Knowing I couldn’t get out of this, I confessed my last sin. “I wanted…to own you. I wanted a part of me in you. I wanted to mark you, make you mine.” A wistful sigh escaped me. “Because I knew you really weren’t, but it made me feel…closer to you, to think that way.”

Pain washed over me as the memory consumed me. Any barrier between us just hadn’t felt right. But still. It was selfish of me. Of course, having sex with her in the first place had been selfish of me. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that.” Any of it.

In answer, Kiera led my mouth to hers, and between a tender kiss she murmured, “I love you too.” Thank God she did because I was kind of a train wreck.

Kiera pulled me down on top of her after that, and our mouths never disconnecting, we slowly let the weight of the conversation dissolve in our love for each other. She was right, I supposed—it was an important thing to talk about, and we should be able to talk about that kind of stuff—but still, the conversation had affected me; I still felt a little nauseated. When our tender kisses began shifting toward something more intense, I pulled away from her. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but can we not have sex right now? Can we just…cuddle…until you have to go in to work? I just want to be close to you for a while.”

Her eyes full of love, sympathy, and compassion she said, “Yeah, of course.”

Lying down with her, wrapped in her arms, and tangled in her warmth, I slowly let the mistakes of my past slip away. I might have reached a sickeningly high number of conquests…but I had no intention of going any farther. No, my bed-count stopped with Kiera.

Chapter 12

HOME OF THE D-BAGS

Having Kiera’s love and acceptance calmed and comforted me, and I felt oddly refreshed when it was time to head out to the bar. Guess we had needed that conversation after all. Kiera and I were surprisingly upbeat as I packed a bag for the tour; I wasn’t sure if we’d be coming back here after Matt’s party or not, so I wanted to be prepared. Kiera didn’t notice, but I tucked one of her shirts into the bag before I zipped it closed. I wanted something that smelled like her to bring with me. I had a feeling I’d be needing that comfort on the road.