Esme - POV
His lips claimed mine—slow, tender, deliberate. Each kiss spoke of unspoken emotions, as if his mouth were a balm, soothing wounds I hadn't even realized were still open. His fingers moved with aching patience, slipping beneath fabric, undressing me layer by layer. I helped him out of his jeans, breath hitching as his intense blue eyes stayed locked on me. That look—possessive, reverent—made me ache in the most delicious way.
"Ember," he breathed my name like a prayer, one hand cupping my cheek, his gaze piercing straight through me. There was pain in those eyes, real and raw.
"I'm sorry I ended the life of the man who hurt you," he murmured, voice low and thick with emotion. "I only wish I could erase everything he did to you… all the pain."
Words escaped me. My chest rose and fell with every ragged breath as his fingers ghosted over my lower lips, a touch so gentle it made my heart race.
