Page 36 of Craved

“He cloned the access keycard to the CDC,” I say, even though he clearly already knows that. “I only just realized. I don’t know for certain how he managed, but he used me, Maxim. Just like he always used me.” I swallow, then stare him down. “I never expected you to use me, too.”

“I fucked up.” He holds his arms out to his sides. “I love you, Cami,” he says, and the words crash through my soul. “Even when I hated you—even when I was so sure that you’d fallen in with Killion—I still loved you.”

I taste salt, then realize that I’m crying. I start to wipe it away, but he’s there first, his thumb brushing the tears out from under my eyes.

“You have no reason to forgive me,” he says. “The things I convinced myself you did—I never should have believed that. Not even for a second. I betrayed you. No,” he corrects. “I betrayed us.”

“You kinda did,” I say. “But so did I. I read the file. It said you’d fallen in with Killion. Not once did I think that you might have been undercover. Not once did I give you the benefit of the doubt. You’d disappeared on me, and that made you evil.” Tears are streaming now. “I betrayed you by thinking that.”

“No—”

“Yes,” I say. “Who in this world knew you better than me? We loved each other—we knew each other. More than that, we both know that things aren’t always what they seem. But I looked and I believed. And I betrayed you in my heart.”

I can barely see him now through the tears that are flowing. My nose is running, too.

I laugh, the sound a little bit pathetic. “Hell of a reunion, huh? I’m a snotty mess.”

“Just a little bit,” he says, using his shirt tail to dab my eyes and wipe my nose.

“Gross,” I say.

“You’re worth it.”

I tilt my head up to look at him. “We’re worth it.” It’s a statement, not a question. Because this time, I’m not giving him up without a fight.

He strokes my cheek, then brushes a lock of hair behind my ear, his eyes never leaving mine. “Are you okay? With—well, with finding out about your father?”

“Yes. No.” I shrug. “I don’t know.” I scrub my hands over my face and draw in a deep breath. “It’ll hit me harder later, but right now I feel...” I trail off searching for the right word.

“Hurt?”

I shake my head. “Vindicated.”

He frowns. “What do you mean?”

“That man...and he’s not my father. Sperm provider is as far as I’ll go, but he was never a father. He was a monster. I always knew he was, and that he was a hell of lot worse than anything he ever showed me or my mother. He broke her. He wanted to break me.”

“He won’t,” Maxim says, his voice gentle.

“No, he won’t,” I confirm. “But I’ll break him. You and I will break him together.” I draw in a breath, then give a little shrug. “It sounds pretty woo, I guess, but I think this is the reason I got stuck with that man. And the reason I found you right across the street. Because Fate knew I couldn’t end him by myself. Together, we can.”

“We will,” he confirms, then holds out his hand.

I take it, relishing the warmth. The comfort of his touch. “Maxim? Will you do something for me?”

“Anything.”

“Will you kiss me?”

His grin is slow and a little devious as he draws me toward him. His fingers slide into my hair as he cups my head. “Baby,” he says, leaning forward, “it would be my pleasure.”

The kiss is slow and long and deep, and by the time he pulls away from me, I’m certain that I’ve partially melted. “Hi,” I say.

“I’ve missed us,” he says.

“Me, too.” I tilt my head, then grin. “I’ve missed sex, too. Not that the kidnapping-revenge fuck wasn’t incredible—it actually kinda was—but I’m looking forward to something a little less…criminally oriented.”

He laughs. “I will be very happy to accommodate. Right now, let’s concentrate on getting you out of here.”