Alexis lifted the earrings, the emerald depths stretching for miles in the light. Twisting them, she touched the silver edges in wonderment. “I didn't think I'd ever see them again.”
I didn't mention that I was glad she didn't throw them away when the post office worker tried to give them to her. I'd had to go retrieve the gift from him myself.
Curling my fingers around her wrist, I urged her closer. One by one, I clipped the earrings into place onto the perfect shells of her ears.
“How do they look?” she asked, cupping one.
“Much nicer than they did in a glass case.”
The fringe of her smile started to fade. “You hung onto these for weeks, why give them to me now?”
“Well,” I said, bending my knee to the floor. My insides flipped with how wide her eyes became, and the “o” shape of her mouth flushed me with desire. “I wanted to make sure that they matched perfectly with this.”
Withdrawing the ring from my pocket, I held it between us. The silver metal glinted, green emeralds made nearly black by the clarity of the diamond between them.
“Silver...” She whispered my name like a prayer.
Taking her left hand, I teased my fingers over her palm. “Marry me, Alexis. Come with me to LA and let me give you the life I stole. You wanted the big city dream, you wanted to explore your career and find who you were. Do that with me a your side. With me... as your husband.”
Alexis—my beautiful woman, my perfect pet—jumped to her feet. The chair fell over, clattering on her scuffed kitchen floors. My heart sank into the deepest part of my being. Is she going to say no?
Her whole arm trembled when she lifted it. I still held the ring, but I thought she was imagining it on her bare finger. “What about your company here?”
“I can find someone to run it. I said before, I own others. I'll even open a new one in Los Angeles, you can design outfits for it—whatever you want.”
“And you think that will help me find out who I really am?”
Fuck, I could feel my pulse all the way in my throat. “I do. And if not, I'll find out what will, and give you that.”
“Stop,” she said firmly. Leveling her eyes on me, she blinked as if she'd never seen me before. “Marriage, a dream career I gave up on forever ago? You don't need to do any of that for me. I might have missed out on the life I'd planned... but I already know who I am.”
Leaning closer, I stared up at her. “Then tell me.”
Alexis collapsed forward, a force that was soft as spring wind and as solid as an oak tree. Cradling my jaw, she pressed her nose to mine. “I'm yours,” she whispered. “That's plenty enough for me.”
Shutting my eyes, I breathed inward. She's mine. Forever mine.
“But,” she said, glancing down at the ring I held. “If it's no difference to you, I think I could handle being your wife, too.”
Grinning, I thumbed her chin and made her look at me. “Is that a yes?”
She held out her hand, energy coming off of her in droves. It fueled me, my skin burning as I slid the ring into place. When it settled, we both gasped from the sudden burst of sharp static.
In a daze, she asked, “We're actually moving to LA?”
“If it's what you want.”
“I think... yeah. Yes,” she laughed. “I'd really like that.”
Caressing her cheek, I tugged at her lower lip with my teeth. “I've loved you since the moment I knew you, Pet.”
She brushed her own mouth, tracing where I'd touched. Her eyes were half shut. “Once I knew who you were... really were, I fell in love with you, too.”
Our experiences had been so different. And still, so similar.
Broken people shouldn't fit together with anyone. Our pieces are wrong, we can't mesh, and if you try to force us, we'll just damage the rest of the puzzle.
But when I'd met Alexis, darkening her life, I'd also darkened mine. Together, we'd become each others source of light. I could say without a doubt in the foundation of my soul, that there had never been a love like ours. It was the kind that came from pain, from fear, from destruction.
Only true love could have survived such torment.
And only true love could have won over my ruined heart...
While also healing hers.
––––––––
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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A USA Today Bestselling Author, Nora Flite loves to write dark and filthy romance (especially the dramatic, gritty kind!) Her favorite bad boys are the ones with tattoos, the intense alpha types that make you sweat and beg for more!
Inspired by the complicated events and wild experiences of her own life, she wants to share those stories with her audience.
Born in the tiniest state, coming from what was essentially dirt, she's learned to embrace and appreciate every opportunity the world gives her.
She's also, possibly, addicted to coffee and sushi.
Not at the same time, of course.
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-Nora Flite