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“Breathe.”
My fingertips tingle as I suck in a breath, and with it, the scent of him beneath his black shirt.
“Breathe, Rose,” he repeats. His voice is so calm, so steady. The only static thing in a world that is twisting and canting out of control around me.
I ball the fabric of his shirt up in my fists, screwing my eyes up against the heat of his chest as he kisses my forehead, whispering to me.
“What can you hear?”
I suck in a breath, laying my cheek against him and reaching past the sound of rushing blood in my ears to focus on what he’s asking me. “Your voice. Your heartbeat.”
“Good girl,” he breathes, kissing me again and taking my wrist in his hand, stroking over my pulse with his thumb. “Now tell me what you smell.”
“Your skin.” My voice shakes. “The mint you ate before we left Vienna’s.”
“Good girl.” He sounds like he’s smiling.
God, I love his smile.
“Now tell me what you see, Sunbeam.”
I inch my eyelids apart and blink, looking up at him and ignoring everything and everyone else around me.
Deep brown meets light blue.
“I see you, Dax. I see you.”
Chapter 22
Rose
Daxplacesmysuitcasedown and walks over to the window in his bedroom, lifting the giant frame and sliding it open so the breeze can float in.
We haven’t spoken much since leaving New York. Casey had left once I finally looked away from Dax. And afterward, I went inside and packed while he sat chatting quietly to my family in the kitchen. I told him I was okay and to leave me to do it alone. But now I’m not sure that was the best idea I’ve ever had. It was obvious from the way they all fell silent when I appeared that they were talking about me.
The family fuck up, like usual.
Dax was the only one who didn’t give me a sad smile. Instead, he stood and asked if I was ready, his eyes fixed on mine, gentle reassurance in them as I nodded back, so grateful for him being there. I think I would have collapsed on the sidewalk when I saw Casey if it weren’t for Dax.
The flight home was quiet. It was a red eye, so most passengers slept. But I couldn’t, no matter how hard I tried. Dax chose a horror movie from the in-flight movies and held me in his arms as he watched it with me. He just held me and didn’t try to sleep himself, even though I remember he said he has a meeting to go to today.
“Let’s take a shower. Then we can get some rest.” He walks over to me, his lips finding the skin beneath my ear and kissing me softly.
“Don’t you have work?” I wrap my arms around him, standing on my tiptoes to bury my face in the crook of his neck. He smells so good. Warm and strong, and a little spicy… just Dax.
“I did. But it can wait. I want to stay with you.”
“Okay. A shower sounds—”
The loud ping of a new message on my phone comes from inside my bag, and I let go of Dax and retrieve it.
“It’s Casey.”
My stomach drops as I scan her words. More apologies. More pleading. More attempts at trying to make me think about our years of friendship and how it’s worth saving.
I can’t. I just can’t.
It pings again in my hand.
