The gate’s hinges creaked; footsteps pounded behind me. A hand grabbed the doorknob before I could. I whirled, finding myself wedged between a firm chest, that mysterious paper sack, and an unforgiving door.
I should’ve shifted that cleaver and driven the blasted thing into his gullet, give him another nasty scar to remember me by.
Too bad I still loved him.
His face became his own, from the tiny scar across his nose to the squareness of his jaw and point of his chin. Eyes I’d drowned in searched mine. “You may have nothing to say to me, but I have plenty to say to you.”
My elbows rammed into his chest when I crossed my arms. Maybe I’d be chopping someone up today after all.
His voice dropped, leaving the hairs on my neck standing on end. “Before you left, you asked if I still love Leesha.”
I shook my head against the words curling around my throat, tightening like a noose.I still love Leesha.I still love Leesha. I still love Leesha. “I can’t do this.” I couldn’t stand here and listen to him say words meant for me and me alone.
He adjusted his hold on the sack, freeing one hand to caress my cheek. How pitiful of me to want to lean into his touch. “Please. Let me get this out.”
I rolled my lips together to keep from saying what I really wanted.
“You asked me if I still love Leesha. I didn’t know how to answer then, but now I do.” His throat bobbed when he swallowed. “The answer is yes. I still love her.”
He came all the way here to crush my broken heart beneath the heel of his boot? Why couldn’t he leave me be? At least give me some time to get over him.
Oh, who was I kidding? He was it for me. The be-all, end-all. I would never find another love like him.
His thumb grazed my chin, applying the slightest pressure, urging my gaze to his. “I love her with the heart of a nineteen-year-old boy who had never known kindness or compassion. Who was naïve and young and hopeful.”
His hand slipped around the nape of my neck as he eased his forehead against mine. It wasn’t until the soft fan of his words caressed my damp cheeks that I realized I was crying. “But I love you, Aveen, with the heart of a man who has lived for centuries in the dark. A part of me will always love her, but the rest of me is yours.”
My fingers wrapped around his collar, leaving brown stains on the white material. “I really should hate you.”
The corner of his lips lifted. Those dimples of his flashed. “Think of all the effort that would take. Why don’t you love me forever instead?”
I would love him forever no matter what. Although we didn’thaveforever, did we? After the wedding, I would be gone. I couldn’t bring myself to tell him the truth about my bargain with Caden and ruin this joyous reunion. There was no telling how he would react.
What if he changed his mind? Sure, he loved me now, but what if he realized Leesha was who he truly wanted? Rían leaned forward. Before his mouth could capture mine, that paper sack knocked against my stomach, and my curiosity won out over the lust clouding my mind. “What’s in the bag?”
“What bag?” he asked, his tongue sweeping his lips, his gaze transfixed on my mouth.
I tapped the package. He blinked down at it as if only now noticing its presence. “Oh, right. I brought you a peace offering.” He pressed the gift into my arms.
I loosed the twine tied around the top and withdrew…a small blue pot of dirt. “You got me dirt?” Definitely not what I had expected, especially from someone who loathed dirt.
“Your favorite,” he said with a crooked smile. “And if you water your dirt and give it sunlight, maybe you’ll find another surprise.”
I hugged the pot to my chest, loving it even more.Not just dirt… “You got me a flower?”
His finger traced along the beveled edge of the pot. “I considered purchasing a bouquet from the market, but those flowers would die, and you deserve something as alive as you make me feel. So I spoke to Oscar, and he told me how to plant this so it should bloom come spring.”
“It’s perfect. You know how much I love dirt.”
He took the pot and set it on the stoop. When he stood back up, he finally closed the distance between us. “Almost as much as you love me,” he murmured, his lips grazing mine as if memorizing their shape with his own.
“Almost as much,” I agreed, slipping my hands around the back of his neck and pressing my body to his. Perhaps I shouldn’t have forgiven him so easily, but I was going to forgive him eventually, and today seemed as good a day as any. We needed to steal this precious moment before yet another dark cloud rained on our happiness.
His molten tongue set fire to my own with each scintillating stroke. Our kiss was a greeting. A reminder. A promise.
The doorknob rattled as Rían fumbled for the handle and pushed the barrier aside. We stumbled into the dim living area, both of us refusing to break our connection. I wanted to breathe him in, to take his essence into my body and lock it away for when we were forced to part.
The door slammed closed. The possessive way his fingers dug into my hips left my heartbeat quickening.