discussing what you’ve given up with him—for me.” She blinked, and the glass in her stare turned into a more troubling sheen. “I don’t want to watch you continue to destroy a lifelong friendship like you’ve been doing. Please…how can I help make this right? Just because I loathe the man doesn’t mean—”
“Blaze.” I stood so abruptly, she startled. Visually, she followed my short journey until I stood before where she was huddled on the chair. She gave a little yelp when I scooped her up and dropped down on the luxurious cushion myself and arranged her little body on my lap.
“Okay,” I finally asked when she was tucked beneath my chin. “What’s all this really all about?”
Her sigh, though practically ponderous, spread some welcome warmth across my chest. “It’s about…setting things right.”
“And now I’m really lost.”
“Setting things right.” She emphasized that by jabbing a finger directly over my heart. “When we get back, I want to do what I should’ve done right after the accident. I’m going to go and tell Shark what happened. Exactly how that fire at the Edge’s job site got started. If he wants to press charges, then that’s his prerogative. I wasn’t strong enough to do it then, but I think I can deal with the consequences now.”
I pulled back a little, studying her for a long time. Finally, I decided it might be best to humor her. Maybe if she got the idea completely off her chest, she’d let it go.
“Can I ask what’s changed? I mean, why now? Elijah went through a lot of trouble to clean and cover up the mess at the site that night. Not to mention, he and I have been lying to Sebastian ever since. So, to just go to Bas now…” And suddenly, I wasn’t indulging her anymore. Once I brought up Elijah, I realized that I couldn’t. This was much bigger than just some tension between Bas and me. “Shit,” I muttered. “I don’t know, baby. This could really cause more harm than good.”
“What is the right thing to do, then?” Deep concern twisted her beautiful face. “What will make all of this better? I’m terrified I’m going to lose you, Grant. If that were to happen?” Rio sucked air between her teeth in a gasp that sounded painful. “I…I would be completely devastated. And I won’t survive that state of mind again. I’d go back to the way I was right after the accident. Those first few days, I was a shell of myself, Grant. I can’t do that again. I just can’t.”
She held my hands so tightly her knuckles were visibly white, even in the darkest part of the night.
Her whole body shuddered with the memory. Her conflict and agony were so palpable, I almost gave in to the same kind of tremors.
After forcing down a pair of thorough breaths, thankful when the briny air scoured my senses back to calmness, I pulled her even tighter to my chest. It was a rare occurrence when this fierce firestorm showed any type of vulnerability—to anyone—and I wanted to give her, and this moment, the deserved recognition.
Easily, I maneuvered her in my arms so she faced me. Because she was on my lap, our noses were nearly touching. “Look right at me while I say this, Blaze. All of it.” I waited for her to focus on my eyes, getting past her normal fidgeting. Staying centered was more challenging for her than most, but I would wait. Always for her, I’d wait.
I dipped my head in, really studying her. “You with me, baby?”
She breathed in. I breathed out. Perfect synchronicity. As it always had been. As I desperately wished it always would be.
“I’m not going to leave you, okay? I won’t unless you tell me to go, and even then, I still might not do it.” I gave her a playful wink along with the grin guaranteed to make her pussy wet—every time. Though this time, arguably, it mattered the most. “I want to be with you, Rio. I thought I had made this clear to you by this point, but that’s okay.”
I lifted her hands to my lips and gently kissed the knuckles on both hands.
“Here is the part that is nonnegotiable for me, though. The part we talked about already, so it won’t come as a surprise. I want you to be happy, but I need you to be healthy.” I paused for a couple beats, really measuring my words. “Healthy and stable.