Oh.
My brain fried. No—exploded.
Did I hear that right? Did he just—?
No. No way. My lungs forgot how to work, my heart slamming like it was trying to rip out of my chest.
“Uh…what?” It was barely a sound, more a plea.
“I love you, Kiana.”
The world tilted. My knees buckled, but his grip held me, unyielding. My fingers dug into his arms, desperate to ground myself in him.
“You…” My mouth was bone dry, my tongue heavy. “You love me?”
“Yes.” The word was brutal, absolute. His stare burned into me like a brand.
A ragged laugh escaped me, sharp and shaky. “Oh my Goddess.”
This was real. He’d said it. Troy Ryker, the man who drove me insane, the man who terrified me, the man who made my body ache and my heart bleed, he loved me.
A sound tore out of me, something between a sob and a l
