me a chance.

Her breaths rush over her lips, and she takes a couple of seconds to gather herself, then she whispers, “I need time.”

“Anything for you.”

“We…” She clears her throat, “We can be friends.”

God, no.

The ground rips open beneath me, but then Fallon continues, “Let’s first get comfortable being around each other again, and then we can talk about whether we can have a relationship.”

Too scared to hope, I ask, “So there’s still a chance for us to be together?”

Fallon pulls my hands away from her