His mouth touches mine and the first thing I feel is relief. Pure, flooding, bone-deep relief, like the first full breath after being underwater too long. Then heat. My fingers curl into his thick hair, gripping, pulling him closer as his fingers slip to the nape of my neck and even that light touch sends a wave of desire through me that I feel in the pit of my stomach and lower.
Dimly, I realize we are kissing in my workplace. In the middle of my shift, with a road map spread on the table beside us and a yellow sticky note pressed between my palm and his heart.
A clap starts up from somewhere behind me. Then another from a different area of the dining room. Soon, it’s the whole damn place, thundering with applause and hoots and cheers.
I open my eyes and spy Lisa high-fiving Hal on the other side of the room. A laugh bubbles out of me, despite the fact that Alec is still kissing me. He pulls back just enough to look at me, his breath warm on my lips. His hand leaves my hair and reaches into my apron pocket.
He finds the scarf and draws it out slowly, and when he loops it around my neck, I feel the weight of every mile between this moment and the last time he put it there. He traces the edge of the silk where it rests against my collarbone.
“This belongs to you,” he murmurs. “And so do I. Always, if you still want me.”
“Yes, Alec. I do. I’ve never stopped wanting you.” I nod and laugh through the tears still wet on my face and pull him back to me.
He kisses me again, softer this time, slower, like we have all the time in the world.
And we do.
We finally do.
EPILOGUE
ALEC
Aweek later.
The hallway outside the poker room smells of leather and aged wood and whatever obscenely expensive candle The Retreat burns in its wall sconces. I’ve walked this hallway hundreds of times over the years, usually alone, usually with my phone in one hand and glass of whiskey in the other.
Tonight the only thing I’m holding is Ella’s hand, warm and soft in mine. Her steps slow beside me and she pauses to smooth her skirt and adjust the scarf around her neck.
“You look amazing,” I tell her. Because she does. Black dress, strappy heels that make her legs look fantastic and bring her petite height up at least three inches. And that scarf. The turquoise silk is bright against her creamy skin, the painted sea turtle adding a touch of whimsy that’s pure Ella.
My Ella.
“I feel like I’m about to audition for acceptance into a secret society.”
“You’re not far off.” I chuckle, leaning close to press a kiss below her ear. “Don’t worry. They’re going to love you.”
She grins and slips her hand back into my grasp. Her fingers are warm. My chest is quiet. My pulse is steady andunremarkable, and I’m aware of that fact the way I’d notice the absence of a sound I’d stopped hearing. Something that used to hurt and doesn’t anymore.
I open the door.
The room is exactly as I left it a month ago. Mahogany paneling, crystal chandelier throwing amber light across the green felt, leather chairs occupied by men I’ve known for over a decade. The hand is mid-deal. Wyatt is shuffling. Brad is leaning back with his arms crossed. Gabriel sits with his usual stillness, reading the table. Damien is smiling, which still hasn’t stopped being strange.
And Finn is drumming his fingers because the man is incapable of sitting still. His sandy-blond hair catches the low light, his greenish-blue eyes already locked on the doorway before I’ve fully stepped through it.
“Look who decided to rejoin the living,” he says, giving me a crooked smirk.
“Beckett.” Brad spots us next. His ice-blue gaze moves from me to Ella and back, and a slow smile of acknowledgment lessens his usual glower. “Good to have you back.”
“Gentlemen.” I pull out Ella’s chair before taking my own. “This is Ella.”
Everyone greets her, and she responds with her usual warmth and authenticity. More than one of my friends give me subtle nods of approval.
“The woman who put Alec flat on his ass in the hospital,” Finn adds, winking as he welcomes her. “He can’t stop talking about you.”
“Technically, his own stubbornness put him in the hospital,” Ella replies, settling into the chair like she’s known this crew for years. Comfortable. Ready to work the room. “I just gave him a reason to finally notice.”
Wyatt laughs first. A short, surprised sound, like he wasn’t expecting her to come out swinging. Brad’s grin widens. Damien nods once. Quiet approval. He’s been where I am. He knows the terrain.
