Page 164 of King of Ruin

For a moment, they simply stared at each other. The hurt in his eyes met the pain she was trying so hard to hide, and neither of them spoke.

Xavier's fingers tightened slightly against the chair.

"You don't look at me the same way anymore," he said, his voice strained. "You don't..."

He swallowed, unable to ignore the fear sitting heavily inside him.

"You don't love me anymore?"

Elise's lips parted, ready to answer, but before she could say anything, Xavier leaned forward and kissed her.

His mouth moved over hers, but there was no confidence in the kiss.

There was hunger, but beneath it was something far more unfamiliar from Xavier—a hesitation, a fear that he couldn't hide. It felt less like the possessive certainty he had always carried and more like a man desperately trying to hold on to something he was afraid of losing.

Every emotion he couldn't say aloud poured into the kiss.

He kissed her as though he was trying to convince himself that she was still his, that the distance between them wasn't real. His lips moved over hers slowly. He tasted her, memorized her, breathing in the familiar scent that had always belonged to Elise, yet even with her right in front of him, the fear inside his chest refused to disappear.

His heartbeat grew louder with every passing second.

Finally, when he felt her breathing become uneven, Xavier forced himself to pull away.

It was the hardest thing he had done all night.

He didn't want to let go. Every instinct inside him wanted to pull her closer and refuse to face the answer he was terrified of hearing. But he couldn't keep avoiding it.

When he finally released her, they remained close, both breathing heavily as they looked at each other.

"Don't answer if you don't want to," he whispered.

His voice was unsteady, the fear he had been trying to hide slipping through. "If you don't love me anymore..."

He swallowed, his chest tightening painfully.

"It's okay."

The words sounded like they were hurting him even as he said them.

"People can fall in love again."

His hands, which had been resting against the chair, slowly moved to her waist. He pulled her closer, holding her gently as though he needed the reassurance that she was still there.

"It was my fault," he admitted, his voice rough. "I should have never brought anyone between us. I promise I..."

The rest of the sentence disappeared.

He couldn't say it.

Instead, he looked into her eyes, searching for something he desperately needed.

"Fall in love with me again," he whispered. "It's okay if you don't love me right now. But you can love me again, can't you?"

His fingers tightened slightly around her waist.

"You fell in love with me once. You can do it again."

He waited for her answer.