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stopped at the edge of the bed and dropped to my knees.
    A small cry escaped her mouth.
    Reaching out, I gripped her face in my hands, my fingers burrowing in soft, soft hair.
    “I see someone, who even though there’s not a chance in this world I could ever be good enough to have her…good enough to hold her…that’s all I want to do. I see someone I want to protect and love and fight for.”
    Tears streamed down her cheeks. She edged even closer and let her legs slip over the side.
    I settled myself between her knees and met the storm in her eyes.
    “I see beauty and light.”
    Those eyes flashed, and emotion crushed my ribs. This girl had me twisted up in every way possible.
    Shea gasped when I grabbed her by the waist and pulled her to me. I shifted so I sat on the floor with my back propped against the bed.
    Shea was straddling my lap.
    Warmth enveloped me. Her heart was pounding, all tucked up against me, right where she belonged.
    Her skin felt so soft. Mine lit on fire.
    She searched my face and I kept on.
    “I see the most fucking gorgeous girl I’ve ever had the pleasure to lay my eyes on.” My voice dropped as I leaned up so I could brush my mouth across her ear. “The pleasure to touch .”
    A shiver rolled through her, and I gathered one of her hands between us, threading our fingers. I studied them as I struggled to form the words.
    I lifted my gaze and spoke with the most honesty I’d ever allowed myself.
    “When I look at you, I see a future I never thought existed, Shea.”
    Everything went serious. My mind and my heart and my words. “I see my wife . I see the mother of my kids. I see all the shit I never wanted until I met you. I see everything I thought impossible.”
    The corner of that perfect mouth trembled, and she watched me with hope. Hope that up until this moment, I’d continually tried to crush.
    But this girl just kept bringing it back to life.
    Refusing to let it go.
    Her fingers were still woven with mine, and I brought the back of her hand to my mouth, as if I could seal my declaration with a kiss.
    A promise.
    She put her weight on her knees on either side of me. She rose up.
    Hovering.
    Her hands found their way into my hair. Gently she sifted her fingers through it.
    It felt so damned good I wanted to moan.
    I rolled my head back, getting lost in that face, my hands roaming up and down her sides. “You changed me, Shea.”
    Soft, sad laughter tumbled from her, and cautiously she peeked at me. “You changed everything about me, Baz. You changed everything I wanted because what I ended up wanting was you. You and Kallie. That’s all I need.”
    I sat up higher and took her mouth. My hands bunched in her hair. Forcing her closer. She opened to me as if she’d just found her lost supply of oxygen and was taking in a saving breath.
    That’s what I wanted.
    To be her breath.
    She pressed up higher, rocking over me as her hold tightened in my hair. She muttered between kisses, “Don’t leave me, Sebastian. Don’t leave me.”
    Words poured out against my lips, each one uttered between scrapes of her teeth as her kisses became more and more frantic.
    “I just got you back and I won’t survive losing you again. Promise you’ll fight him with me…because you love me and this is where you always want to be.”
    My fingers dug into her thighs. Squeezing. The promise came on a breath. “Yes.”
    Palming her ass, I couldn’t do anything but rock her against my cock that was straining inside my jeans.
    I shouldn’t have been hard. Our baby girl was gone.
    But curls of lust twisted in my stomach and greed took over my kiss.
    When she whimpered into my mouth, I took it upon myself to devour her sweet little tongue.
    Because, yes , I needed this.
    Yes , Shea needed this.
    Maybe it was indecent.
    But neither of us could stop.
    We were drowning in desperation.
    Dying in need.
    Dying to love.
    Seeking reprieve from all the misery and pain.
    I was desperate to show her I’d never