He wasn’t trying to control this.
He wasn’t trying to own the problem or make it disappear.
He wasn’t telling me who to be or what to feel.
He was standing beside me—seeing me—and believing I could survive it.
Something in my chest cracked open—something I’d buried years ago because it hurt too much to carry.
He was still looking at me like that. That hadn’t changed. The intensity. The way he focused on me like I was the only thing in the room. For the first time since everything fell apart between us, I didn’t feel like something temporary in his life.
I felthis.
My pulse stumbled.
I want him back. I want him to be mine again.
I wanted to feel his skin and the shape of his lips and his weight over me.
I wanted all of it.
My insides went weak for him all over again. There was no more lying to myself about this—about how much he still meantto me. Having him here again sent something blazing through me, consuming every rational thought. He was so close, our eyes still locked, and I swore I could feel his hands on the bare skin of my back, feel his breath ghosting against my mouth—the heat of him searing through the space between us, turning my world into an inferno of need.
I’d never felt this way about anybody. Not since him, and there was no after him. Not for me.
His hands were still on my face, his soft lips parted just slightly, and his thumb swept across my cheek. My hands acted without permission, sliding up the warm line of his neck, finding the gap in his shirt. That small stretch of skin that had been teasing me for weeks felt even better than I remembered.
Sebastian didn’t flinch. He leaned into it—into me. Our faces were only a breath apart.
“Thank you, Ash,” I said into the space between us. “For believing in me so much.”
“Always, my darling.”
My tongue darted over my lip, and his gaze flicked down, fireworks bursting behind my ribs.
Kiss me. Please, just fucking kiss me.
He softened into it, his forehead coming to rest on mine, his nose brushing gently over my own. My fingers dug into his skin, and he hummed, pleased. It felt like we’d gone back in time, like the rest of the world had vanished. Just us, nothing stopping us from falling back into the comfort of it.
His lips hovered a breath away from mine, my body already arching into him?—
And the sound of the door opening shattered the spell.
“Hey! Heads up,” Henry called from the doorway.
Sebastian and I jerked apart, our hands dropping, but our eyes stayed locked. His were a little wide.
“Ash is—” Henry stopped short when he saw us, still on the kitchen floor. “Here.” His gaze bounced between us before settling on my face. “Are you okay?”
I was probably still flushed and tear-streaked. I dragged my hands down my face and straightened.Pull it together.“No, actually,” I said. “Do you think we could talk?”
Henry’s attention sharpened, the surprise draining from his expression.
Sebastian shifted beside me and rose first, offering a hand. I took it, letting him pull me up.
“What’s this about?” Henry asked.
My eyes drifted to Sebastian. He gave me a tiny smile as his hand landed on the small of my back, giving me a bit of courage.
