Or maybe I was just tooscaredto admit it.
I leaned closer to the mirror, tracing the edge of my crimson lipstick.It was the same shade I wore the night I first met Henry.I remembered how he couldn’t seem to look away from my mouth, like every word I spoke might undo him.I’d be lying if I said I didn’t wear it tonight hoping for the same reaction.
My heart gave a nervous skip at the thought.
The rest of my makeup was soft.Barely-there eyeliner.A hint of blush.Subtle shadowing around my eyes.
The woman staring back at me didn’t look like Victor’s carefully curated doll.She looked like someone real.Someone reclaiming herself one small rebellion at a time.
I smoothed the hem of my thigh-length sweater dress, the knit fabric warm against my skin, and tugged on my knee-high boots.Two things Victor hated.Two things that made me feel…free.
When I stepped into the hallway, the air carried a faint scent of cedar that would always remind me of Henry.The penthouse was modern and polished, all stainless steel and glass.Beautiful in a way that felt distant.Lonely.Like a place designed for someone who didn’t expect to be cared for and didn’t trust himself to want it.
But I saw beneath the mask.Saw him for who he truly was.
As I emerged into the living room, my heart stuttered at the sight of Henry standing in front of the window, dressed in dark jeans and a charcoal button-down with the sleeves rolled just enough to reveal the muscles in his forearms.
He was silhouetted against the darkened sky, the city lights below burning like the fires of some underworld kingdom.For a heartbeat, he looked like something mythic.Like Hades himself.Commanding.Solitary.The King of Shadows watching over the souls below.Haunted by things no one knew.
But when he turned and saw me, everything changed.
Heat sparked in his eyes as they traced the line of my body.Like he was trying to take me in all at once and failing because there was too much he wanted to look at.
It struck me that I’d never worn anything but yoga pants and pajamas around him.Sure, he’d seen me draped in the designer gowns Victor clothed me in, but that wasn’t who I really was.
“Is this okay?”I asked nervously, gesturing at my dress.
He crossed the room in three purposeful strides, stopping close enough that I could feel the heat coming off him.He tilted my chin, his eyes dark and reverent.
“You look fucking amazing, Ariana.”
Warmth bloomed in my chest, spreading outward.
“But you could wear a paper sack,” he added, his thumb brushing the corner of my jaw, “and I’d still find you beautiful.”
A nervous laugh slipped out of me.“That might be a little itchy.I’ll stick with the sweater dress.”
“Lucky me.”His mouth curved into something bordering on wicked.Then he stepped back, and a chill washed over me from the lack of touch.“You ready?”
I nodded, not trusting my voice, and he helped me into my coat, a simple gesture that felt intimate in a way I hadn’t expected.Then he led me out of the penthouse and into the elevator.
When we reached his dark SUV, he opened the door for me, helping me in.It didn’t escape my notice that his gaze lingered on my legs longer than one would consider platonic.
And I certainly enjoyed having his eyes on me.
As he pulled out of the garage, the hum of the city surrounded us — horns, tires on asphalt, the pulse of the Atlanta nightlife.As much as I claimed to hate the isolation of the Maine cabin, then the farmhouse, I couldn’t help but feel like everything here was too loud.Too intrusive.Too many possibilities for danger.
“You’re safe with me,” Henry said, threading his fingers with mine and squeezing, as if able to sense my thoughts.
I gave him a grateful smile, this one gesture relaxing me.“Thank you.”
But unlike before, he didn’t release his hold on me.He kept my hand in his throughout the twenty-minute drive, not letting go until we pulled up to a gated driveway and he lowered the window to enter a code into the box.
After the gate sprung open, granting us access, Henry steered the SUV down a long drive, parking in front of a stunning colonial before jumping out to open my door with a quiet urgency that made me smile.It was such a little thing, but I loved the effort he went through just to open my door.
Victor never did.
He always had his driver open my door, even when we were dating.Hell, there were times Victor couldn’t even be bothered to walk me to my door.
