Free Torn - Part Four (The Torn Series) by Ellen Callahan Page B

ears.
     
    I clapped and whistled when they finished the song and moved on to another. I watched her play and sing and smile, listened to her voice, and suddenly all at once, I realized what was happening.
     
    Holy fuck. I’m in love with her .
     
    God, I was so in over my head. It wasn’t something I ever expected or was the least bit prepared for. But once the word was in my head I recognized it as true.
     
    Should I tell her? Oh, God . There’d be tears, wouldn’t there. Happy tears, though. Much as I grimaced and teased her, I didn’t mind that kind that much.
     
    She smiled at me through White Christmas and I knew I had to tell her. Before I won or lost the fight. Before I won or lost the attention of Surly’s recruiter. Before things changed, for better or for worse. I had to tell her right away.
     
    ○●○●○●○●○
     
    I drew her inside my room once almost everyone had left. Lockett whistled from the couch and Katherine gave us an admonishing look from the kitchen. Riley protested - she and Katherine wanted to get back to her apartment soon.
     
    “What is it?” she asked, “Did you like our performance?”
     
    I shut the door. “It was perfect.”
     
    Then I kissed her, hard, summoning up all the passion I’d felt watching her earlier. She squeaked at first, surprised at the onslaught, then returned the kiss with a heat of her own, sliding her tongue along mine and grasping my arms tight.
     
    “Mmm,” she said when I finally backed off. “I’ll have to book another show soon if that’s the going rate.”
     
    “Move in with me.” It wasn’t what I’d planned on saying when I dragged her through the door, but its what came out.
     
    Her eyes went wide. “Mallet, I…”
     
    “What?” I smirked. “No smart joke now?”
     
    “No.” She was still bewildered. “Are you serious?”
     
    “Yes. I mean it. Move in with me.”
     
    “But…”
     
    “But what?”
     
    “But, I don’t know what.” Her eyes met mine. “I can’t say I haven’t thought about it,” she said, “What it would be like. And how much easier things would be.”
     
    “Yeah? So do it. We’ll rent a truck next week.” I kissed her again as if it would finalize the deal. It did seem to weaken her legs. She leaned into me, fitting perfectly inside my arms.
     
    My other declaration caught in my throat. I love you . Was I afraid of what she might say? How she might respond? Maybe it would be too much for one evening. Emotion overload. I kissed her harder, preventing the words from spilling out while I rolled them over in my head..
     
    She broke away to catch her breath, standing on her toes and leaning her forehead against mine. “Mal?”
     
    “Yeah, baby?”
     
    “I think… I think I love you.”
     
    “Oh, goddammit.” I stepped back and held her away from me by her shoulders.
     
    “Well that wasn’t the response I was expecting,” she sputtered, looking at me like I was crazy.
     
    “What did you expect?” I asked, annoyed that she’d said it first. A dumb thing to be annoyed about, I knew.
     
    “Uh, perhaps a ‘that’s nice’ at the very least? Even a ‘gee, Riley, it’s a little soon for that’ would have been acceptable.” She wrenched out of my grip. “I wasn’t expecting it back but you don’t need to be an asshole about it.”
     
    “I am an asshole, baby,” I said, unable to contain my laughter. “You’re in love with an asshole.” I grabbed her arms once more and pulled her close. “I love you, too. I cursed because you beat me to it. You know how I feel about losing.”
     
    “You love me, too?” she asked. Her eyes were glistening but miraculously they didn’t leak.
     
    “Yes, I-” she cut me off with a finger against my lips. Then she stepped away and put her ear to the door. “What are you doing?”
     
    “Shh.” She listened for just a moment. “They’re talking about the movie. I think we have a little time.”
     
    Then she attacked my