Page 350 of Legacy
We part just slightly, noses brushing, his breath warm against mine.
“I never wanted to shoot you, don’teverask me to do that again,” I whisper. “I could never.”
“I know,” he says instantly. No hesitation. No doubt. “But Adriana… I would die for you. A million times over.”
I shake my head.
But he holds my face still, gently, like the truth needs to be placed directly into my bones.
“Yes,” he whispers.
“Me for you. It will always beme for you.”
His thumb brushes my cheek. His voice doesn’t break, but it bends around the weight of it.
“You are the single most important thing in my life.Nothingcomes before you, Adriana.”
Another kiss. Slow. Fierce.
“You’re my peace. My redemption.My life.”
He holds me for a while.
Not speaking.
Notmoving.
Just water and heat and his hands pressed against my back like he’s trying to keep me from slipping through the cracks.
When I finally start to shiver, he shifts.
Stands with me, wrapping a towel around my body with care.
Another towel runs through my hair—clumsy and tender—and he kisses my temple when I flinch from the cold.
He dries me off in silence.
Then slips one of his shirts over my head.
It smells like him. Feels like safety.
I don’t even realize he’s put on sweats until we’re under the covers, until he’s holding me close, his chest warm against my back, his arms wrapped around my middle like he’ll never let go again.
He presses soft kisses to my face—cheeks, temple, jaw.
Over and over and over.
Until a laugh escapes me, breathless and unexpected.
His whole body stills.
I turn my head, and his eyes are on me, shining, wrecked and full of wonder.
Like that laugh just stitched something back together in him.
He brushes my damp hair from my face and presses one last kiss to my brow.
“I’m taking a step back for a few weeks,” he says softly. “Santo’s going to handle the day-to-day.”
