Calum Strickland

Chapter 74

They clung together like shipwrecked souls amidst the roiling tempest of their crumbling world, seeking shelter in the one Safe harbor they had left - their profound, battered love.

When the intensity finally ebbed and they drew apart, foreheads resting together, Lily felt a modicum of the ice encasing her heart begin to thaw. She had no guarantee this wouldn't all end in further devastation, no assurance that the trust could ever be rebuilt once the whole truth finally saw daylight.

But she did have this moment at least - a chance to grab the lifeline James was offering and make one last, valiant effort to navigate them through the storm. To save them both from going under amidst the swirling wreckage.

"Okay," she murmured shakily, cradling his face between her palms. "Show me, James. Demolish every lie and innuendo until there's no doubt left in my mind about who you really are."

He turned his head and brushed a tender kiss across her inner wrist, the warmth of it searing