"Always."
He came with her name on his lips, buried so deep inside her they felt like one person.
And for the first time ever, he didn't pull away after.
He rolled to his side and pulled her against his chest, his arms wrapping around her possessively.
"Sleep," he murmured.
"Are you staying?"
"Yes."
Her heart soared. "All night?"
"All night. And tomorrow. And every night after that." His lips brushed her hair. "No more leaving you alone in our bed. No more pretending I can sleep without you."
She was afraid to believe it. "What changed?"
"I did." His arms tightened. "Or maybe you changed me. I don't know anymore. I just know that watching you tonight, seeing every man want you, knowing you're mine—it broke something in me. Some wall I've been hiding behind."
"Broke it how?"
"I can't keep pretending," he admitted, his voice raw. "Can't keep pretending you don't matter. That this is just duty. That I don't—"
He stopped.
She waited, barely breathing.
"I don't want to hurt you," he said instead. "But I'm terrified I will. It's what I do. It's who I am."
"You're more than that."
"Am I?"
"Yes." She turned in his arms to face him. "You're also the man who read my book. Who protected me from Kabir. Who spent a fortune tonight just to see me smile. That's not a monster. That's a man who cares."
"Caring isn't enough."
"It's a start."
He studied her face in the dim light. "You deserve better than a start."
"I deserve you. Exactly as you are. Broken pieces and all."
Something cracked in his expression. He pulled her impossibly closer, burying his face in her hair.
"Sleep," he said again. "We'll figure out the rest tomorrow."
She closed her eyes, feeling safer and more cherished than she had in a year of marriage.
It wasn't a declaration of love.
But it was something.
And for now, that was enough.
CHAPTER 15
