“And you owed me a promise, Dorian.”
He says nothing but something flickers behind his eyes—a shadow I can’t name. He takes one step. That’s all.
And suddenly, he’s so close, I feel the heat of his body bleeding into mine.
I inhale his skin, his cologne—dark, musky, infuriatingly familiar. I forgot how easily he could hijack my senses.
A shiver snakes through me and I try to take a step back. But he pulls me in.
His left hand closes around my waist—firm, irrevocable. With his right, he brushes along my wrist, tracing the inside of my palm like he’s trying to read a story that’s long since faded.
I blink and feel the air thickening with memory, with fury and longing.
Then he leans in and his lips find mine.
I should stop him. I want to stop him. But I don’t.
And I hate myself for leaning into it.
The kiss is desperate. Not just lust and memory. It’s loss and ache. It’s a scream trapped between two mouths.
One hand tangles in my hair, pulling me closer. The other anchors me at the waist, like if he lets go, we’ll both disappear.
His mouth is demanding. Unrelenting. His tongue slides between my lips, stealing my breath. He kisses me like he’s been starving for years.
“Mine. You are mine,” he murmurs.
And just like that—the spell breaks.
No.
He has no right to say that. Not that promise—I thought was forever.
I place my hands on his wide and strong chest, feeling way too familiar, and I push him with everything I have.
His hands fall away and his gaze stumbles.
“Not anymore,” I say with a cold voice and harsh look.
He doesn’t understand and I will not explain.
I turn and walk away as fast as I can.
“Della, wait!” he calls, stunned.
But I don’t turn. I need to be away from him.
So, I start running.
Tears blur my vision and my legs barely hold. Each step down the stairs echoes like a drumbeat in my skull.
* * *
I barely make it to the hotel.
The door shuts behind me like a final line drawn between what was and what now is.
In the bathroom, I strip off my clothes and step into the shower before the water even has time to warm. The icy spray hits me like truth.
