DARE-TO-LOVE-TRUTH-AND-DARE-DUET-COLLECTION-by-Lylah-James-pdfarchive

you, Maddox Coulter. Everything you’ve done, everything
you do... it’s enough,” I said in urgency.
He leaned his head back and closed his eyes as if
soaking in my words. He entwined our fingers together and
clutched onto me. I squeezed his hands back. I’m here,
Maddox. I’m here, and I’m not leaving. Me and you,
forever.
I wanted to ask him what he needed right now. From
me. If I could lessen his guilt, his suffering in any way, I
would do it. Without a second thought.
As if he could read my mind, his eyes opened, and he
leveled me with those beautiful blue orbs. I saw everything
I needed to know.
“Can you...” he paused and swallowed. “...hug me?
Please?”
He whispered those words so brokenly, like he was
scared I’d refuse me, like a child begging for affection. To
have someone just hold him.
I nodded, mutely, because my throat was closed up as I
choked back a cry and forced my tears away. I couldn’t let
him see me cry.
I stood up, and he pulled me into his lap. Maddox buried
his face in my neck. “I got you,” I said, softly in his ear.
His grip tightened on me.
Maddox got hurt because of me; he got into a fight for
my honor. The realization was overwhelming because I had
underestimated his protective instincts for me and how
much he actually cared.
I felt him breathing against my throat, and under my
palm, his heart slowly started to beat at a calmer pace. His
lips brushed against the pulsing vein in my throat and
maybe he hadn’t meant to do it or he didn’t want me to feel
it, but I did. My body was hyperaware of his touch.
“I got you,” I said again, as a reminder. My fingers
combed through his hair, and slowly, he started to relax in
my arms. The tension left him, and my aching heart