Page 66 of Wild Promise

“Every time.”

“Good.” The smallest smile tugged at her lips, and everything in me settled.

I sat back against the couch, and Melina shifted with me, her body fitting against mine like she’d always been there.

After a moment, she asked, “Is that why you bartend?”

“What do you mean?”

“You have a trust fund. Your family owns a resort. You could do anything—manage the place, go into business, travel the world.” She tilted her head, studying me. “You chose a job where you earn your own money and nobody owes you anything.”

Nobody had ever framed it that way. Like it was a choice, not a failure. “Honestly, I just didn’t want to be like him. I chose The Summit because I love the resort and the job was fun.” I almost smiled. “And it doesn’t hurt that he absolutely hates it.”

“Zane.” Her voice was quiet but firm. “You are nothing like your father.”

“You don’t know that.”

“Yes, I do. Because the man you just described to me doesn’t have a shred of integrity. And you have more of it than anyone I’ve ever met.”

Fuck. This woman. She had no idea what she was giving me.

I turned to her and cupped her face in my hands. Her eyes were steady and certain, full of a conviction I didn’t deserve but wanted to drown in. “You’re fucking amazing, Melina Marshall.” I kissed her forehead. Then her nose. Then the corner of her mouth, lingering there, breathing her in.

When I pulled back, the fire cracked and popped, and everything felt different. I’d just told her things I’d never said out loud to anyone, and instead of the panic I’d expected, I felt like I could breathe for the first time in years.

“Can I tell you something else?” I asked, my thumbs tracing over her cheekbones.

“Anything.”

“I’ve never believed I was built for this.” My hands found her thighs, my thumbs tracing absently over the thick fabric of the sweatshirt. “Relationships. Commitment. Whatever you want to call it. The rest of my family figured it out—Glenn and Sylvie, Eric and Jamie, even Caleb. But I always assumed I’d inherited the version where people show up when it’s convenient and disappear when it’s not.”

“And now?”

“Now I’m not so sure.” The words came slowly, like they were scraping up my throat. “You make me think maybe I’ve had it wrong this whole time.”

Her hand slid up my chest and came to rest over my heart. I could feel the warmth of her palm through my shirt, and my pulse hammered against it like it was trying to reach her.

“You’ve been showing up for me every single day. Driving me around. Hell, you took my sister dress shopping and listened to her talk about a boy named Jasper for thirty minutes without checking your phone once.” Her other hand found my jaw. “You’re a loyal friend, a great neighbor, and the best boyfriend I’ve ever had.”

Boyfriend. No, fuck…not just boyfriend. The best boyfriend. I didn’t want to stop and think about how many guys that put me up against because it would only ruin the moment.

Still, I couldn’t stop my smile from spreading. “So…you’re finally willing to admit I’m your boyfriend.”

She rolled her eyes, but the blush crawling up her neck gave her away. “Don’t let it go to your head.”

“Too late.” I pulled her hand from my jaw and kissed her palm. Then her wrist, right where her pulse was racing. “Say it again.”

“No.”

“Say it, firecracker.”

“You’re impossible.”

“That’s not what you said.” I tugged her closer, and she came willingly, her knees sliding onto the couch on either side of me until she was in my lap. “You said boyfriend. I heard it. No take-backs.”

“You’re ridiculous.” But she was smiling, and it was real. The kind that made her whole face light up, and her arms were winding around my neck.

“Ridiculous but yours. Since you just claimed me.”