Redeemed (Dirty Air, #4)

by Lauren Asher

Santiago’s words seep into the crushed part of me, reviving something I forgot existed in the first place. The

I feel like a phoenix begging to rise again.

“I love you, Chloe. And it’s okay if you don’t know what it means to be loved by someone, let alone love someone else because I promise to love you enough for the two of us. To love you every day to make up for everyone else who failed miserably.”

He really does love me. Deeply. Madly. Un...

“I want that kind of love.”

His lips clash against mine like lightning clapping through the stormy sky. It feeds the hunger building inside of me. His love surrounds us, healing me in the process. He pulls me back into the moment, kissing me into a mindlessness. Together, we find our release. This is bliss. This is love. This is us.

I wish that Chloe Carter falls in love with someone worthy of her eighties-loving heart. That she finds that soul-crushing, heart-mending, passion-fueled love. A love that leaves her desperate for more because nothing that amazing should ever be done in moderation. The same love I found with her.

“You made a mistake.”

“What do you mean?”

“You can’t wish for something I already have.”

“I love you. I’m so in love with you. The kind of love that does leave me desperate in a way that makes me think I’m going crazy.”

“Say it again.”

“I love you, Santiago Alatorre.”

I miss Santiago freaking me out the moment I walk through the front door. I miss coming home to the smell of whatever he was cooking that day. I miss him. I miss him so damn much, I’m tempted to call him and break down.

She snaps out of her daze and runs full throttle at me. I barely have enough time to put the stereo down on the ground before she launches herself into my arms. I stumble before catching my balance. It’s bliss, having her back with me. Her arms wrap around my neck right before her lips crash against mine. Our kiss is like two cars colliding. Uncontrolled with sparks flying and the world grinding to a halt around us. I run my fingers through her hair and lock her in place, enjoying the feel of her closeness.

God, I missed her. I missed her in my arms and the way she releases a breathy sigh when I stroke my tongue against hers. Everything about her calls to me.

“Because I made a promise to you earlier to always tell the truth, and I plan on keeping it. Forever.”

“Forever?” Her lips part as she sucks in a breath.

“Fore...

I kiss her with everything I have in me. Every unspoken promise I plan on holding myself to as long as I’m with her. Chloe didn’t just bring back a part of me that was missing. She helped me grow into someone better t...

I cradle his face and place a bunch of kisses all over it.

“You want me to move in with you? Like forever?”

“You really want this?”

“More than anything else.”

“You’ve got my attention. What do you want to show me?”

“How much I love you.” I push at his shoulders.

I kiss him with everything in me. Every emotion. Every memory of us. Every ounce of love I feel towards him. I’m desperate to show him how I feel like he did.

I cherish every minute, our kisses saying things words can’t.

I place a soft kiss against his lips and lean back again. “Loving you is like the first day of spring after a harsh winter.”

“Loving you is like the ocean. Infinite. Fierce. Breathtaking.”

“Loving you feels like seeing a rainbow for the first time. It’s so amazing, you can’t help wondering if it was created by magic.”

There is an understated beauty in intimacy. It binds us together, making a wonderful blend of lust and love. With Santiago, it’s unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before.

Everything about him makes me happy. From the sweet things he says to the devious look he gets in his eyes when we make love.

“And most of all, loving you is realizing I don’t have to make a wish ever again because I already have everything I could ever want.”

I look over at the wild girl who captured my heart. She belongs by my side, smiling at my friends and laughing at their jokes.

I can finally breathe easily, knowing I can achieve my dreams again with Chloe by my side.

It took one chance encounter with a stranger to change my life. One person to make me realize that I can’t love someone else until I love myself. One dreamer who makes me want to wish in journals or on lucky stars or on damn dandelions for all I care. One girl. One love. One forever.

“I won more than a Championship. I won a woman who makes me appreciate every day how lucky I am to have survived that crash in the first place. Because I couldn’t imagine never meeting the one person who completes me. I never believed in soulmates before you, but I’ll be damned if you didn’t make me a dreamer with your wishes and wildflowers and smile that could make any bad day instantly better.”

I’ll love Santiago Alatorre for as long as the wildflowers keep growing in beautiful chaos.