She doesn't pull away or tell me to stop before it goes that far. She just wraps her arms tighter around my neck and pulls me into a deep kiss. "Then do it. I want to be tied to you."
I watch Zora as she hits her peak, her body reacting to the intensity of the lock. Her back arches and her chest heaves as she lets out a long cry that echoes off the cabinets. She shakes under me, her release hitting in waves that clench around the knot in a tight grip. I lose my hold a second later, my body tightening as I come deep.
I collapse against her, my face buried in the soft curve of her shoulder. The knot holds me inside her while the initial rush of the release fades into a steady, pulsing heat. We stay like that for a long time, locked together in the middle of the half-finished clinic while we wait for the swelling to go down. The honey and vanilla of her scent is thick in the air, mixing with the pine and mint coming off my skin.
Zora reaches up and runs her fingers through my hair, her touch light and comforting. She pulls my head back so she can look at me, and I notice the small tears gathering in the corners of her eyes again. I reach out to brush them away. "Did I hurt you? We can move to the chair if the table is too hard."
She shakes her head as a real smile tugs at the corner of her lips. She runs her thumb over my cheek, her touch lingering on the stubble of my jaw. "I am not crying because of the table, Micah. I realized something when I was spiraling earlier."
I wait for her to continue, my heart doing a different kind of thud against my ribs while I wait for the knot to recede enough for us to move. "What did you realize?"
She looks at me with an intensity that makes my breath catch in my throat. "I love you, Micah. I think I have loved you since you were the one to suggest rub on tattoos when we were kids and you figured out I had face blindness."
I can’t help but laugh.“I’d make a tattoo permanent now for you.” I lean down and kiss her forehead, my eyes stinging with a heat I wasn't expecting. "I love you, too."
She pulls me back down for one more kiss. We are still in a half-finished building with forty-two kids waiting for a home, but as I hold her on the exam table, the world feels small enough for us to handle together. I pull her closer as my knot shrinks enough to allow me to pull out of her, earning a groan from her.
I help her back into her silk shirt, my fingers still a little shaky as I work the buttons. We have a lot of work left to do before the technician arrives, but the heavy silence between us has finally been replaced by something that feels like peace. I watch her as she fixes her hair, the gold-blonde curls framing her face in the afternoon light.
Zora looks over at the desk and the files that started the whole spiral. She doesn't look afraid of them anymore. She takes my hand and squeezes it tight. "We can do the rest of the intake together. I don't want to make these choices alone anymore."
I kiss the back of her hand and lead her toward the desk. "You never have to be alone with any of it. We're here for you in any way you need."
Iadjustthecuffof my shirt. The humidity inside the Sunflower Center is thick enough to ruin the press of my suit, but I ignore the heat. This old strip mall is slowly transforming into a sanctuary, though the echo of its retail past still lingers in the high ceilings and the wide glass storefronts that once housed a discount clothing store. I search for Zora and find her in the main hallway, her gold-blonde hair caught in a shaft of afternoon light that makes her look like a saint in cargo pants. She is pointing at a blueprint with the lead contractor, her posture commanding in a way that I am still trying to get used to.
I wait until the contractor walks away before I approach her. I keep my hands behind my back to avoid the urge to reach out and straighten her collar. I can feel the distance she is keeping between us, a cold pocket of air that has persisted for months. I clear my throat, letting the deep resonance of my voice catch her attention. "I have news regarding Roman. The legal team finally received the medical confirmation this morning."
Zora turns toward me, her brown eyes searching my face for a clue as she wipes a smudge of dust from her cheek. Shedoesn't move closer, but she stops fidgeting with the rolled-up blueprints in her hand. "Is he finally going to trial or is he still claiming he is unfit for the proceedings?"
I take a half-step forward, making sure to respect the boundary she has drawn with every subtle shift of her body. "He has been admitted to a psychiatric hospital indefinitely. The doctors determined he is a danger to himself and others. He will not be coming anywhere near you or this building ever again."
She lets out a long, shaky breath, and her shoulders drop an inch. The relief is visible in the way her hands stop trembling, but she doesn't run to me. She doesn't offer the hug I was secretly hoping for when I woke up this morning. She only nods and looks back at the hallway she has been rebuilding with her own sweat. "Thank you for telling me, Reid. I am glad that part of my life is finally over for good."
I want to say more, to tell her that I will always make sure he stays locked away, but the look on her face stops me. She turns back to her work without another word, leaving me standing in the middle of a dusty corridor like a discarded piece of scaffolding. I feel like a stranger in a world I helped build for her, an outsider looking through a window at a life I no longer control.
I head toward the front entrance where the sound of metal clicking against stone echoes through the lobby. Dameon is on his knees, his short dirty-blonde hair covered in a fine layer of white dust that makes him look older than he is. He is focused on a circular pattern on the floor, carefully pressing tiny shards of yellow and amber glass into a bed of white mortar. The mosaicis starting to look like a massive sunflower, the petals spreading out toward the heavy glass doors. He picks up a small pair of nippers and trims a piece of orange ceramic, his movements precise and patient. I stand near the door and watch him for a moment. He looks more at home here with a bucket of grout than he ever did in the corporate office or standing guard.
I lean against the doorframe, my voice tight with a frustration that I can't seem to shake. "She is still treating me like a business associate. I told her Roman was put away and she barely even looked at me."
Dameon doesn't look up, his focus remains on a jagged piece of glass he is trying to fit into the center of the flower. "You are still trying to manage her, Reid. You walk around here like you own the air she breathes, and you wonder why she doesn't want to be near you."
I stop leaning and glare at my brother. "I have spent my entire life making sure she is safe. I provided the funding, the security, and the residency at The Nest because I wanted to protect her from everything that could go wrong."
Dameon lets out a low, dry laugh and finally sits back on his heels. He wipes a streak of mortar across his forehead with the back of his hand, his forest-green eyes scanning my face with a bluntness that stings. "You aren't protecting her anymore. You are trying to hold her in a cage and calling it a sanctuary. She isn't the scared little girl she was back then. She is the Director of this center, and she doesn't need a manager to tell her when and where it is safe to breathe."
The words hit me with a force that makes my chest tighten. I think back to the way I manipulated her sponsorships and always stood in the background of her life, while we obtained a fortune worthy of her. I thought I was being the hero, but I realize now that I was stealing the victory of her survival. I wasmaking her success about my ability to provide, rather than her ability to lead.
I look toward the back of the building where Zora is still working. She looks powerful and certain, a woman who doesn't need a savior anymore. I have been so focused on being the mastermind that I forgot to be a man she could love. I turn back to Dameon. "How do I fix it if she won't even let me in the same room for more than five minutes?"
Dameon picks up another piece of yellow glass and inspects the edge. "Surrender the control. Stop being the boss and start being someone she actually wants to spend time with. Walk back there, ask her on a date, and let her pick the place for once."
I take a deep breath and push off the wall. The smell of sawdust and exhaust is heavy in the air as I walk back through the building. I find Zora near the back exit, her hands on her hips as she inspects a newly installed door. I stop a few feet away and wait for her to notice me.
Zora turns and raises an eyebrow, her expression guarded but curious. "Did you forget something, Reid?"
I shove my hands into my pockets, feeling the lack of a script for the first time in years. "Would you go on a date with me tonight? You can pick the place."
She watches me for a long time, her gaze searching for the hidden catch in my voice. Eventually, a small smile tugs at the corner of her lips. "I will go. But only if there's no business talk and you don't complain about the lack of valet parking."
