“We will spend the rest of our lives atoning for the foolish, stupid decisions we made during the early days of our Bonding.” His eyes find mine. “Never again. We claim you, Sienna Michaels, publically, as our mate. You are the one we choose. Now, and always. Until the end of our days, and the end of all days.”
Never again.
I wipe at my cheeks as Jax’s hand settles on my shoulders.
“Our Bonding Ceremony didn’t go as planned,” Tristan says into the microphone. “We never had the opportunity to ask our Bonded to dance. So tonight seemed like a possibility to right at least one wrong.”
My hands shake as he jumps off the tall stage, landing smoothly on his feet and stalking through the silent crowd towards me. Tristan holds out his hand, his eyes steady on mine.
“Dance with me, Bonded,” he says softly.
The orchestra strikes up, and a male voice starts to sing as I reach up. His fingers close around mine as he leads me to the dancefloor, the faces around us a blur.
“Breathe,” he coaxes, as he pulls me into his arms.
I finally let out a breath as we start to move, finding an easy rhythm.
He drops his head, his mouth brushing my ear. “Forgive me, Sienna. I will never stop atoning. Butforgive me, so I can love you the way I want to. So I can keep making those memories with you, so I can wake up every morning to your face.Please.”
I look up, into his eyes.
And I nod.
I don’t want to tiptoe around, pretending I’m not aching for them, like the distance between us isn’t painful.
I’ll never forget. Neither will they. But I can forgive.
It’s time to move forward.
He releases a breath, his eyes scanning mine. “Sienna.”
We stop dancing in the middle of the floor as he cups my face and draws me into a kiss, his lips moving over mine as my hands reach up behind his neck.
When we pull apart, both of us are breathing heavily. But I’m smiling, and he’s grinning, his face lit up.
“We should dance,” he whispers. “I did promise you a dance, Bonded.”
And then wemove.I gasp as our feet fly across the floor, my feet easily finding the rhythm, and I send a silent thanks for all the hours of dancing tuition that led me to this moment, spinning across a dance floor, dressed in starlight in the arms of my Soul Bonded and feeling like a real, honest to god princess.
Tristan slows, smiling as his eyes move past me. And then Jax is there, spinning me into his arms with a sardonic lift of his eyebrow as I laugh in delight. He doesn’t miss a beat as he picks up the rhythm.
“Shortcake,” he murmurs. “Maybe I’ll start calling you starlight instead.”
“I like shortcake,” I say as he dips me.
“Good.” His voice is gruff. “I do, too.”
As I come back up, his lips capture mine, leaving me gasping for air before he spins me away and Logan takes his place. His hands are warm against my bare skin as he whirls me away, his brown eyes completely focused on me.
“You deserve this,” he says, holding me close as we move across the floor. “This moment, and every other one that follows, Sienna.”
The words alone are dangerous enough, but their actions are knocking down my defenses one by one, breaking apart the last of my reservations like tissue paper. Logan has always been the most respectful of my boundaries. Even his hands are careful against my skin, like he’s mindful of every touch.
So I wrap my hand around his neck, and his eyes widen as I tug him down to me. “Kiss me, Logan.” I whisper. “Please.”
He doesn’t hesitate, stopping us mid-dance as his lips crash against mine like he’s been holding back, waiting for me to ask. He tastes just like his scent, fresh and lemony, and I breathe him in as his hand grips the back of my neck and his tongue traces my lips.
There’s a polite cough next to my elbow, and we break apart with a gasp. There are a few chuckles from around us as I turn to Gray, and he holds his hand out.
