Silver Fox - Unedited

21 || Backyard Party

"Are you angry to see me?"

Fab paused, considering the question. Was she angry? No. More like relieved. "No. I owe you an apology."

"Fabiana—"

"Let me finish, please. I've been a bitch to you for no good reason, Isaiah, and I feel guilty about it. All you wanted was to get to know me more, and I shouldn't have blown it all out of proportion. I'm sorry for blowing you off and I'm sorry if anything I said or did hurt you. It was unwarranted."

She took a deep breath, finally raising her dark eyes to look at him. He was smiling down at her like he knew a secret she didn't. He looked so handsome it almost brought her to her knees.

"What?" She asked, eyeing him curiously.

"You're so beautiful." He pushed a curl back from her face and took her in. His thumb smoothed the spot between her eyebrows that was drawn together. "I owe you an apology too."

"For what, giving me multiple orgasms?" She snorted, shaking her head at him. He smiled harder and shook his head too.

"I tried to push my feelin's on you, not knowin' where your heart was at. I think I was too selfish to care; all I wanted was you. I'm in love with who you are, and your brilliant fuckin' mind, and your gorgeous body, and your laugh and you. I can't make you love me back and I won't try."

Fabiana blinked up at him, trying to process the squeezing in her chest. What is that, joy? Is that joy I'm feeling? The fuck?

"I'm happy bein' whatever you need, Fabi. Whether it's a friend or when you need someone to fuck, or whatever." He bit his lip, looking down at her with hope in his eyes. She didn't know what to say to him, so she just stared, committing his face to memory in her brain and heart. "Say somethin', beautiful."

"How do you know you're in love with me? It could just be infatuation or a dumb crush. How do you know it's love?"

"I can't think right when I'm around you. All I want is to touch you, and hold you and make you feel safe. It's been fuckin' me up for months and it's still fuckin' me up now. It's killin' me to have you standing right in front of me and not be able to touch you, but I'm willin' to do whatever it takes to just be around you. I'm not goin' anywhere, Fabi."

I'm not goin' anywhere, Fabi.

A dam broke, and she hugged him tightly, feeling relief flood her being and her shoulders sagged.

I'm cured! She mentally proclaimed hallelujah to the heavens, finally feeling something like real happiness for the first time in her life, and the feeling floored her. She felt Isaiah's arms sneak around her waist, and she bit her lip to contain her smile as she revelled in the feeling that someone wanted her for her.

"I think I'm in love with you too," she said into his chest, squeezing him tightly for a split second. "But I've never been in love before. This doesn't feel like anything I've read in my novels."

"What do you feel?" He asked, closing his eyes against her warmth. She fit so perfectly against him that it made him want to ravage her. She was his. His Fabi. Nobody else would lay a hand on her, and he would make sure of that in life and beyond the grave.

"Relief," she answered honestly, finally pulling away. "Happiness. Fear. But the fear is smaller than the first two."

"It better be. I'll protect you from anything you're afraid of, baby." He pulled her back in, planting a kiss on her head.

"You can't protect me from death, Isaiah." Fabi pulled her face up to look at him. "What am I going to do if you die?"

"I'll haunt your perfect ass until it feels like I never left, Fabiana. Hold me to it, sweetheart."