Page 83 of Bound By Crimson
“Don’t be sorry,” he said. But his fingers tightened possessively at her waist. “Just… don’t forget what matters most.”
“I won’t.”
She wanted to believe that.
She closed her eyes, letting his warmth surround her.
But for the first time since moving to New York, the success she’d once craved felt heavier than the silk sheets she curled beneath.
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Morning light spilled across the penthouse, soft and pale.
Lyric stirred under the heavy covers, the distant sound of running water pulling her from sleep.
For a second, she thought she had dreamed the tension from last night.
But the hollow ache in her chest said otherwise.
She sat up, blinking at the sunlight, just as Kai stepped out of the bathroom—towel slung low around his hips, damp hair curling against his forehead.
Beautiful. Untouchable. Hers.
He caught her watching and smiled, but a shadow lingered behind his eyes.
An unspoken tension stretched between them.
Without thinking, Lyric pushed the covers back, padding across the marble floors in bare feet.
She grabbed his discarded dress shirt from the night before, slipping it on like armor, the hem brushing her thighs.
Kai turned, tying his tie with precise, mechanical movements.
Lyric hesitated, then stepped into his space and took over—her fingers smoothing the fabric, straightening the knot against his chest.
His hands fell to his sides, letting her.
“I’m going to hire someone,” she said quietly, eyes locked on his tie.
“I swear. It’s just been… a lot faster than I thought. But soon… we’ll get away. Just you and me.”
Kai stilled.
For a moment, he only stared at her, his expression unreadable.
Then he cupped her face in his palms, tilting her head back until their eyes met.
“You mean it?” he asked, voice rough.
Lyric’s throat tightened.
She reached up, covering his hands with her own.
“I do.”
A slow, devastating smile broke across his face—the kind that used to leave her breathless.
He leaned down, pressing a kiss to her forehead, lingering like he couldn’t quite let go.
