I laugh once, humorless. “Oh, so it was a mistake?”
“No,” he says quickly. “Not a mistake. But I—” He breaks off, running a hand through his hair. “It scared me. We had tried so many times to make this work, and it never did. And all those feelings I’d tried to bury were clawing back up.”
“So you left,” I say flatly.
He gives me a sad, lopsided smile. “I’m a coward, sweetheart.”
The word hits hard. He’s the only one who’s ever called me that, and I hate how easily my body responds to it.
Snow gathers in his hair. He looks tired. Human. Too human.
“I felt like such a fool,” I whisper. “You just left.”
“I know.” He takes a step closer. “And I’m sorry.”
“You’re always sorry,” I say, but it comes out softer than I mean.
He’s tall. Too close now. The porch light throws shadows under his cheekbones.
“You need to go,” I say.
“I know.”
But he doesn’t move. His hand lifts almost without thought, and his thumb traces a slow, barely-there line along the side of my neck.
It’s nothing. It’s everything.
My pulse jumps under his touch. I know this feeling. The soft ache at the base of my spine, the warmth unfurling low and treacherous.
My body remembers him too well—the weight of him, the taste, the way he said my name like a promise.
He shouldn’t still have this effect on me. Not after all this time. Not after the way it ended.
But when his eyes meet mine, dark and full of something I can’t name, I know this is a bad idea.
And I also know there’s no stopping it.
There never has been.
His thumb strokes my skin once more. The snow falls harder now, soft flakes landing on our hair, melting down the sides of our faces. My breath trembles.
“Dorian…” I whisper, though I don’t know if it’s a warning or a plea.
He steps closer, so close I can feel the heat radiating through his coat. His breath grazes my cheek.
For one suspended second, the world goes utterly still.
And then he kisses me.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Dorian
The moment our lips touch,I’m transported back to a place I’ve longed for but never dared to return to.
Her mouth is soft, yielding, and I can taste the hint of sugar on her tongue, a sweet, intoxicating flavor that makes me want more. I’ve missed this. Missed her. More than I ever allowed myself to admit.
My hands find her waist, pulling her closer, and she melts into me, her curves fitting against my body as if we were made for this. I trail kisses down her jaw, her neck, feeling her pulse quicken under my lips.
