Like a vow.
Like a prayer.
And when she cried out his name, her body shuddering in release, he held her tightly before rolling them over until she was under him. Only then did he release his tight grip on his control and give in to his own fear and desperate need. He held her tight, his breaths coming in deep gasps as he took her until he swore he could feel the tip of his cock brush her womb. Sweat beaded on his brow and he gritted his teeth, groaning loudly through them as he found his peace. Hot jets ofhis seed pulsed deep into Dani, marking her, sealing their fates. She was his—now and forever.
He released a hoarse, fierce cry. His body trembled with the force of his release.
“You’re mine,” he breathed, fierce and unyielding. “No more running. Not from me. Never again.”
Sixteen
Twilight wrapped the room in a hush, the kind that made the world feel far away. Faint light filtered from the bathroom, casting shadows that danced across the stateroom. The faint scent of soap and Alexandros lingered in the air where they had showered earlier, only to return to bed again before they could get dressed.
Dani lay curled against his side, her cheek pressed to the steady rise and fall of his chest. One of his hands traced slow, lazy circles along her spine, the motion soothing and unhurried, as if he had all the time in the world to touch her.
She wanted to stay in this moment forever.
But she knew he deserved answers.
Her chest tightened.
Her chest tightened as a phantom ache curled low in her stomach, rising from something old and buried. Her muscles tensed before she could stop it. The memories came too fast. Too sharp.
Alexandros felt it immediately.
He didn’t speak at first, didn’t ask what was wrong. He wrapped his arms around her, tucking her beneath his chin, his hand spread protectively over her hip.
His breath was warm against her hair when he finally whispered, “Why did you run, Dani?”
“You have no idea what that did to me,” he murmured. “Why would you leave me? I was terrified something would happen—and I wouldn’t be there to stop it.”
Her lips trembled.
She didn’t answer right away—her throat too tight to speak.
His arms stayed around her, firm and patient, like he could hold back the ghosts just by not letting go.
“I do know,” she whispered at last. “I know exactly how that fear feels. All too well.”
He said nothing—waiting for her to continue.
She closed her eyes, breathing him in, grounding herself in his warmth before the words came—soft, faltering at first, then gathering strength like a river breaking through a dam.
“My parents were happy,” she began. “The kind of happy that made other people smile just watching them. They were best friends. Soulmates. They did everything together—not because they had to… but because they couldn’t imagine not being near each other. It was like watching two halves of a whole.”
She felt him nod against her hair, his hand still stroking her back.
“When they looked at each other, it was like… like they were seeing the most beautiful thing in the world. Every single time. When they were apart, even for a few hours, the reunion was always… radiant. Their smiles—God, it was like the sun came out just for them.”
Alexandros’s voice was rough. “My parents are like that too. Theo and I used to make fun of them. We told them they were setting an impossible standard… how could anyone ever live up to a love like that?”
Dani smiled faintly, but it faded just as fast.
“Everything changed when I was fifteen,” she said quietly. “We were flying to a remote lake house in Alaska for a summer break. My dad was a pilot. He flew us to different places all the time. It wasn’t supposed to be a big deal. Just us, two weeks off the grid, withmountains, fishing, and hot cocoa made on a dumb wood-burning stove that never worked right.”
Her fingers curled against Alexandros’s ribs.
“We’d only been in the air thirty minutes when something went wrong. An engine light. A sputter. I remember my dad’s voice going tight. Calm, but clipped. He said we needed to return to the airfield. He promised that everything was going to be fine.”
