Page 189 of The Obedient Lie
“And if we ask for a color,” he added softly, “and you can’t speak? If you freeze or go quiet—we pause.”
He pressed a kiss to the side of her head.
“We wait. Until you can. There’s no rush, angel.Ever.”
Her lips parted slightly, but no sound came out.
So I cupped her jaw, tilting her face up.
“You don’t owe us anything,” I murmured. “Not your yes. Not your body. Not your bravery.”
She blinked hard—eyes glossy, wide.
“You won’t disappoint us for needing care,” I added, my thumb tracing her cheekbone. “You’ll never let us down for saying stop. We’llthankyou for it.”
Luca nodded, his forehead resting gently against her shoulder. “Because when you stop,” he whispered, “we don’t see failure. We seetrust.”
She inhaled sharply, her breath stuttering, and I felt her chest rise beneath my hand.
Still no words.
But something deeper cracked open in her face—something vulnerable and beautiful and so fiercelybraveI nearly dropped to my knees.
I reached for her hand—the one she always curled against her stomach when she was unsure.
Lifted it slowly.
Kissed each knuckle like a vow.
Then I turned her wrist over and pressed my mouth to her pulse.
It jumped under my lips.
Andfuck, I loved her.
We didn’t want her for just tonight.
We wanted herforever.
I looked up into her face, and my voice broke on the next words.
“Our worst fear is pushing you past what you can take.”
I said it because it was true. Every inch of it.
“Hurting you… it wouldn’t just ruin this. It would fuckingkillus. Okay?”
Luca moved in again, one hand on her waist, the other curling around her shoulder as he kissed the side of her head.
“Words, baby,” I said, my thumb brushing beneath her eye. “We need you to say it.”
She looked at us—reallylooked at us—and I could see it.
The fear. The courage. Thechoice.
All of it flickering across her face in one breathless second.
And then she nodded.
