Page 72 of Hearts on the Mend

“Do what?”

“Don’t do this, Cass. I’m begging you.”

“Then let me see you down on your knees.”

“Yeah,” I say, brushing my hand over her cheek. “That’s what you want?” I drag my thumb over her mouth, then press it inside. Pleasure spikes in my gut when she sucks. “I’m already there, honey. I’ve been on my knees for you since the minute I led you out of that bar.”

She lets go, my thumb popping out of her mouth. “It isn’t fair,” she whispers. “I wish I could have found you later. Not when my life is falling apart.”

“We can be messy together.” I walk us back until she’s pinned between me and the wall. “But let me be with you for as long as we have.”

“You’re going to break my heart.”

“Too late. You’re already breaking mine.” I dip my head down, sealing my mouth over hers in a desperate kiss. I chase that high, the taste of her, for as long as I can until we’re both struggling to catch our breath. I scoop her up in my arms, and she screams, playfully whacking me on the shoulder.

“Put me down, you big… big…”

“Use your words, honey.”

“I hate you,” she laughs.

I gently toss her onto the couch, then dive down to kiss her again.

“We can’t. We have so much to do.”

I stop, sitting up. Fine, we⁠—

She cups my face and pulls, drawing my mouth to hers, before she climbs into my lap. She tilts my head, raking her fingers through my hair. Her lips trail down my neck, then pepper kisses across my cheeks and nose.

“Okay, done for real now.”

“Done?” I ask, arching a brow.

“Need to make us lunch.” Her voice trails off as she brushes my hair back from my forehead.

Her touch… how the hell can a touch set me on fire and calm me at the same time? Cassie spins alchemy on her fingertips.

She jumps off my lap and bounces toward the kitchen. A minute later, the Bluetooth speaker turns on, and she’s blasting Florence + The Machine as she rummages around the cabinet for the cast iron pan.

I give her a minute before I follow, resting against the doorway. The afternoon sun is already low in the sky, bleeding white light across the kitchen. Cassie has added a few new plants above the kitchen sink. There’s a painting of Ember and a rainbow taped to the side of the cabinet that Ruby brought home from school. There’s a baking rack full of cake flour and sprinkles in the corner of the kitchen, along with a small pair of pink snow boots and a superhero cape.

“Can we finish what we were talking about?” I ask.

She pauses, a giant bread knife clutched in her hand as she’s about to saw through a loaf of sourdough bread.

“I’m holding a knife. Choose your words wisely.”

I bite back my grin. Fuck, this woman… I think I’m in love with her.

No, that’s not the complete truth.

I swallow down the knot lodged in my throat. “I… like you, Cassie. And you seem agreeable to me most of the time.”

She points the knife at me, a wide grin on her face. “Watch it, now. No more flirting. That’s against the rules.”

“Let me be clear, then. I’m used to setting aside the hard shit to handle the emergency. But I’m fucking tired of pushing aside my life for that. This”—I motion between her and me—“is complicated, but I want it. I want you, Cassie.”

She tosses aside the knife and rakes her hands back into her hair, shaking her head. “No. No, I’m not going to spend the little time left wondering what could have been when you leave. Not going to be pushed aside to always come second to a job either. I like you too, Nolan. I do. But I like me and Ruby more, and I’m going to do whatever I need to do to protect us both. We can’t have our hearts broken, and you can stand there and tell me you want more, but that’s unfair. You can’t expect more when you’re ready to leave. You’ve swooped in and played the superhero plenty of times, and that isn’t going to be enough this time. Sorry.”