“You’re ridiculous.”
“Ridiculously yours.” He dips in for a quick kiss. “Don’t forget it.”
I smile, but something tender tugs at the edges of my heart.
“Yes, sir,” I tease, and his eyes darken instantly.
“Baby girl.” He says it like a warning—low, deep.
I pause. “Sorry,” I whisper, lowering my head.
“Hey, don’t do that,” he says, his voice softening. “You never lower your head for me.”
“I… I thought you didn’t like that. I don’t want to upset you.”
His fingers curl gently under my chin, lifting my face until our eyes meet again.
“Mad at you?” he says, voice steady. “Ava, I could never be mad at you for being yourself. Especially not when you're playing with me.”
“But you sounded serious,” I murmur. “The way you said my pet name… it felt like a warning.”
“It wasn’t,” he says, brushing his thumb along my cheek. “It was a reminder. Because when you say things like that—‘Yes, sir’—you flip a switch in me. But not in a bad way.”
I blink, surprised. “Wait… you liked it?”
His gaze darkens, his grin slow and dangerous. “I loved it. But the second you looked down like I scared you? That stopped me cold.” He shakes his head. “You never have to be afraid of me. Not now, not ever.”
I swallow hard. “I guess I get stuck in my own head sometimes. Like if I say or do the wrong thing, you’ll pull away. Or leave.”
He steps closer, one hand on my waist, the other still holding my face. “Nothing about you could ever scare me away. I want it all—your fire, your softness, your fears. I want you.”
Tears sting, and I hate how exposed I feel. But he doesn’t flinch. He pulls me closer.
“I’ve been left before, Elijah,” I whisper. “I’ve been told I was too much. Or not enough. And whenever I started to believe in something… it disappeared.”
His forehead rests gently against mine. “Then let me be the one who stays. The one who proves you’re more than enough. I’m not loving you because I have to. I’m loving you because I can’t not love you.”
A tear slips down my cheek. He catches it with his thumb.
“Besides,” he adds with a smirk, “you’re stuck with me now. I kissed you in front of everyone. Mia’s probably printing Team Elijah stickers already.”
I laugh, watery but real. “God, I can hear her now. ‘Official Claimer of Hearts.’”
He kisses my temple. “Let her. I’ve got no shame. And if saying ‘Yes, sir’ ever makes you uncomfortable, we drop it. But if it’s something that empowers you? That feels fun for us? Then baby girl, I’m all in.”
I look up at him, heart aching, but lighter. “You’d really want those parts of me too? The messy ones I’m still figuring out?”
His eyes don’t flinch. “Especially those. That’s where the magic lives.”
I place a hand over his heart. “Okay,” I whisper. “Then I’ll try. But you’ll have to be patient.”
“I’ve waited four years, Ava.” He kisses my knuckles. “Patience is the easy part.”
“You really mean it?” My voice is small.
He cups my face in his hands. “Every damn word. I’m not going anywhere.”
He takes a breath, gaze fierce and tender. “Ava since the day I’ve met you, I’ve waited, hoped, watched you run circles around your own heart. And I never gave up. I never will.”
