Fault Line (Coastal University #2)

by Ki Stephens

“You still think I don’t like you?” I lean back, running a frustrated hand through my hair. “Kaia, I fucking adore you.” Her brow furrows. “What?” “I admire the hell out of you. I think you’re smart, funny, witty, beautiful.” I stop myself before I get truly carried away. “There’s never a dull moment when we’re around each other.”

“So, what you’re saying is that you want to be my last resort?” A smirk tilts my lips. “As long as I’m your something.”

But for now, I’m content to appreciate these small moments, in the feeling of her pulse beating against me and the knowledge that—for at least a little while longer—she’s mine.

“If it wasn’t obvious by now—I kinda give a shit about you, Karras.” I tense up in his arms. “Ah, I see.” “And I think you give a shit about me, too.” “Yeah,” I quietly, hesitantly agree. “Yeah, maybe I do.”

bliss. Perfect. Complete. I know this isn’t what we agreed on, but it’s what we were meant for—two halves of a dysfunctional whole.

“All that shit you just listed—it’s what makes you human. Uniquely fucking perfect. I don’t like you in spite of who you are. I like every little piece that makes you whole. I’m not getting bored of you, ever, so don’t even let your mind take you there.”

I press a kiss to her crown, hold her against me, and make a silent promise here and now: I’ll do everything in my power not to screw this up.

Eventually, I drift off to sleep, my fingers curled tightly around her hip, indulging in the sweet lavender scent that’s starting to feel a lot like coming home.

“Kaia, these past two and a half years have been the most incredible journey of my life. We’ve faced challenges and overcome them together, always emerging stronger and more united than before. I can’t imagine my life without you, and I never fucking want to. You’re my rock, my inspiration, my everything.”