“Savanna...”
Resignation lurked in her eyes. She lifted her finger to shush him.
He took her finger and lowered it. “No. Hear me out.”
“Why? So you can tell me you’re leaving? No, thanks.” She turned to get back into the car.
Korbin took hold of her arm and swung her back around, meaning to bring her against him. With her lips forming an O, she flattened her hands on his chest as he adjusted her comfortably into his arms.
“A lot has happened over the last few days.” Murders. Shoot-outs. Chases. Falling in love...
“You have a life where I don’t fit,” she said. “I get it.” She started to push his chest to get away.
He held her firm. She wasn’t going anywhere. “With Fallon?”
“Yes. If I’d seen that coming, I’d...” She didn’t finish, but her rapid breathing revealed how hurt she felt. She was fighting tears.
Tenderness rose up in him and he wished he could spare her that.
“What?” he asked gently. “What would you have done? Stop what happened? There was no stopping that.”
Her brows scrunched together. There was no stopping them.
“As I was saying...” He waited for her breathing to calm and for her to look into his eyes, really look. When she began to melt into him, something he loved to see, he said, “A lot has happened in the last few days.”
“Yes. One of which is that I fell in love with you. I’m an idiot. Why do I fall for the wrong guys all the time? The ones who never stick around?”
He raised his brow in silent admonishment. “Will you listen to me for two minutes?”
She patted his chest, anxious and fretful.
Korbin lowered his head and kissed her. She tensed at first, but as he moved over her mouth and finally got her to relax and enjoy it, he eased away, finding and locking her gaze again.
“I don’t know where I’m at in my grieving process,” he said, softening that with another kiss. “I don’t know what I’m going to do with my future.” He kissed her again. “I’m confused. And the reason I’m so confused is I think I’ve fallen in love with you.”
Savanna’s eyes stared up at him unblinking, her mouth wide again. “I don’t understand. Are you leaving me?”
“For now, yes.”
She started pushing again.
“When I come for you, there will be nothing between us, Savanna. Are you listening?” He kissed her again, a few short pecks that turned into one long and slow one. “You deserve all of me. Not pieces at a time. I thought I was making progress grieving for Niya, but I wasn’t. Not until I met you. I’m making progress now. But I need to know without a doubt that I’m over her, and most importantly, that I don’t blame myself for her death. That has to be all the way behind me before I can come to you as a whole man, one who will belong to you and only you.”
For the second time today, he watched tears well in a woman’s eyes.
“I’m going to go stay with my parents for a while.”