I need to know that we have breakfast in our future—normal things that make you happy—or my next breath doesn’t mean shit.
Where? She’d been so preoccupied upon entering the diner she hadn’t felt him. Now, though, when she was allowing herself to feel, energy spun around her in a tight funnel. Customers were looking at her strangely, but she noticed only in passing. She was too busy scanning faces, searching for Austin in the bustling afternoon crowd. When she saw him in the far back corner, the brim of his hat pulled down low over eyes that blazed in her direction, her legs were moving before her brain could catch up, making her stumble.
Austin jolted on his seat, reaching out for her with a startled curse, but she’d already recovered. Two more steps and she’d thrown herself across the booth and into his arms. Arms that banded around her so tightly, she knew instantly that she’d betrayed him by worrying. By doubting.
“Ah, sweet. There you are. Jesus, there you are.” He yanked her onto his lap, laying kisses along her jawline. “A day is too long to go without holding you. I could feel myself beginning to fade into nothing. I’m nothing unless you’re with me.”
“Where have you been?” She found his hat offensive for covering even an inch of him, so she knocked it off his head. “I thought you left. I thought—”
Austin pressed their mouths together, cutting her off. “No, you didn’t. You didn’t really think that, Polly.” He searched her eyes, as if looking for some unknown answer. “I was giving you a chance to leave me.”
The energy funnel churning around them slowed to a crawl. “What?”
His gaze cut to the side. “What Charles told you about me…I’ve done things I’m ashamed of, Polly. I’m not the kind of man you can be proud of.” He rubbed his thumb over her collarbone, studying it so closely she wondered if he was memorizing the shape and texture. “I needed to give you my love. And then let you decide if you wanted it.”
“I don’t want it,” she whispered. “I need it.”
His head pitched forward for a moment, as if he were praying, before it lifted again, hitting her with the full force of his happiness. He cradled the back of her head in a gentle hold, his breath striking her lips in relieved gusts. “Oh, thank God. I gave you one night.” His laughter embodied the same exhausted frustration she’d felt until being enfolded in his arms. “I was only able to manage it because there were things that needed accomplishing. Things I’m hoping made me slightly more deserving of you, Polly. But I’m still not even close.”
Her hands lifted of their own accord to frame his face. “You took the money to my father.” Swallowing the desire to avoid an uncomfortable topic, she forced herself to keep going. “Did you send the other half to Reitman’s daughter?”
Austin gave a single, pointed nod. “It doesn’t excuse my actions. I’m not sure anything will.” A multitude of emotions swam across his face, regret and hope chiefly among them. “I want to make up for everything I’ve done. Repay my debts. It’s the only way I can justify allowing myself to be a part of your life.”
“Austin—”
“It’s going to take some work.” A heavy silence passed between them. “Will you help me?”
Polly took a moment to think about what Austin’s request really meant. Returning money to the people—mostly women—he’d conned over the span of a decade. Could she do that? It would mean setting aside any and all jealousy, not turning a blind eye on Austin’s past, but acknowledging each and every aspect of it. Was she big enough a person to handle that?
Yes. Neither of them was strong enough to accomplish such a difficult task apart, but together they were formidable. One hundred feet tall. For so long, she’d hated him for being a con. Now, here he was, wanting to make amends for the actions she’d condemned. If anything, she felt pride in his decision. Not trepidation or anxiety. As long as Austin was by her side, there wasn’t a damn thing she couldn’t handle. His love was hers. No one else’s. And that wouldn’t change. She’d never been more confident in that fact as she was right at that moment.
“I’ll help you. We’ll do it together.”
No sooner had the words left her mouth than Austin crushed his mouth down on hers, his tongue parting her lips on a deep moan. A single brush of his thumb over the exposed skin of her waist, a subtle roll of hips, and Polly almost lost the ability to reason. Or remember the fact that they were in public. When Austin finally pulled away a minute later, they were both gasping for breath. “Polly, tell me we’re going to be together. Tell me I’ll wake up beside you tomorrow morning.”