Make love to me.
She has never said those words before. Has never wanted to.
Ronyn stills behind her.
For a moment, he says nothing.
Then, quietly, he says, “Jax…”
There’s hesitation in it. But she knows the kind of man he is. He is man who understands the weight of what she’s asking.
“I don’t think now is the time.”
It’s not a rejection.
She knows it’s care.
It’s him giving her the out she didn’t get before.
Jax exhales, her fingers tightening around his arm as she turns slightly in his hold, enough to look back at him.
“Now isexactlythe time.”
Her voice is rough, but steady. There’s no bite in it. No deflection. Just truth.
“We go to war tomorrow,” she says, her gaze holding his, unflinching. “We might not come back from it.”
Ronyn’s jaw tightens slightly, but he doesn’t interrupt. Doesn’t try to soften it.
She swallows, her throat working as she forces herself to keep going.
“I have spent my entire life surviving,” she continues. “Enduring. Fighting. Being used. Being careful. Being hard enough that no one could take anything from me again.”
A moment passes.
“And I have never…” she hesitates, the words catching—not because she doesn’t know them, but because she has never said them out loud. “Had something that was mine.”
The silence that follows is different. Not the fragile, tense kind. Just… full.
Her fingers shift against him, grounding herself in the contact.
“I don’t want to die like that,” she says, quieter now. “I don’t want to leave this world having never known what it feels like to… let someone give to me without taking something in return.”
Ronyn watches her carefully. Taking in every nuance of expression on her face. Every awkward movement of her body. Every fear, doubt, and hesitation in her eyes.
Just…seeing her.
Fully.
And she lets him—that might be the most dangerous part.
Her breath shakes once, but she doesn’t look away.
“Make love to me, Ronyn,” she says again, softer now, but no less certain. Then, for the first time, she lets the edge fall away completely. “Please.”
The word settles between them.
Please.
