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She felt those words to her soul. Her eyes stung. “I don’t deserve you.”
He exhaled sharply, the sound disbelieving. “Fates, you’re . . .” His voice drifted, as if he couldn’t manage to find the words to describe what she was. Something in his gaze changed. Solidified. He leaned in, and her stomach fluttered.
He pressed a soft kiss to her lips, the gentle contact making her heart race. She didn’t dare kiss him like she yearned to; she didn’t want to cause him pain. But her mouth moved with his, following his lead. The brush of his lips was coaxing. Comforting.
Warmth flooded her veins, and her pulse kicked. Her fingers curled in his shirt, keeping him close. She had lived without him now, and she never wanted to do so again. New urgency filled her. A desperation to make him understand just how much she loved him. How much she needed him.
Grayson deepened the kiss, and Mia sucked in a breath as his fingers knotted in her hair. He turned, guiding her until her back pressed against the door. His chest rose and fell against hers, both of them breathing quickly.
He changed the angle of their kiss, and a shudder went through him.
Afraid she’d hurt him, Mia jerked back. “Careful. Your jaw—”
“I missed you,” he rasped, emotion tangling in his hoarse voice. “So fates-blasted much.”
Her heart clenched. “I missed you, too. But I don’t want to hurt you.”
He made a sound in his throat. “You aren’t hurting me,” he assured her.
Her face heated, but she couldn’t stop her smile.
Grayson kissed one corner of it, and the simple action made her chest swell. “I couldn’t breathe without you,” he whispered.
The admission caught her off-guard, melting her. Before she could respond, he claimed her mouth again.
She tried to move with care, but Grayson only grew more insistent. Almost frantic, like he worried she would vanish.
The same desperate edge rode her, but she didn’t want him to aggravate his wound. She pulled back. “Tyrell will return soon.”
Grayson stilled, just as she’d known he would. But instead of drawing back completely, he set his forehead against hers, their heavy breaths mingling. His eyes squeezed shut. “You’re right. We don’t have long, and there are things we need to discuss.”
She pressed a final kiss to his unmarred cheek before he eased back, giving her space. She grasped his falling hand, refusing to lose all contact with him.
He squeezed her fingers.
“Are you well enough to go with your father and brothers?” she asked.
“I’m fine.”
Obviously, he wasn’tfine, but she knew what he meant. He didn’t have a choice, so he would force himself to be fine.
She pursed her lips. “I can ask Devon to—”
Grayson shook his head; a grimace sliced across his face, so he abruptly stopped moving. “It’s not worth it.”
“You need a physician.”
“My father gave orders. I need to follow them. It will make getting out of here easier.” He glanced around the room, clearly noting some of her things scattered among his own belongings. A sketchbook on his otherwise neat desk. A dress discarded over a chair in the corner. Some paintings propped against the far wall. “Pack whatever you need, but only one bag. The nights will be cold, so pack something warm. We leave tomorrow night.”
“Tomorrow?” Fates, that was too soon.
“We can’t delay,” Grayson said. “TheSeafirewon’t wait forever. When I get back tonight I’ll sneak into the kitchen and get supplies.”
She forced aside her unease at how quickly things were happening, so she could focus on his plan. “You won’t need to steal everything,” she said. “Before you came back, I was planning to escape.”
He froze. “You what?”
She bit her lower lip. “I was going to come to you in Duvan. I got maps from the library. I gathered food and blankets. I even asked Tyrell to teach me how to ride a horse.”
