“I can’t.” He heaved a breath against my skin. “I can’t lose you.”

I folded my arms over his. “You won’t.” When he didn’t answer, I shifted so I could see his face. “You’re blaming yourself for this, aren’t you?”

He dropped his eyes.

I scowled at him. “Declan…” I frowned. “I don’t know your middle name.”

“Sinclair,” he mumbled. “It was my grandmother’s surname.”

“Right.” I regained my scowl. “Declan Sinclair Mackenzie, this is not your fault.” He still wouldn’t meet my eyes. Oh, that was it. I clambered around in the tub, Declan protesting, but I ignored him until I was straddling his hips. I grabbed his face and made him look at me. “Please hear me. You did not hurt me. Eva did.”

“But—”

I pressed a kiss to his lips. “No. Put the fault where it lies and let it go.”

He traced his fingers down my cheek, my chin, my neck. “Maybe…maybe we should sever the bond.”

I stilled. “Why?”

“Then Eva wouldn’t go after you again.”

Oh, you stupid man. “Declan, if you think that severing the bond will keep me from being at your side, from shielding you from Eva every chance I get, you’re high.”

He barked a surprised laugh before settling his arms around the small of my back, anchoring me to him. He was looking at me now, his eyes bright, like he couldn’t get enough of what he saw. “What did I do to deserve you?”

I ran my fingers over his chest. “Just lucky, I guess.”

He smiled, pulling me in to a kiss. “Yes, I am. Very lucky.” He let out a long breath. “You scared the shit out of me, Lou.”

“Same,” I said softly.

He framed my face with his hands. “I love you. I love you so much. I watched you in that hospital bed and that’s all I could think about. That I might have lost you, that it was my fault, and I hadn’t even told you—” He swallowed hard. “I love you, Lou.”

I felt like I’d swallowed several suns, their light burning me from the inside out. Which sounded painful, actually, now that I thought about it. But it wasn’t. It felt like joy.

I kissed him then, long and slow. What else could I do? Words didn’t seem like enough, though I offered him the only ones I had. “I love you, too.”

Declan kissed me back, and it escalated quickly. In two seconds, my arms were wrapped around him, his hands were on my ass, and I was seriously considering another round of verboten bathroom sex. From the feel of things, Declan was thinking about it too, but alas, it was not to be.

Because of course someone knocked on the door. “It’s been fifteen minutes,” my mom said. “And I’d like to remind you that you were just in a major wreck and both of your mothers are outside. If that’s too subtle…”

“It’s not!” I yelled. “It’s the least subtle!”