Page 194 of Tag

I let her pull me with her, the two of us moving to the other end of the bed and wordlessly slipping beneath the comforter like we’d done a hundred times before, bodies fitting together like muscle memory. Like every night we’d spent apart had been a mistake, the universe was finally correcting.

It was only when she shifted closer that her fingers brushed my hand.

She paused.

Brows pulled in, lashes low as her hand reached again—more deliberate this time—curling gently around the bandaged skin. Her thumb ghosted over the edge of it like it might unravel if she pressed too hard.

“What happened?” she asked, her voice thick with sleep, soft and serious.

“Nothing bad,” I assured her.

Her eyes narrowed a fraction. “Rye—did you do something?”

I held her stare, the lie itching behind my teeth, begging to be swallowed whole. I couldn’t give it to her. I pulled my wrist from her grasp and brought my hand to her face instead, cupping her cheek with the same palm she’d been cradling.

“I promise I’m not in trouble,” I said quietly. “You don’t need to worry.”

She didn’t answer right away.

Just stared at me, her lips parted like the words were there but stuck, caught between suspicion and trust. Like she was chewing over whether to push or let it go.

Eventually, she chose the latter.

She scooted closer. Her leg slid over mine. Her hand slipped beneath my shirt, fingers spreading wide across my ribs like she was trying to anchor me there. Her nose brushed the curve of my neck, breath warm against my skin.

She inhaled.

Breathed me in.

Her lips grazed my throat—just the faintest touch, soft as a sigh—but it scorched through me like fire.

My jaw flexed. Eyes slammed shut. Her breath fanned over the place her mouth had touched, and I swore.

“Did you just shower?” she asked, running her fingers through my hair.

“Yeah.”

She studied me then. Her brow pinched. Eyes narrowed slightly, like she was trying to read a page she already knew by heart—but the words were changing.

“Where were you all night?”

“Out with everyone.”

Too simple.

And dismissive, far more than I ever wanted to be with her. It was the best I could give her right now. You didn’t casually tell your girl you were out killing in her honor. That had to be handled with care and finesse later down the road.

“Rye…”Her voice came softly. Hesitant. “I love you. Okay?”

Fuck.

Three words. That’s all it took to get me to my knees. I’d never get tired of hearing her say them. Not when they came out like that—unarmed, unguarded. All that fierce loyalty wrapped in something that still made my chest ache.

“You love me, Sass?” I asked, my voice dropping to a rough whisper.

I could see the walls she’d built, the ones she’d been hiding behind for so long.

They were crumbling, falling apart right beneath me. I wasn’t stopping until they were dust. I knew better than to think it’d all be easy. Her mind was a maze of memories and second-guessing, but right then, she wasn’t holding back.

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