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“I did.”

“Why?”

His teasing smile softens.

“I want to remember you like this. Forever.”

My heart practically dissolves.

“Stephen…”

“I want to remember the way the light looks in your honey-colored eyes. How you forget to be guarded when something beautiful catches you off guard.”

I look away, suddenly fascinated by the lavender floor.

“You’re too sentimental.”

He lifts my chin with one finger until I’m looking at him again.

“You have me fucked up, baby.”

“You really do swear too much. We should open a dictionary more often, shouldn’t we?”

He laughs before wrapping me in his strong, tattooed arms.

“Tell me, princess. What do you want?”

I look into those warm brown eyes.

“You. Always you.”

His smile turns wicked.

“Good answer, love.”

“I do have a question.”

“Ask it.”

“What’s your obsession with jellyfish?”

The lavender light reflects in his eyes, catching tiny flecks I could spend hours staring at.

“The damn things saved me.”

I frown. “What do you mean? Were you drowning?”

He laughs softly.

“Not exactly. It was winter. A storm had taken over the city. I was hungry and freezing, digging through trash while people walked past carrying Christmas presents and singing carols like the world was still a good place.”

My chest aches.

Something stirs in the back of my mind as he continues.

“I’d wandered farther than I was supposed to because I was looking for somewhere warm. Somewhere I could survive the night.”

He pauses.