And now here we are, and she’s not running. She’s not building walls or finding excuses to leave.
She’s just… here. Standing by her bed with that new confidence I’m still getting used to, looking at me like I’m something she wants instead of something she’s afraid of.
My heart hammers against my ribs. This is either the best moment of my life or I’m about to spectacularly embarrass myself.
Maybe both.
“Jace.” Her voice is softer now, without the audience of the others. More vulnerable. “Thank you. For backing me up out there.”
“Always, sweetheart,” I say, trying for my usual grin even though my heart’s doing something complicated in my chest. “Though I have to say, watching you shut down Thane’s doom-and-gloom routine was pretty satisfying. Guy needs to learn when to quit while he’s behind.”
She sits on the edge of the bed, and the mattress dips under her weight in a way that makes this feel real. Intimate. Not some dream I’ll wake up from disappointed.
I cross the room slowly, needing to have her near. When I reach her, I don’t sit—just stand close enough to catch the vanilla and honey scent that always clings to her skin.
“I need to tell you something,” she says looking away for a moment, and my stomach drops because that tone never leads anywhere good.
“Oh great,” I say, forcing lightness into my voice. “Are you about to tell me this was all an elaborate prank? Because I should warn you, my ego’s pretty fragile when it comes to a certain beautiful woman luring me into their bedroom.”
But then she looks up at me with those green eyes, and there’s no fear in them. No walls. Just… honesty.
“I’ve been thinking about this for a long time,” she admits. “About us. About what it would be like to—” She stops, takes a breath. “I’ve wanted this. You. For longer than I was brave enough to admit.”
The words make the butterflies in my stomach turn violent. In the best way. The kind that knocks all the air from your lungs and makes you wonder if you’re dreaming.
“Well,” I manage, voice slightly hoarse, “that’s definitely not what I expected you to say. Though I’m not complaining. At all. Like, seriously, zero complaints here.”
She said that without a single tremor in her voice. God, she’s finally sure of herself. Finally sees what we all see.
Christ.
I sit beside her on the bed, our knees bumping together. This close, I can see the flecks of gold in her eyes, smell the vanilla and honey scent that clings to her skin. Everything about this moment feels charged, electric.
“I don’t want to hurt you,” I whisper, because it’s the truth I’ve been carrying for months. The fear that’s kept me from pushing, from asking for more than she was ready to give.
“You won’t.” She reaches up, fingers trailing along my jaw with a touch so gentle it makes my chest ache. “I trust you.”
And then she kisses me.
Soft at first, tentative, like she’s testing whether this is real. But when I respond—when I cup her face in my hands and kiss her back with everything I’ve been holding in—she makes this low, pleased sound in her throat that completely undoes me.
She tastes like mint and something sweeter. Like coming home after being lost for too long.
“Is this okay?” she asks, her hands already working at my belt, and I nod because words seem impossible right now.
“More than okay, sweetheart,” I manage, studying her face. Looking for any sign of doubt.
But there’s nothing. Just want and certainty.
My belt hits the floor, then her shirt comes off, then mine. Each piece of clothing falling away feels like shedding armor, like finally being allowed to touch something precious I’ve only been able to look at from a distance.
Her skin is warm under my hands, soft curves that feel both familiar and somehow different. Smooth in places where I remember scars.
“Hey,” I pause, running my thumb along her shoulder where a faint mark used to be. “What happened to—”
“I don’t know.” Her eyes widen, like she’s just noticing too. She looks down at her arms, her expression confused. “The chamber… maybe whatever happened there…” She trails off, touching her own skin with wonder.
Then she takes my hands, guiding them over her body with a confidence that catches me off guard—moving with a certainty I’ve never seen from her before.
