I push the button, and a chime rings overhead. After a second, I hear a deep voice, not one I recognize, and the door swings open.
“Um, hi?”
“Wow. Now, this is a big fucking surprise,” Dyson says. “Speak of the devil.”
He steps aside, and behind him is Louis. Davis, the guard who’s been shadowing him around the palace, stands at his shoulder.
Louis’s smile widens, and then he rushes toward me. His arms wrap around me and lift me off the ground before I can say a word. My sandals dangle in the air, and I grab a fistful of his shirt as he buries his face in my neck. A sob escapes me, and I don’t care because he’s here and he’s holding me so tight that I can barely breathe.
“I told you I’d come for you,” he says against my skin, peppering kisses.
The promise brings me right back to that moment where I was screaming until my throat was raw. The truth is, knowing how his mother is, I wasn’t sure I’d ever see him again.
“I didn’t know if you would be able to.” The words come out broken.
“I willalwayscome for you.” He sets me down, but doesn’t let go, his hands sliding up to cup my face. His thumbs brush away the tears streaming down my cheeks, and his eyes are red-rimmed and glassy. “Always. Do you understand? There is nothing anyone can do. I will cross every ocean they put between us. I will?—”
I kiss him because I can’t wait another second.
His mouth meets mine, and the sound he makes is somewhere between a groan and a sob. His hands slide into my hair, and mine grip the front of his shirt, and we kiss like we’re trying to crawl inside each other. He tastes of coffee and exhaustion, and when I press closer, I can feel his heart pounding against my chest.
We break apart just long enough to breathe, and then we’re kissing again, slower this time, deeper. His forehead presses against mine, and we stay there, sharing air, neither of us willing to pull away.
“I thought I’d lost you,” I whisper.
“Never.” He kisses the corner of my mouth, my cheek, the tears still wet on my skin.
I press my face into his shirt and breathe in cedar and sandalwood. It’s the scent I’ve been missing, along with his touch.
“I can finally breathe,” I say against his shirt.
His arms tighten around me. “Me too.”
We stand there in Dyson’s doorway, holding on to each other whilethe rest of the world waits. I don’t know how long it is before someone clears their throat behind us.
“This is incredibly touching,” Dyson says.
Louis pulls back but keeps his arm around my waist as he guides me into the penthouse. The door closes behind us, and I catch a Basquiat over the fireplace, appreciating his taste. Davis is standing near the windows with his hands clasped behind his back, like he’s still on duty. When he sees me, his posture relaxes, and he gives me a small nod.
“Miss Cross.”
“Davis.” I smile at him through the tears still drying on my cheeks. “Thank you for helping.”
His face goes red. “It was my honor.”
Louis reaches into his pocket and pulls out a black credit card, pressing it into Davis’s hand. “You’re off duty. Indefinitely. Go see a Broadway show, eat somewhere expensive, sleep until noon.”
Davis stares at Louis. “Your Highness, I couldn’t possibly?—”
“You can, and you will.” Louis claps him on the shoulder. “That’s an order. You helped me get back to her. The least I can do is make sure you enjoy the city.”
“You’re more than welcome to stay here,” Dyson offers. “There’s plenty of room.”
Davis looks at me, then at Louis, then down at the card. A slow grin spreads across his face. “I’vealwayswanted to seeHamilton.”
“See it twice. See it all.” Louis squeezes his shoulder. “No limit.”
Dyson crosses his arms and leans against the counter, picking up a coffee mug. He looks relaxed but somehow still exhausted. “So, what’s the plan? Because Patterson will stop by here at some point and ask. I want an answer for him.”
