Page 56 of Collide
I hover for a second, nerves buzzing beneath my skin.
Then he pats the space beside him.
“Don’t tell me you’re shy, Älskling?” he teases.
“Älskling?”
“It’s darling. In Swedish.” He winks.
I blush.
The endearing nickname catches me off guard—the way it rolls off his tongue so smoothly, it melts straight through the cracks in walls I’ve spent years holding up.
I let out a nervous breath and settle in beside him, close enough that my thigh brushes against his.
Alex shifts slightly, turning his body toward me, waiting.
I clear my throat, pressing my palms against my knees for grounding. “I rarely do private concerts.”
A smug grin tugs at his mouth. “I guess I’m special, then.”
I shake my head, but a smile curls at my lips.
Closing my eyes briefly, I take a deep breath and let the melody settle before letting it spill out into the quiet space between us.
The words come softly at first, a breath above a whisper, before finding their strength.
I don’t hold back.
I sing with all of it—the ache, the longing, the love I’ve never quite known but have always dreamed of.
The moment is weightless.
By the time I finish, the room is silent except for the faint hum of rain against the window.
I open my eyes.
Alex is staring at me.
Not just watching—he’s completely lost in me.
His usual cocky smirk is gone, replaced by something almost dazed.
“Elena,” he breathes, his voice hoarse, reverent.
His fingers twitch, like he wants to touch me, but isn’t sure if he should.
Then he does.
A gentle brush of his fingertips against my jaw, his thumb tracing my cheek.
“That was…” He stops himself, shaking his head slightly, as if struggling for words.
Before I can respond, before I can overthink it?—
He pulls me into his lap and kisses me—deep, consuming. I straddle him, arms locked around his shoulders, sinking into the heat of him.
I lean into the kiss, savoring the taste of him.
