Another crack. And another.
He’s breaking through.
I’m vulnerable. I’ve never been this vulnerable in my life. My mind scrambles for something to grasp, something to push him away with—but nothing comes.
“Okay,” I manage, my voice barely more than a whisper, shaking despite myself. “It’s okay. I…”
But before I can find my footing, his words take a turn.
“Do you want to fuck Fabien?” he asks suddenly, his eyebrows lifting in genuine confusion, like this is the one thing that could shatter everything.
What?
“I… what?” I blink, thrown off balance. “I—“
“It’s the only thing I’d have a problem with,” Zayan cuts in, his voice dead serious. “Other than that, do whatever the hell you want. Dive to the depths of the ocean, spit in the Lady’s face, orfight a fucking Kraken—I won’t stand in your way. Just let me stay by your side. As your partner.”
Partner.
I want to say so much—about how he can’t just have me like that, about how dangerous it is to even think about letting someone this close.
But right now? I’m speechless.
Partner. I never thought I’d hear that word come out of Zayan Cagney’s mouth, let alone aimed at me.
This… this doesn’t have to be bad, does it?
“Partner,” I echo, tasting the word on my tongue. “You… you want to be my partner?”
Zayan nods, his eyes steady on mine. “In everything. In fights, in plans, in life. No more cage, no more jealousy. Just... us, facing whatever comes our way together.”
I stare at him, trying to process it all. It sounds good—too good. But is that something he can really handle? Can he stand by me without trying to tie me down? Can I?
“And you think you can do that?”
Zayan doesn’t flinch. “I know I can,” he says. “I’ll fight by your side, Gypsy, not against you. If that’s what you want, too.”
What I want?
I want to laugh, but it dies in my throat. This is everything I want to hear, but it feels dangerous, like stepping off the edge of a cliff. He’s offering me the one thing I never thought I could have: someone who wants me without trying to change me.
“Partner,” I say again, softer this time. The word feels foreign, like it doesn’t belong in my mouth. But maybe… maybe it’s not as bad as I thought.
“Yeah,” he says, his voice dropping a little lower. He’s watching me closely now, like he’s waiting for me to bolt. But I don’t.
I bite my lip, turning the idea over in my mind. “Alright, then,” I say, biting my lower lip. “We could give this partnership a try.”
His breath hitches, just barely. “Yeah?” He leans in, that cocky grin tugging at the corner of his mouth. “So you’re telling me you don’t want to fuck this Fabien man, then?”
“No,” I breathe, my voice soft but full of certainty. “The only person I ever want to fuck…” I pause, letting the words hang between us, feeling the air thicken with the weight of them. “…is you.”
And this… I’m perfectly sure of. In fact, I intend to act on it.
26
Zayan
“The only person I ever want to fuck is you.”
