Chapter 30

I turned my head to look at him, my eyes meeting his in the dim light of the room. There was a tenderness in his gaze that I hadn’t seen before, a softness that seemed at odds with the brutality of our lovemaking. Those stormy green eyes that usually held such intensity and danger now regarded me with a gentleness that made my heart flutter in my chest.

He reached out and pushed a stray lock of hair from my face, his touch gentle. The sensation of his calloused fingers grazing my skin sent a shiver down my spine. I didn’t think I would ever get enough of him. “You okay?” he asked, his voice low and raspy, the sound resonating deep within my very being.

I nodded, still trying to catch my breath and gather my thoughts. My body hummed with satisfaction, every nerve ending alive and singing from his touch.

A small smile playing on my lips. “I’m more than okay.”

His smile mirrored my own, and in that instant, everything else faded away. The world beyond these walls vanished, leaving only the two of us, intertwined and lost in the depths of each other’s eyes. It was as if an invisible thread had woven itself around our hearts, binding us together in a way that transcended simple desire or lust. We were two shattered pieces, jagged edges fitting perfectly to create a whole that was both perilous and intoxicating.

Our breaths synchronized, and the silence of the room was only broken by the occasional creak of the old wooden floor beneath us. I traced the contours of his chest with my fingertips, feeling the rise and fall of each breath, the steady thrum of his heartbeat beneath my touch.

“Haides?” I murmured, my voice barely above a whisper.

He turned his head to look at me, the green in his eyes coming more noticeable in the moonlight that streamed through my window. “Hmm?”

I hesitated, unsure if I was ready to hear his answer, but the question burned within me, demanding to be asked. “Why did you come back to me? After everything… why did you choose to return?”

He was quiet for a moment, his gaze fixed on the ceiling above us. I could feel the tension in his body, a coiled spring waiting to be released. Then, with a sigh that seemed to come from the very depths of his soul, he spoke.

“I don’t know,” he admitted, his voice a low rumble that vibrated through my chest. “There were more reasons for me to keep hiding, to stay in the shadows where it was safe. But I couldn’t seem to let you go. It’s like… you cast a spell on me, Cora. Your words, they reached into the void and pulled me out, whether I wanted to come or not.”

I lifted my head to look at him, my eyes searching his for any sign of deception. But all I saw was raw honesty that made my heart ache.

The intensity in his gaze sent a shiver down my spine as he continued, his normally smooth voice slightly roughened with raw, unfiltered emotion. It captivated me, drawing me in like a moth to a flame. “I fell in love with your words, with the world you created, with the woman you are. And I guess… I just wanted to feel that same love in person rather than through the sterile ink on paper. I wanted to see if it was real, if you were real.”

His confession hung in the air between us, a tangible thing that wrapped around my heart and squeezed, constricting with an intensity that both thrilled and terrified me. I felt a surge of emotion well up within me, a swirling maelstrom of joy and relief and a love so fierce, so all-consuming, that it stole the very breath from my lungs. In that moment, nothing else existed except him and me and the words that still echoed in the space between us, reverberating through my very soul.

“Haides,” I whispered, my voice trembling with the force of my emotions. Tears welled up, stinging my eyes and blurring my vision as I gazed at him in wonder and disbelief. My heart felt like it might burst. I blinked rapidly, trying to clear my sight so I could drink in every detail of his face in this incredible, impossible moment. “I’m real. I’m here. And I love you, too.”

He turned to face me then, his gaze locking onto mine with a smoldering intensity that sent my pulse racing and my heart fluttering wildly in my chest. And as he leaned in to kiss me, his lips brushing against mine in a gentle, lingering caress that spoke volumes more than mere words ever could, I knew with absolute certainty that no matter what challenges or obstacles the future might hold, we would face them together, side by side. Our love was an unbreakable bond, a force that could withstand any storm. In his arms, I had found my home, my sanctuary, and my forever.