“More than,” Ani said, her voice softer now and edged with something he couldn’t quite place.
Then she shifted in her seat, crossing her legs slowly, deliberately. Raffi stayed quiet a moment, his pulse kicking up as he waited to see if she’d share what was clearly on her mind.
Then she did.
“I have an IUD, you know.”
His breath caught, sharp and immediate.
Damn. All right then.
Raffi had frozen, and he knew Ani could feel it in the way he was holding her hand. He tried to be relaxed, but it wasn’t working.
“And, um,” he said, concentrating hard on keeping his voice steady, “why are you telling me this?”
“Just in case,” she said, her voice smooth, dripping with meaning, “this piece of information might be interesting to you.”
Oh God. She was ready.
Heat shot through him, sharp and dizzying. Every muscle in his body went tight, his pulse hammering in his throat. He wanted to play it cool—really, he did—but the way she was looking at him? The way she’d just said that?
Jesus Christ.
Well, he’d been prepared in case this blessed day should somehow arrive.
He swallowed hard, forcing himself to breathe and not completely lose his mind. “I have something to offer in return, in that case.”
“Oh?”
“That I’ve got a clean bill of health over here. I haven’t so much as glanced at a woman besides you since we met.”
“Is that right?” she asked, smirking.
“Chris and I went out sometime in March, and all I could think was, none of these women were you. That was the problem with them. Not Ani.”
Her smirk deepened. “And yet it took you forever to kiss me.”
His hand slid along her arm, the feel of her sending shivers down his spine. “Far too long,” he murmured. “I’m not wasting any more time.”
Raffi shifted gears, punched the accelerator, and got them to his home in record time.
Once parked, Raffi dashed to open Ani’s door, picked her up by the bottom, and carried her upstairs to his bedroom.
He gently sat her on the bed and she blinked at him, clearly surprised he didn’t immediately pounce. God knew he wanted to—had wanted to for months—but instead, he crossed the room.
“I have something first,” he said. “It’s nothing big. Just…I wanted to give it to you now.”
Raffi grabbed a black gift bag from atop his dresser and handed it to Ani. She tilted her head, curious, as she reached inside. She pulled out a small photo frame—brushed silver and gold—and stared at it.
It was them. The second time they met, at Ô. Right where the dome now stood. Caught in that split second when they were looking at each other, like the rest of the world had gone a little blurry.
“I know we have a number of selfies,” Raffi said, suddenly self-conscious, running a hand through his hair. “But this one…this felt like the moment I knew, or started to know.And we’re lucky enough to have it captured, so, I just wanted you to have a copy. I’ve got my own here, too.”
He gestured toward the photo’s twin, sitting by his nightstand.
Ani choked up. “I remember this. The way you looked at me. I—I’d forgotten the photo even existed until now. I love it.”
“I want you to know that almost from the very start, I felt you were special.”
