Page 135 of The Broken Keys

“Take your time.” I glance around as she leaves my sight.

She has candles around the room, so I light them. It’s not dark out, so I’m not sure what good it’ll do, but I want this to be special.

So many years of wanting her.

Fuck. I hope I don’t let her down.

I sink onto the edge of her bed and try not to think about anything but her. Years of dreaming about this moment and it’s finally here.

She emerges wearing a black lace lingerie set and her hair pulled into a messy bun. She’s so fucking beautiful in that devastating way that makes my chest ache.

“Fucking hell, vixen. You’re killing me.”

“I guess that means you approve.” She climbs onto the bed and straddles me.

“More than approve.” I slide my hands up her thighs, absorbing the heat of her skin.

She leans down and captures my mouth with hers, kissing me with an urgency that makes my entire body respond. I flip us over so she’s beneath me, caging her in with my arms.

Her breath comes in quick gasps as I trail kisses down her neck, her collarbone, and the valley between her breasts.

“Callum…” My name on her lips is all it takes to pull me under.

I move back to take her in. I wanna remember every part of this—those blue eyes dark with want, her lips swollen from our kisses, and her chest rising and falling with each ragged breath.

She’s perfect, and she’s mine. For now, she is, and she wants this.

“Lily, I need you to know something.” I brush a strand of hair from her face. “I’ve loved you since the second I first saw you. Nothing about that has changed. Not the years apart, not the mistakes I made, not anything.”

She reaches up and cups my face in her hands. “I believe you, and I think we should make up for lost time.”

Chapter Twenty-Eight

LIVIANNA/LILY

Now

The Warmth That Doesn’t Quite Reach Me

I cling to how safe this feels, even as something inside me starts to shake without a name.

The way Callum is staring into my eyes tells me everything I need to know. He loves me. My insides grow warm, love seeping into every cell of my body.

“Callum, I love you.”

“I love you, too.” He lowers his mouth to mine.

His tongue slips between my lips in a way that makes me believe he’s asking for permission. I pull him closer, my hips rolling to entice him.

He breaks the kiss to stare at me, and something in his expression makes my breath catch. There’s hunger there, but also reverence, like he’s trying to memorize every detail of this moment.

His palm slides over my skin, careful and worshiping, but when his fingers brush over my left ribs, I wince. The bruises are healing, but they’re still tender.

“Did I hurt you?” Concern floods his features.

“No, I’m fine. Just a little sore.” I pull him back down to me. “Don’t stop, Callum. Please.”

He searches my eyes for a long beat before kissing me again, this time with a controlled intensity that makes my toes curl. His mouth moves down my throat, across my collarbone, and lower.