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“I never stopped loving you, either, Jules.”
“Really?” She lifted her head.
A spark of hope warmed her chest from the inside. In the past, Aaron hadn’t been afraid to show his true feelings; he told her every day how much he loved her. Back then, she’d never doubted him, even for a second. So, if he was saying it now, then she believed it was the truth. An incomprehensible weight she’d been carrying inside her for so long suddenly loosened, lifted away, like a stain being washed from her heart. The first step along an uncertain path.
“Yes, really.” His mouth sought hers in the dark, tender and gentle on her cracked lips. Then he drew back so he could look into her eyes, starlight reflecting in his own so she could just make out the different hues of each one. “You’ve always been the woman I measured all others by. I tried so hard to forget you, to work that little splinter of you out of my heart. And I even thought I’d succeeded for a while there…”
“But?” she asked.
“But the second you told me that you didn’t need a bodyguard, was the second I knew I’d been fooling myself all these years.”
“You did?”
“Yep. When you shot daggers at me with your beautiful blue eyes, I was transported back in time. I was a goner. I wanted to reach out and take your mouth and kiss sense into you right then and there.”
She giggled. “Me too. Either that, or I wanted to slap you senseless. And then kiss you until you couldn’t breathe.”
They laughed gently together, and she stroked her hands down his cheek, the weeks’ worth of stubble rough beneath her fingertips. She liked this unshaven, untamed version of Aaron, more than she thought she would.
“I’m not sure where this leaves us, though,” he said, sobering slightly. “I’m assuming you don’t want to quit the station?”
She shook her head. “Not really.” Although she’d done it once, moved to the city to follow a career. Surely, she could do it again. For love, this time. Would she move to Brisbane to be with Aaron? Her heart was saying, yes, yes, yes. But her head sounded loud warning bells. She’d lose herself, her identity, if she moved back to the city. The one silver lining about this whole stalker thing was how much she’d found out about herself when she’d moved to Stormcloud. How much she was capable of. How much she loved working and living in the county. She was good at her job, enjoyed looking after the guests, and loved being this close with her family. It’d been a dream of hers all along.
“And my job is based in the city.”
Which was also true. She wasn’t sure if she could ask him to move to the station to be with her. Even though he’d slotted right back into station life, almost like he’d never left. That wasn’t the path he’d chosen for himself any longer.
Aaron raised his shoulders in a shrug. “I guess it’s complicated.”
He was right. And at least he wasn’t pulling any punches. Just because they’d revealed they loved each other, was love enough?
“Let’s not talk about it anymore,” she said, snuggling back into his warm chest. The night air was getting decidedly chilly. The days could be so hot in the desert, you could fry an egg on a flat rock, then the nights could get so cold you needed a jacket and a cozy bed to keep you warm.
He enfolded her in those deliciously strong biceps, holding her tight in his lap, resting his chin on the top of her head. As she saw it, she was doing him a favor as well. He’d given her the shirt off his back, the least she could do was offer her body warmth to keep his naked torso from freezing.
“I just want to be here, with you. Us alone together one more time.”
“I can do that,” he said huskily into her ear.
“Thank you. For coming to find me.” She could never tell him enough how much it meant to her when she’d heard him call out her name. Because she’d never doubted that he’d come for her. “You rescued me,” she said simply.
“No, you rescued yourself, angel.” It was the nickname he’d used for her twelve years ago. “You beat that bastard at his own game. You were strong and spirited and never gave up. You fought tooth and nail for your life. And I’m so proud of you, my angel.”
Aaron once told her that she was the angel who was going to save him. But would they be able to solve their differences and rescue each other? That still remained to be seen.
