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Tried to pull back.

Tried to stop it.

But his arms tightened around me. Holding me closer. Keeping me there.

You’re safe here.

That’s what he always said.

Warm breath against my cheek.

His lips impossibly gentle.

And suddenly I understood why none of this felt familiar. Why nothing in my life had ever prepared me for him. Because I’d never done this before. Never. Not once. Not with anyone.

I was falling in love with him.

The thought didn’t arrive gently.

It arrived the way he did—taking up all the space, leaving no room for anything else.

“When you need, you come to me.” He murmured, his voice rolling through me. “Let me be that man, Nyssa.”

I closed my eyes as that wave of emotion moved deeper. “Then when you’re needing you come to me as well.”

He lifted his head. His fingers found my jaw, tilting my chin to him. “I’m not sure you understand what that means for you.”

“Maybe not.” I whispered. “But I’d like to find out.”

There was a twitch at the corner of his mouth. Then a slow, careful nod. The fear remained. So did the excitement. And somehow that felt even more dangerous.

Thunder snarled in the distance. The storm was easing, moving away from us. I exhaled, slow and even with the thought. The fire crackled. The sound soft, comforting, lulling me. But it was his arms where I felt it the most. A place I’d only dreamed of. A place I thought didn’t exist for me. Home.

Only this was his home.

His room.

His bed.

His absence from today pushed in.

He’d be tired.

Focussed.

Had I just… invaded that?

The warmth of the room changed as I became aware of this… and of me. I swallowed. Shifted underneath him.

“Maybe I should⁠—”

His arms tightened.

Barely.

“Stay.”

It wasn’t a command, or a plea. Maybe both. I let myself slip. Let the fall catch me. My eyes closed. Breath slowed. He wanted me here and not just for a night. He wanted me here for as long as I wanted it. Forever. Can I choose forever?