His expression ranges from frustration and anger at the choices I’ve made to a spine-tingling flash of affection—Caelian’sversion, where his square, chiseled features are still tense but the care he has for me breaks through.
And I see the love in his gaze. It’s still hidden under his hardened exterior, the part of him that’s more beast than man, but it’s alive and stronger than ever.
He’s in love with me.
In the seconds leading up to what happens next, I begin wondering if I’ve failed to understand just how much.
Caelian has reacted the way he has because he was deeply wounded. He was heartbroken that the woman he loves, the wife he thought would be by his side, had abandoned him. He’s held the grudge for weeks because he still believed his feelings were unrequited.
Despite my protests and pleas, he convinced himself it was all lies. Not if I could so easily abandon him.
The snow globe—and the key I’ve kept hidden inside—is the proof that’s finally pulled him out of his betrayal-induced fog. He sees it now; he understands what I’ve done and the choices I’ve made. Though he doesn’t agree, he’s realized it means one thing.
I love him too. I’m not just his wife. I’m his life partner and Iwantto be.
“Fuck,” he swears. Then he reaches for me, snatching me toward him, lifting me up ’til I’m aligned with his mouth. He plants a fierce kiss on my lips that immediately knocks the air out of me.
It’s happened so fast I’m caught in the surprise of it all.
For a few lost seconds, Caelian unloads his hot passion on me by way of his kiss, and I can only luxuriate in how good it feels. His demanding lips on mine. His giant hands gripping and squeezing my thighs. The roughness of his kiss as he takes what he wants from me and I’m left panting, trying to keep up with him.
“Fuck,” he repeats between a few more kisses. He’s driven mad with need, kissing my lips and jaw. He grabs a handfulof my hair and angles my head just how he wants it for his deepest, hungriest kiss ever. His tongue quickly lashes at mine, a rumbling noise starting up from inside his chest.
Caelian kisses me until I’m borderline lightheaded and my lips are numb.
Then he pulls away and pins me with the kind of intense stare that makes me feel like the only woman alive.
The angel of his dreams.
He’s marveling at me as he strokes his thumb against the curve of my cheek. The movement’s slow and reverent like he’s checking I’m real and can be touched.
“Fuck,” he says for the third and final time. Then he rests his brow against mine, his breaths heavy. “I love you, Nevi.”
I rest my hands on his rock-hard shoulders and nuzzle my face to his. “I love you too, Cael. Please forgive me.”
“Don’t ever do that shit again,” he says. “Do you understand, Nevi? If you want me alive, then don’t give my fucking broken heart that barely works that kind of pain… alright?”
A small smile tugs at my lips. My hand drifts lower ’til I can feel his heart pounding under the muscled wall that’s his chest. “It’s not broken. It’s still beating.”
“For you, mia bella ballerina.”
SIXTEEN
Nevaeh
We almost breakthe bed in Caelian’s guest room. I’m tilted the wrong way, my face down, my backside up. As my fingers bunch into the duvet, my toes point in the air.
Caelian slams into me with the force of a beast charging full speed. The result is the bed frame scraping forward, the headboard banging against the wall.
My body quivers, tingling from the intensity of it all.
I don’t even know how we’ve gotten here. The last few minutes have blurred from heavy kisses and petting to me fisting at the duvet, screaming into the expensive sateen fabric. I’m riding a wave, feeling like I’d fly away if not for my tight grip on the duvet.
Caelian’s an unstoppable force. All gleaming muscle and protruding veins and endless stamina.
I catch our reflection in the mirror hanging on the wall. My pussy tingles at the lewd sight, my heart beating even faster.
I’m bent over, bared completely to him, pinned down as I’m taken from behind. My eyes are glazed over and my mouth’sslack, my expression dreamy like I’ve been drugged. Caelian reflects as the primal beast he becomes in moments like this, where he’s caught his prey and he’s in the middle of feasting.
