He lifted an eyebrow. “Yet you’re breaking it to tell me.” His eyes were soft.
“That’s because I trust you.”
Her words lit a beacon of hope inside him. “Even after everything I’ve done?” he asked, tracing the lines on her palm with his finger.
“Yeah. You’re like a brick wall. Things go into you but nothing gets out. I’ve noticed how people confide in you. Ask for your help. And if we’re going to have a relationship, I don’t want there to be secrets between us. None at all.”
He cocked his head to the side. “You still want to have a relationship with me?” A half-smile played at his lips. The sun was reflecting in his warm eyes, but she still saw something there. Hope. Desire.
The same feelings that warmed her own skin.
“I’ve always wanted that,” she said softly. “Even when I pretended to myself that I didn’t and no strings attached seemed like a good idea.”
“I mess up. A lot.” His voice cracked. “That’s something you should know about me.”
“And when you mess up, you fix it. That’s something else I know.”
“I spent my life believing I wasn’t wanted,” Griff told her. “And I wasn’t. Not for the longest time. I was an inconvenience. Something that took my parents away from screaming at each other. A flesh and bone reminder that they had obligations other than to themselves.” He swallowed hard, looking down at her hand cradled in his. She reached out with her free hand to rake her fingers through his thick hair. He sighed, closing his eyes for a moment.
“I hurt you because I was afraid of being hurt like that again, and that was wrong,” he told her, breathing out as she continued to massage his scalp. “I’m like a wounded animal. I strike first because I’m so damn scared I’m not wanted. And I’m so sorry I didn’t give you the space to talk when I should have.”
“You’re wanted,” Autumn whispered. “I want you very much.”
Something flashed behind his eyes. It made her legs shake as he stared at her, his lips parted, his jaw set. He leaned his head down until his brow was touching hers. “Not as much as I want you. Can you forgive me for what I said yesterday?”
“Yeah.” She breathed. “I already have.”
He closed his eyes for a moment. “Thank god.” Then his lips were on hers, their warmth sending pulses of electricity through her body. He reached around to cup the back of her neck, sliding his other hand to the small of her back so he could angle her just right. She looped her arms around his neck, kissing him until her toes were curling with delight.
When they parted, they were both breathless, their eyes shining brighter than the sun above.
“I love you,” he whispered, pressing his lips to her warm throat. “I promise to never hurt you again.”
Just then, a little child kicked a ball in front of them, wobbling on his feet as he ran after it, his mom following close behind. The ball bounced against Griff’s feet, and the boy stopped dead, looking up with wide eyes at the man-giant in front of him.
Griff winked and kicked the ball back. The boy picked it up quickly, snatching it against his chest. He still couldn’t take his eyes from Griff, though. Funny how he had that affect on children. They were awed, but not afraid.
“How many do you want?” she asked, laying her head against his shoulder.
“Balls?”
She laughed. “No, children.”
He kissed her temple, sliding his arms around her. “One, five, twenty. I’ve no idea.”
“But you want children one day?”
“Yeah. If you do.”
She turned her head to the side, smiling into his eyes. “I do, too. One day.”
Griff stood, pulling her up and sliding his arm around her shoulder. “In that case, we have some practicing to do,” he told her.
She laughed as they walked along the beach, the warmth of the sun reflected in the heat radiating inside her. He was a giant, he was vulnerable, but he was all she ever wanted. For so long she’d been a shadow of herself, torn by those who wanted pieces of her.
Here in his arms, it finally felt like she was whole. She lifted his hand to her lips and kissed his palm, feeling the rough skin against her mouth. “I love you,” she whispered. “So much.”
His eyes crinkled. “Come on. Let me take you home.”
Epilogue
If there was one thing Autumn had learned since she’d moved to Angel Sands, it