She stepped into him and her arms gently went around his waist. Her left hand settled at the middle of his back. Her right stopped at his shoulder blade.
She went no lower on his left side.
How does she know where the damage is?
Reo pursed his lips, but let her help him.
I scanned the space and thank God that only Hiro and I were in the room to witness this. Perhaps, that was why she did it.
And my Roar must have known that this was his time to seek her love too because. . .he closed his eyes, dropped his chin toward the top of her head, and brought his arms around her with a care that matched hers exactly.
And there they stood in a hug as two people who understood each other's broken places.
I swallowed.
Next, Nyomi rose onto her toes, placed her lips next to his ear, and whispered something that I couldn't hear.
What is she saying?
Reo opened his eyes and stilled completely. Whatever she said, landed deep within his chest.
His jaw shifted.
She kept whispering, and I watched my Roar—a man who had walked through Yoshiwara and battled with cracked ribs—come absolutely apart from my Tiger’s words.
Not loudly.
Not visibly.
But I knew his face.
When she finished, she pulled back and looked up at him.
He stared down at her for a long moment and said nothing.
Whatever you told him, Tora.
My chest pulled tight.
I wish I knew.
Her voice grew soft. "Goodnight, Reo."
He straightened and cleared his throat. "Goodnight, Tora."
And this time, I didn’t mind the use of her nickname on another’s lips.
When Reo left, I stood.
Hiro remained at the table, leaning back in his chair with his arms folded and watching us.
I gripped the back of his neck hard, the way we'd been doing since we were boys. “Get some rest.”
He reached up and gripped my forearm in return. “Soon, but not yet.”
“Soon.”
“I have things to do. Important things.”
