The corner of Slade’s mouth lifts into a ghost of a smirk. “Good girl.”
I shiver at the glow coming back to his eyes and lean closer, lifting my hands to stroke his cheekbones and along his jaw.
He sucks in a sharp breath at the contact.
“You made me remember who I am. You made me strong again. And I’m going to do the same for you,” I breathe.
I trace his lips, admiring their softness. Remembering the gentle kisses they can give, the tender words they can say. Only a man with a good heart would have lips capable of such things. A man with a golden soul, just like Nandi said.
“Jude—”
“Don’t argue. I know who you are. And I’m going to help you find him again. But I need you to promise me one thing.”
His eyes drop to my mouth, and his warm breath fans over my lips.
“I’d do anything for you,” he rasps.
I quell the flutters in my stomach, wanting to sound strong, because he needs to know how much I mean this.
“Don’t you dare disappear on me again. Tell me if you’re leaving this time. I can’t go through that again. I can’t… Don’t fucking do it, okay?” My voice cracks as my composure slips. Ithought I’d never see him again, but here he is. Right in front of me, baring his soul to me. Trusting me.
“Ssh.” He threads his hands into my hair and tilts my face up. “I promise, all right?”
I nod, losing the battle to hold my whimper inside as he slants his mouth over mine and finally kisses me.
The alleyway blurs as I sink into him.
It’s everything a kiss of two reunited souls should be—raw, vulnerable, breathtaking, and heart-stopping.
It steals my control, and as my legs collapse, he lifts me into his arms and holds me up, so I don’t hit the ground.
He rescues me.
Just like I intend to rescue him.
31
SLADE
I leanagainst the front of the building with a takeout cup—Caffeine Couture—printed on the side of it inside one hand. The coffee place is a new addition in the past three years, and their blend is a vast improvement on the last place I recall being here.
Tipping my head back, I drain the last of the americano, before pushing off from my resting place and tossing the cup into a trash can.
It’s been days of watching from across the street. It’s time I went for a closer look.
The deep blue canopy juts an imposing shadow across the sidewalk as I cross the street, framing the giant gold doors and expanse of glittering window displays beneath it.
The familiar sight is one every cell in my body recognizes. Each muscle inside me coils tight as I move closer, breathing in deeply as the suited doorman opens the large heavy door for a woman to exit.
Even the scent is one I’d know anywhere. One of velvet cushions, white linen gloves, and the hint of expensive fragrance that’s discreetly spritzed around the store by the staff throughout the day.
The entire place smells of opulence and glamor. And of glistening diamonds and precious gemstones that attract price tags reaching into hundreds of thousands of dollars and beyond.
My restraint at coming this close before today was only upheld because I hadn’t seen her yet.
Jude.
The reason I returned to this city in the first place.
