Falling Into Love with You (The Hate-Love Duet Book 2) by Rowe, Lauren (grave mercy .TXT) 📕

“I love you, too.”

We share a huge smile. Until, finally, Laila begins to play her song:

[Click here to listen to Laila performing “True Love High” for Savage]

True Love High

     Yeah, yeah

      I’ve fallen, fallen deep into love with you

I’m feeling something so beautiful

      You saw me with him at the show

I was a liar

I played it cold to your face

I was on fire

I said I was his all along

Knew you wouldn’t like it

I wanted you desperately

But wanted you only on your knees

       I’ve fallen, fallen deep into love with you

And I’m feeling something so beautiful

I’ve fallen, fallen deep into love with you

And I’m feeling something so beautiful

      La la la la la I love you, I love you

La la la la la la I love you, I love you

      I saw you so clearly that night

Like it was the first time

You made me a bowl of fish soup

And sang with a sweet smile

I swore not to catch any feelings

But couldn’t resist

Now I’m a slave to you, boy

And you’re stuck with this bitch

      I’ve fallen, fallen deep into love with you

And I’m feeling something so beautiful

I’ve fallen, fallen deep into love with you

And I’m feeling something so beautiful

      La la la la la I love you, I love you

La la la la la la I love you, I love you

      You fucked with my body, baby

Then stole my heart

I said you meant nothing to me

I was yours from the start

Yours from the start

Yours from the start

All along, been chasing a

True Love High

    As Laila sings out the last high note of her song, I feel a tsunami of love and certainty crashing into me. Pure euphoria. But even more than that, I feel a deep sense of completeness. I’ve found the great love of my life. The woman I’m going to spend the rest of my life with, without a doubt. I’ve found true love, exactly the way she just sang to me.

I scoop Laila up in my arms and kiss her deeply. And then, as words of love and adoration flow from my lips, as the last remnants of fear and indecision leave my body, as certainty and peace and grace flood me, I pick my woman up like a bride, carry her up the staircase and to our bedroom, and worship her body for the next two hours, stopping only when we’re both too physically exhausted to keep going.

Thirty

Savage

“Wake up!” Laila shouts. She taps on my forehead. Tap, tap, tap. “Time to wake up, Adrian! Wakey, wakey!”

I squint at her. “What the fuck are you doing?”

“I have a surprise for you!”

I look at the clock on the nightstand. It’s just past eleven in the morning. Which wouldn’t be an unreasonable wake-up time, normally. But, in this instance, Laila and I stayed up until sunrise, talking and making love. Rummaging through the refrigerator. Sharing a contraband bottle of whiskey while soaking naked in our hot tub. Basically, reveling in our true love high.

“Laila, go back to sleep,” I mutter. “You can give me this ‘surprise’ later.”

“I can’t wait.” Tap, tap, tap. “The most important part of my gift finally arrived a minute ago and I cannot wait another second to give it to you!”

I rub my eyes and yawn. “You got me a gift?”

“I did.”

“Why?”

“Because I love you and you sent me and my family to Cabo and treated us to the fanciest vacation, ever. Because paybacks are a bitch, bitch! So get up!”

I sit up. “I don’t need a present from you.”

“Too bad. I already had a little present in the works for you, when I left for Cabo. But while I was there, I realized it wasn’t nearly enough, so I started making some other arrangements. And now, I’ve finally got all of it and I can’t wait to give it to you!” She grabs my face and kisses me. “Stay right here and don’t move a muscle and don’t you dare go back to sleep!” She rustles my hair, squeals, and sprints out of the room, leaving me feeling dazed and confused and highly intrigued.

A moment later, Laila returns to the bedroom, carrying a large cube wrapped in bright paper, as well as a book-sized wrapped gift lying on top of the cube. She tosses the small gift onto the mattress and shoves the large cube at me. “Open this one first.”

“You shouldn’t have gotten me anything,” I say.

“Fuck right off with that. I have more money than I know what to do with and a man I love with all my heart. Of course, I’m going to buy you a gift or two, especially after you sent me and my family on such an extravagant trip.”

“Laila, it was Cabo. Let’s not overstate the extravagance here. Plus, I sent you on that trip as a gift. Gifts don’t require payback.”

“Would you shut up and open my gift, motherfucker? I can spend my money any way I see fit, whether you like it or not. And what I want is to give my man this gift.”

“Jeez. So feisty.” Chuckling, I take the large gift and begin unwrapping it and soon discover it’s an old-school guitar amp.

“Oh, wow. This is so cool!”

Laila shrieks, “It belonged to Jeff Buckley!”

My jaw drops. I don’t think I’ve mentioned my near-obsession with Jeff Buckley to Laila. Not that I was keeping it a secret. It just never came up. Did she hear about it from Kendrick? “Laila,” I breathe, my heart pounding. “He’s one of my all-time favorites.”

“Yes, I know. Hence, the gift.”

“Laila,” I say stupidly, feeling overcome. “Wow. Thank you.” I hug her tightly and sputter, “This is the best gift I’ve ever gotten.”

“Check it out,” she says. “It’s super cool.”

I turn my attention to the amplifier, running my hands over it. Twisting its knobs, each touch of my flesh on places where Jeff Buckley’s hands also touched giving me goosebumps. All traces of sleepiness gone, I hop up from the bed, shouting, “I’m gonna get my guitar and plug it in!”

“Not yet!” she yells. “Wait,