Week 244 – The power of love

This had to be without a doubt the single most stupid thing he had ever done.

Adam didn’t stop doing it though.

For the life of him he couldn’t seem to tear his lips away from the delicious creature who was pressed up against him. She’d been watching him for hours, hadn’t followed him out here, hadn’t left him alone, and had told him she cared about what happened to him.

Crazy.

Zara was crazy.

And maybe … maybe everything he needed right now.

“What are you doing to me?” he murmured as he broke the kiss and tucked a wet lock of hair behind Zara’s ear.

“What are YOU doing to ME?” she shot back.

“I’m not a safe man to be around,” he warned, in case all of that hadn’t already sunk in.

“You have issues, like everyone else. Maybe you should consider getting some help. I mean for your loss and whatever caused the nightmares.

“Don’t need help,” he growled.

“Thats what I thought too.” Her gaze dropped and he had the feeling she was summoning courage. When she met his gaze again her face was determined. “But I was wrong. I needed help and asking didn’t make me weak it made me strong. You need a reason to want to get better.”

Because he was truly curious, the first time he’d cared about anything in a long time, Adam asked, “What was your reason?”

“The power of love,” she answered without hesitation.

Immediately he released her. He hadn’t even asked if she was involved. He’d assumed because she’d taken this job she wasn’t attached but he could have been wrong. Adam did his best to keep his face impassive but from the smirk on Zara’s he suspected he’d failed.

“I’m not involved, that wasn’t what I meant. Its just that I want to fall in love one day, get married, have kids, a proper family, and I want to be my best for them when I do,” Zara said.

That was something he could never give her. Never again would he risk innocent lives.

Adam swam to the edge of the pool and lifted himself out. “Zara, I’m …”

“Don’t tell me again how scary you are,” she said, climbing out of the pool to stand beside him. “I’m not buying it, but it doesn’t matter what I think, it only matters what you think, what you want your future to look like.”

He knew what his future looked like.

Bleak and empty.

In a year Zara would be gone, taking her light and sunshine with her, and even though she would be here for a while he couldn’t kiss her again. He couldn’t risk hurting her too.

Adam was turning to walk away when a bullet buzzed by him.