Relief almost takes me to my knees. “Will you be mine again?”
The tip of his nose brushes over mine as his lips part in a soft breath. “I was always yours.”
“Can you truly love me again with everything I’ve done? The mistakes, the terrible choices, the… the leaving? The regrets? All the pain I’ve caused others that I could never atone for?” I tug him closer, hands shaking as I force myself not to look away. “These rotten parts inside me? Can you love them, too?”
His thumb swipes over my nape as he presses our lips together in the softest kiss. “The only regret I ever had was not fighting harder to find your truth. There isn’t a single part of me that doesn’t love every part of you.”
Any more words he might try to speak are swallowed by my kiss as I pull his mouth to mine. Fingers squeeze on my neck and in my hair, and Bash pulls my bottom lip between his as he eases my mouth open. Our tongues meet, but his hands are firm as I try to wrap myself around him.
The message is clear—this isn’t the time for more.
That doesn’t stop me from whining quietly into his mouth. He soothes me with a soft hum that vibrates between our lips, though he smiles into our kiss as I band my arms around his middle and grab his ass.
The world is on fire, but we burn hotter.
I hold on for another minute and relish the familiar feel of his mouth on mine and the flex of his body underneath me.A realization hits me, and I pull away at the pinch of mourning in my heart.
“What’s wrong?” he asks.
“Just me being selfish again.” I place my hand on his chest, staring at the vacant space on my finger. “My ring. We can’t go back to get it, I know that, but…”
Bash places his hand over mine, dragging his fingertips across my knuckles and through the dips between my fingers. “What if I told you I have it?”
“What?” I whisper.
His eyes lift to mine as he reaches into his pocket. “Ever since I found it in your bag, I haven’t gone anywhere without it.”
My mouth opens and closes a few times as I stare at the silver band pinched between his fingers. It’s imperfect, but that makes it special. It’s been through hell—forged from scraps and polished until it was turned into something meaningful. Something strong, that’s beautiful even with its hammered edges and uneven sheen.
It’s us, or what we used to be.
What we might be again.
“Can I have it back?” I whisper, reaching for the ring.
He pulls it away, shaking his head and tucking it into his pocket. Not on my finger where it belongs, but safe with him.
“You’ve always been so impatient,” he says with an affectionate, teasing smile. “We haven’t even had our second first date.”
“That wasn’t a no,” I point out.
Bash’s smile spreads the rest of the way, blossoming from cheek to cheek. “It wasn’t a no,” he agrees. “It was a not yet.”
“I’ll earn it,” I whisper as my fingertips drag along his thigh, tracing the shape of the ring beneath the denim of his pants.
Something devastating crosses his face. “You don’t have to earn it, Xen, and I don’t want you to feel like you don’t deserve this. You just have to be patient, okay?”
“I’ve never been good at that.”
He breathes a laugh at my admission. “Yeah, princess. I know.”
He kisses me once more before he pushes us off the wall, stitching our fingers together even though we’re only walking down the hallway.
“Come on,” he says. “We have some planning to do.”
Bash
“Thisisgoingtobe awesome!” Sakane rubs his hands together with excitement that borders on manic. “A wild entourage chasing us from the gates as we speed off into the night.”
