Page 89 of Rose
“It’s bad that you crave me,” she said, thinking he was still hung up on what she said before.
He didn’t correct her, just nodded slowly. “So what is it we need to talk about?” His thumb pressed into the arch of her foot. His voice was patient. Measured. Purposeful.
“I won’t fuck or talk to Kiyan anymore,” Ahzii said, her voice flat but her heart tangled. “But that just meansyou’retaking his place in my life.”
Savior didn’t flinch. Didn’t blink. He just kept massaging her foot in that steady, patient rhythm, then pressed a soft kiss to the top of it.
“I don’t do this,” she added quietly. “And I don’t want to.”
He finally looked at her, eyes still soft, still open like she hadn’t just laid a brick wall between them.
“Do what, Allure?” he asked, like he genuinely wanted to understand.
“The emotional attachment,” she said, voice cracking just slightly. “The intimate gestures. The slow kisses. The goddamn beach talks. I get that you want to heal me,feel me—whatever the fuck you were saying last night—but I can’t be healed, Savior. I’m not ready to give you what you want, and I don’t want to lead you on. I’m too far gone, and if this is more than just sex with no strings, then this needs to be the last time we see each other.”
Her tone was cold, controlled—but her insides were wild. Fear. Grief. Desire. Hope. All fighting for air in the same drowning chest.
Savior paused… then simply said, “Okay.”
Just like that.
No fight. No argument. No ‘fuck that, you’re mine.’ Just one word.
And it wrecked her.
She blinked, confused and lowkey pissed he didn’t say more. That he didn’t chase her words with that same fierce energy he usually gave. She wasrelieved, yeah, but also… aching.
“That’s it?” she asked, brows furrowed. “No boundaries? No terms?”
He didn’t answer right away. Just reached forward and pulled her into his lap. She straddled him instinctively, his hands anchoring her hips like he knew she wouldn’t run far.
“Now you ready to hear mine?” he asked.
Ahzii nodded, unsure why her chest suddenly felt like it couldn’t hold all the air it needed.
Savior lifted her chin, made her look him dead in the eyes.
“I’m not stoppingshitwhen it comes to you,” he said, voice low and firm. “You want the dick? You got it—whenever you ask. But I’m still gonna court you. Protect you. Provide for you. And one day, love you like a husband should.”
Her breath caught.
“You can fight it. Be cold. Push me away. Tell me you’re too broken. I don’t care. I’m not leaving,” he continued. “You ain’t gotta give me all of you right now. I’ll be patient while you heal, while you grieve, while you fight your own demons. But I’m still gonna be there—holding your hand while you do it. Every scar? I’m standing right beside you while you patch it. And I’m kissing that shit when you’re done.”
Her throat tightened, and for the first time, she had no words.
“When you break down, I’ll be your storm shelter. When your past tries to bury you, I’ll be the motherfucker digging you out,” Savior whispered. “So yeah… you can call it just sex. Give me attitude. Tell me you don’t believe in love. That’s fine. I’m still not stoppingshitwhen it comes to you.”
Ahzii sat frozen in his lap, her heart damn near clawing through her chest.
This man wasn’t chasing her.
He wasrootedfor her.
“Say all that now…” she muttered, trying to keep her composure. “Wait till you see how deep these scars go. You’ll stop trying eventually.”
Savior smirked darkly, then brought his hand down hard on her ass with a smack that made her jolt.
“I’m not trying to save you, Allure,” he said with that deadly softness only he could pull off. “You’lldo that on your own.”
