Heat soaks into my cheeks, and I reach for his face. Stubble meets my palm, scratching, and I don’t know what to do with the sensation.
The hum.
The vibrations taking root inside me.
Beneath me, his body shifts, accommodating mine more completely, and I can’t explain the peace that rears.
I think…probably…it’s been a very, very long time since I’ve been loved.
“Crow?” I whisper.
Words thin, he exhales, “Yes, darling dove?”
“Are you surenothinghas changed between us?”
“Care to find out?” He holds my hand to his skin. “SayI love you.”
I wince. “But…”
“Just say it. You don’t have to mean it. Just see how it feels. I promise nothing bad will happen if it’s a lie. You’re allowed to lie to someone like me.”
My heart rate accelerates until I’m certain the frantic pounds are in all the wrong places. Still, I say, “I…love you.”
He whispers a swear.
My mind loses its grasp on my body. And everything—everything—for the first time in decades…issilent. There’s nopain. There’s no fear. There’s no condemnation over possibly having just told a lie. There’snothing.
Blissful, sweet, empty,safenothing.
Malcolm’s thumb lays flat on my lips, poisoning my mouth, but nothing spears me through the chest or spikes in my gut.
I’m fine.
Completely fine.
Maybe because…dying in his arms…would actually befine.
He kisses my cheek, and my eyes close. His breath fans against my ear. “Sleep with me tonight, darling dove.”
I shiver.
“Say you’ll come to my bed. I’ll wait all night for you if you do.”
Frail breath escapes me. “But we haven’t even…”
“Justsleep. I’d like to hold you for hours. Let that be the next thing you survive.”
I swallow. “Going from ten minutes to hours seems a bit…”
“It’s been thirty minutes already, dove.”
My lashes flutter, and I search for the clock over my entertainment center. When did it get this late?
“Are you even ready to leave yet?” His fingers bury in my hair and force my head to his chest. “I touched your mouth. Don’t you need to clean up?”
Instinctively, I clutch him. But I can’t bring myself to answer.
Gentle, coaxing, and wicked, he whispers, “That’s what I thought… We’ve spent two years together. Subconsciously, you already know I’m safe to be around, no matter what I do to you, so let me hold my wife for a night. Trust me, not your rules, to keep you safe. In fact, let’s break your rules into a million pieces. Because even after they’re strewn about in chaotic disarray…”
