Redeemed (Dirty Air Series Book 4)

Chloe stares at me, wide-eyed and unmoving as her eyes bounce between my trench coat, the stereo above my head, and my face.

Yeah, I’m a fool in love. A big fool who can’t help recreating one of her favorite movie scenes just to get her back. The biggest idiot for searching high and low all over the internet for an eighties stereo like the film.

Did I need to do this? Probably not. But I wasn’t taking any risks in case my artwork didn’t win her over. Chloe is worth the sacrifice to my self-esteem.

Her feet remain planted on the front porch. I didn’t expect some grand display of affection from her, but anything is better than the silence right now. Peter Gabriel croons above my head and fills the void between us.

I shoot her a hesitant smile. Any day now.

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.

The wildness of her touch, both greedy and reverent.

The way her body molds to mine in all the right places, like she was destined to be my match.

The way she whispers my name under her breath when I run my hands down her body.

How did I survive a week without her? Scratch that. How did I make it through most of my life not knowing she existed? I could spend forever with her, and it still wouldn’t be long enough.

She breaks away from the kiss first and steps out of my embrace.

I tuck a lock of her hair behind her ear. “I’m so sorry for hiding the truth from you. It was terrible, knowing what I did about Matteo and your dad. Keeping it a secret was one of the hardest things I’ve had to do, and I’ve done a lot of difficult things in my life. But I swear, I thought I was doing the right thing. I didn’t know what to say, and I thought Matteo would be better at explaining everything. But then he—”

She presses her index finger against my lips, stopping me. “I know. It’s not fair to hold it against you when you were put in an impossible situation to begin with. I realize that.”

My body warms at her words. “I swear from here on out that I will always tell you the truth. No matter the consequence. No matter the situation. No matter how much it could hurt me or you.”

“You promise?”

I nod.

“Even when I ask you if I look fat in a pair of jeans?”

“Is that a trick question?”

She pinches me in the ribs.

I grin, loving the smile on her face. “I’ll tell you, especially if you look fat in your jeans. The more curves, the better.” I wiggle my brows.

She throws herself back into my arms and wraps her arms around my neck.

I lean back against my car, easing some of the weight off my leg. “Am I forgiven?”

“You were forgiven the moment I read your letter on the back of your design. While your executions sucked, I realize you had good intentions, and that’s what matters most. I can’t fault you anymore for wanting to save me from a painful experience.”

I stare at her wide-eyed in disbelief. “I promise not to lie anymore. No matter what my reasoning is, you always deserve the truth.”

She chuckles under her breath and cradles my face. “Even when I ask what you think of my cooking?”

“Especially when you ask about your cooking. Dying from food poisoning isn’t on my current agenda.”

She laughs in the most beautiful way.

“I love you, Chloe.”

“I love you too.”

I place a soft kiss against her forehead before taking a deep breath of her flowery scent.

“So I’m you’re wildflower, huh?”

My cheeks heat. I might have gone a little overboard with my writing. I’m no Robert Frost, but I can get inspired too.

“I love when you get all shy on me. It’s cute.”

“I’m not shy.”

She lifts a brow. “I thought we said no more lies.”

“Is it too late to cancel this connection?”

She throws her head back and laughs. “I’m not a cellphone data plan. You can’t just cancel me whenever you feel like it. Plus, you can’t write a love letter like that and expect me to disappear. That’s what every girl dreams of.”

“Did it make your closet-romantic heart happy?”

“No. It made my heart whole.”

I follow her into my house. The massive front door clicks shut behind us. Chloe turns on her heel and pushes me against the door. I barely have a moment to recover before her lips crash against mine, her tongue tracing the seam of my mouth. My body shudders as her hands latch onto my T-shirt. With a huff, she pulls away from our kiss to give herself room to pull my shirt off.

Her eyes match a stormy ocean, endless and dark as her pupils dilate. She licks her lips, tracing the scar I love.

I want to fuck her so badly, to erase the last week from our memories. The time we spent apart might as well have been a year based on the way my cock pulses to life in my jeans.

My shirt falls to the ground and Chloe’s lips return to my neck. I groan as her right hand presses against my erection.

My hand covers hers, halting the movement. “Wait.”

“Are you really going to stop me right now?”

“No.”

Her lips find the sensitive spot on my neck, but I pull back, smacking my head into the door. “Yes. Wait.”

“What’s wrong?” She pulls away and steps out of my personal circle. Her brows draw together.

I don’t blame her for being confused. Hell, even my dick is siding with Chloe on this one.

“I need to tell you one last thing before we move onto that part of making up.”

“What?” She takes another step back, adding to the growing distance between us.

“There’s one more thing I need to tell you.”

She blinks. Once. Twice. Three times.

The silence is deafening as she says nothing.

I stare her in the eyes despite the urge to look away. “I did something you probably won’t be happy with.”

“Don’t leave me hanging in suspense. My heart can’t handle it.”

“I should preface this with the fact that the only reason I did this in the first place was because I wanted to protect you.”

“Thanks for the prologue. What is it?” Her voice comes out wooden.

“Your mom called Noah, who called me.”

“WHAT?!”

“Let me explain the whole thing before you interrupt okay? Please?”

Her frown becomes more pronounced. “Don’t skimp on one detail, or else I swear to God…”

Okay, I can work with that. “So, I called her after Noah told me that she spoke to his personal assistant. She threatened to release some story about you and an assault charge because of Ralph. The whole phone call was disgusting. I didn’t expect her to be obvious about how little she cares about you. After that, I paid her off because I just wanted her out of your life permanently. And to be clear, I didn’t do it because I was afraid of what something like that could do for my reputation. Any decision I made about her was solely to save you from any additional pain. I want you to know that first and foremost.”

Chloe nods but doesn’t say anything.

My heart beats faster in my chest. Is she pissed I withheld this too?

Of course she is. You keep fucking up over and over against with her. I ramble on, desperate for her to understand. “The story…I was afraid how it could hurt you if it got out. She was threatening to take your story to the reporters, and if I’ve learned anything, it’s that they love drama like that. And she only wanted money, and I have plenty of it, so I didn’t think she was worth it. I’ve been broken by the media, and I didn’t want the same for you.”

“You paid her off because you wanted to make sure I wasn’t hurt in the process?”

I nod my head up and down. “I swear. The kind of money she was asking for has such little value to me. It’s laughable how she could’ve asked for way more, and I wouldn’t have hesitated because you’re more important. I was trying to free you of ever having to deal with her again. After everything you shared, I was only trying to help. If that’s what you want, that is.”

“Right,” she mumbles under her breath.

What is she thinking? Her blank face reveals nothing, and I’m not sure how to gauge her reaction.

I cup her chin and force her to look at me. “God, I don’t know how you came out pure-hearted after being raised by someone like her.”

“Because she didn’t raise me to begin with. Locking me in rooms and forcing me to fend for myself year after year barely counts as being human, let alone a parent.”

My chest tightens at her words. I’d do anything to replace all her memories with new ones. No child deserves to have gone through what she did. While I can’t change Chloe’s past, I can be part of a better future. One that includes endless laughs and the best adventures.

She runs her hand down my chest. Heat rushes down my spine from her touch.

Her hand stops, lingering over my beating heart. “You had the choice to keep this from me and I wouldn’t have found out—if what you said is true about paying her off forever. You risked me getting upset again and potentially leaving you for good. Why would you do that?”

“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.

“Forever.” I pull her body against mine.

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 than ever before, and for that, she has my loyalty and love.