Secrets of Us A Forbidden Love Romance (Alina) novel Chapter 177

Consuming

My breath catches in my throat, and I whisper, “How?”

His jaw clenches, his throat working. “Because I would never step into a doctor’s office, Or a hospital. Ever.”

My eyes widen, remembering Nikki’s comments when she was laying in the bathtub.

His voice is rough, weighed down by things I don’t fully understand. “But I did. For you.”

I blink, trying to process his words. “Why would you never step into a hospital?”

–

He shakes his head, running a hand through his hair. “Can we can we save that conversation for another day?”

Something in his voice makes me nod.

I don’t push, even though I want to. He never pushes me when I’m trying to stay afloat in the memories of my own traumas.

Instead, I cup his face again, guiding him down to me as I press my lips to his. He stiffens for a second before melting into me, his hands gripping my waist.

He’s so gentle, so careful.

The kiss deepens, and I pour everything into it, every unspoken feeling I’ve been terrified

to admit.

When I finally pull away, my eyes are glassy with unshed tears, my heart so full it feels like it might burst. I search his face, tracing the lines of worry, the fear that lingers even

now.

“I want to say something,” I whisper, my fingers still brushing his skin.

He watches me intently, nodding slowly.

“I want to tell you something.” I’m trembling, not knowing why it’s so hard for me to say the words, not knowing how I’m even going to get them out.

The look of absolute terror on his face is what finally makes me speak.

1/4

Consuming

“I love you too.”

His entire expression collapses. His lips part, his body going rigid, his hands flexing on my waist like he doesn’t know whether to hold on or let go. Then he starts shaking his head, disbelief flickering across his face.

“You don’t have to say that,” he says, his voice cracking. “You don’t have to feel forced to

1 smile, pressing a finger to his lips to silence him. “Do you really think so little of yourself?”

He trembles.

“Do you feel like you don’t deserve love?”

He just watches me, his eyes darker than I’ve ever seen them. I repeat myself, letting my voice soften, letting it wrap around him like a blanket. “I love you.”

Shock. Fear. Disbelief. It’s all there, swirling in his gaze, and I wait for it to fade, to dissolve into relief, into peace, into love.

Into understanding and realization that I mean the words that I say.

But it doesn’t.

He still can’t believe it and he looks absolutely mortified.

So, I take his hands, pressing his palms to my cheeks, letting him feel the warmth of my skin, the soft hitch of my breath. “I love you, Zaid.”

His fingers twitch against my face. He’s still shaking his head, but I see the cracks forming, the fight inside him warring with the need to believe.

I reach up, brushing my lips against his, whispering against his skin.

He exhales in relief, his arms wrapping around my waist as he kisses me deeply. He starts off gentle at first and then he takes over, hand searching my body, lips bruising mine.

The force of it steals the air from my lungs. It’s not gentle, not careful. It’s desperate and consuming, and that’s my favorite part about him.

He’s intense, all–consuming. And he’s mine.

I melt into him, my fingers tangling in his hair, my body pressing closer as warmth floods every inch of me. He groans softly against my lips, a sound that makes my stomach tighten, makes me ache in places I didn’t even know could ache.

I moan in response and then I’m weightless.

The next thing I know, my back meets the soft mattress, and Zaid is over me, his weight braced on his forearms as his lips trail down my jaw, my neck, his breath hot and ragged. I gasp, my fingers digging into his shoulders, overwhelmed by the sheer intensity of him.

He pulls back, chest heaving. He sees the need in my eyes and he sits back, pulling his shirt over my head.