He walks slowly toward me, then takes my face in his hands. “The end of you havin’ to work for a monster. The end of you tyin’ sheets together and disappearin’ after a night with me. The end of anything that doesn’t make you happy or keep that beautiful smile on your face.”
He kisses me softly, cradling my head. It’s deep and slow and achingly sweet, the kind of kiss that could make you fall in love.
I pull away with a little gasp.
“Don’t run away,” he says, his voice soft and earnest. “Promise me you won’t ever run away from me again.”
My heart thrums like the beat of a hummingbird’s wings inside the cage of my chest. “You know they say promises are made to be broken. Let’s not tempt fate.”
He finds my mouth again, takes it like he owns it, like all of me belongs to him and always wi
