I raise a finger, tracing her jawline. “It’s only really living if it’s with you.” My lips ghost over hers, sparks flying.
“But…” Her voice tightens, emotions swirling.
Shock. Fear. Sadness.
And something else.
Awe.
“Josephine—”
“How could you make that decision for both of us?” Her voice catches.
“How could I not? You’re what I need.”
“But, Ash?—”
“This is what I want. All I want.You.”
“That’s a lot to put on a person,” she huffs, tears spilling over her lower lashes.
“Maybe, but it’s my sacrifice to make,” I say, rubbing away her tears with my thumb. I pull her close, breathing in her sage and honey. Savoring my mate, even the melancholy vibrating through her.
“Smile,” I whisper.
“How can I under the circumstances?”
“Nothing has changed.”
“Everything has,” she counters, raising her face to meet my gaze.
“Only in the best way.”
“How can you say that?”
“You’re my fate. I’d never run from it. From you.”
She doesn’t speak, but her throat works once.
I snag her chin, lifting her eyes to mine. “I’ve waited a long time for this. Please be happy. Smile.”
She inhales slowly, the corners of her mouth barely tipping up.
“Smile,” I tease, brushing her lips. “Or I’ll have to make you come again.”
“Oh, will you?” she says, voice seductive. But not as seductive as the smile she finally gives me.
She relaxes in my arms, tears wetting my chest. I stroke her hair, bearing it with her. Soaking up her pain and chasing it with my contentment.
Until her mind relaxes, and I explore.
My throat tightens as I taste her emotions. She narrates their meaning. The moment she first saw me at the ranch. The curiosity when she noticed the silvery shimmer of my tattoos.
Her desire at the petroglyphs. My hand slides lower, savoring her curvy form beneath the blanket, letting her feel me worship her.
Peace settles.
A stillness so complete it feels like prayer.
