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Aiden took her hand, and she thrilled at the contact with him. “You’ll distract those idiots from the events with your beauty, but I’m not certain I like that.”
She laughed.
“Love …” He drew her hand to his lips and brushed her knuckles with his soft, warm lips. Her breath caught and her entire body tingled. “I’m sorry I acted like a jealous idiot last night.”
She cupped his jaw with her palm, liking the short hair shadowing it “You’re forgiven.”
He tugged her closer and released her hand. She wrapped her arms around his neck and his palms encompassed her lower back.
Staring into his blue eyes, she admitted, “Aiden, I will always forgive you. I just want to love you.” She could hardly believe her boldness, but it was a day to be bold. She may get killed in the joust.
“Chalisa.” Aiden’s jaw went slack, and he shook his head. “I don’t deserve you forgiving me or loving me.”
She didn’t love that response. “Regardless, you will always have both from me.” It was a pledge from her to him and it was sincere. She would love him as long as she lived and she would forgive him of anything and everything.
Aiden’s eyes looked bright, as if filled with emotion. She’d never seen that from him and suspected no one else ever had either.
“You are the most angelic sweetheart on this earth,” he said fervently. “If I could change my life path, I would do nothing but stay by your side and kiss you every free moment of the day.”
Emotion sprang to Chalisa’s own eyes. He meant his words. Sadly … “But you can’t change your life path?”
His body went stiff against hers. “Would you have me break an oath and a deathbed promise?”
“No. I know how loyal and true you are, and I would never want to change that.” She swallowed hard. “I just don’t know how to reconcile that we’ll never be together.”
“I can’t … if I think about being apart from you … I want to cry.” Instead of tearing up, he smirked at her.
Chalisa didn’t mind him turning to teasing. She loved every expression he made and understood he needed to keep some walls up.
“Nobody but Ike has ever seen me cry, and those were tears of frustration at myself the last time he beat me in a sparring match.”
She trailed her hands up his neck and he visibly trembled at her touch. It was odd how he was in her power yet he’d never be in her power.
“How old were you?” she asked.
“Sixteen.”
“You haven’t lost a fight since you were sixteen?”
“No, ma’am.” His charming smirk was full of himself, and she loved it.
She looked him over. “You are the bionic man, aren’t you?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
She wished he could be her man, but he couldn’t.
“Is it wrong to savor this time we have together?” she asked him. She didn’t want him to pull away, but she had to know his parameters. Her heart was going to break in two when he left her. No matter what, she wouldn’t regret any moment they had together.
“Maybe,” he admitted. “But you know my life path so at least I don’t feel like I’m hiding anything from you.”
She nodded. She appreciated his honesty and it broke her heart at the same time.
“Of course you are so nurturing and remarkable,” Aiden continued, his blue eyes full of respect and appreciation for her. “That you not only understand my purpose, but you are willing to forgive me and you still love me. I can’t tell you what that means to me, what you mean to me.”
Chalisa’s lip trembled. She wanted to nurture, trust, and love him, but she wanted to be with him to do all three.
Aiden didn’t waste any more time talking. He bent and kissed her. The kiss consumed her, and she gave herself to him, heart, body, and soul. Aiden could never truly be hers—there was no solution for that—but that wouldn’t stop her from loving him and cherishing each moment.
