She moved toward him, each step deliberate.

  “I don’t care if Greyson would be angry, if my father would forbid it. I don’t care about any of it.” Her eyes never left his. “Because I love you. I have loved you for years, through every moment you thought you were protecting me, through every secret you kept, through every touch you held back because you thought it was for the better.”

  Callum’s jaw clenched at her words, almost as if he couldn’t believe she was saying them. That she still felt the same way after all these years.

  Lira had never stopped loving him. Not for a single second. Her heart, her body, her soul had ached for him. Had mourned for the love lost to a man that was too afraid to love her back.

  She was close enough to touch him now, but she didn’t. Not yet. Not until she’d said everything she’s been waiting to voice for five years.

  “I’m not some fragile, breakable thing. I don’t want to be touched like I might shatter at any moment,” she continued, the words flowing now. “I’m a woman in a system designed to grind us down into nothing, to strip us of our worth and dignity and rights. I’ve survived that system and it didn’t make me weak or submissive, it made me angry. So fucking angry that sometimes I can barely breathe through it.” She paused for only a breath and straightened her shoulders. “Women are the backbone, the foundation, the immovable force that still does not falter when men stand on our spines to grab power. So no, Callum, I am not fragile. The cracks in my soul aren’t broken places. They are veins cemented together with rage. And it will take more than the hands of men to kill my spirit, to break my will.”

  She finally reached for him, her fingers curling around his wrist, feeling his pulse race beneath her touch. “I don’t need your protection. I need your honesty. I need your trust. I need all of you—the ruthless club owner, the kind man I know you to be, the rebel informant, all of it.”

  The silence that followed felt electric, charged with a potential that had been building between them for years. Callum’s eyes traveled over her face as if seeing her for the first time—really seeing her, not the mask she wore for the Heart, not the girl that he needed to protect, but the woman who had survived and grown stronger in her scars.

  Callum’s hand came up slowly, hesitantly, to cup her cheek. The touch was different now—not careful, not controlled, but honest in its vulnerability.

  “You’re the only thing I’ve ever wanted,” he finally said, his voice hoarse, the words unpolished. “The only honest part of me is what I feel for you.”

  For a moment, the words hovered between them, trembling and alive. His voice, always a careful instrument, was stripped raw now. There was no calculation, no performance, no attempt to charm or deflect. He sounded almost boyish, almost frightened, as though in articulating the depth of his feelings he might be consumed by it.

  “Lira, you—” He took a steadying breath. “I don’t deserve you. After everything I’ve put you through I don’t deserve you, and I know that. But I need you to know that you are the reason I keep fighting, the reason I believe there might still be something in this world worth saving. Because if someone like you can exist, if someone as kind and fierce and fucking beautiful as you can still stand tall after everything you’ve endured, then maybe there’s still hope for the rest of us.”

  Lira’s body felt like it was floating somewhere above her as she listened to his words. His thumb brushed over her cheekbone, wiping away a tear she hadn’t realized had fallen.

  “I am in awe of you. In awe of your resilience, your intelligence, your capacity for love in a world that has shown you so little of it. You are a goddamn force of nature, and I am just a man lucky enough to stand in your presence.”

  Lira felt her eyes burn, her throat tightening.

  “I don’t want to hide from you anymore,” he breathed, his eyes never wavering from her gaze. “I don’t want to pretend I’m anything less than completely, desperately in love with you. I want you to know me—all of me, even the parts I’m ashamed of, even the parts I thought would make you turn away. Because you’re right. You’re not fragile. You’re the strongest fucking person I’ve ever known. And I trust you with my truth, with my heart, with everything I am.”

  He leaned forward, resting his forehead against hers. Their breaths mingled, their lips a hairsbreadth apart.

  “I love you,” he whispered again, the words a vow, a prayer. “I will always love you, in this life and whatever comes after. You are my beginning and my end, Lira Serel, and I am sorry.” He took a shuddering breath. “I am so sorry for not telling you that five years ago, for wasting so much of your time.”

  In that moment, with those words and the last light of day fading around them, Lira felt something she’d stopped believing in long ago. Hope.

  “I love you, Callie.”

  * * *

  THOSE FOUR WORDS SEEPED into Callum’s chest and his lips crashed against Lira’s before he could second guess himself, before the habit of restraint could reassert itself.

  The kiss held none of his usual careful control—it was desperate, hungry, years of wanting poured into a single point of contact. Her mouth opened beneath his, her fingers tangling in his hair, pulling him closer with a strength that challenged his own. Gone was the delicate touch he’d always used with her, replaced by the raw need he’d kept leashed for so long.

  His hands found her waist, pulling her against him with an urgency that matched the racing of his heart. Callum’s lips devoured hers, a hunger breaking free after years of starvation. He’d imagined this moment countless times—dreamed of it, ached for it—but reality eclipsed fantasy in ways he couldn’t have predicted. The soft gasp that escaped her as he backed her against the wall sent lightning through his veins.

  Five years. Five fucking years wasted on noble intentions and misplaced protection.

  He lifted her, hands sliding beneath her thighs as her legs wrapped around his waist. The weight of her, the heat of her body against his, felt like coming home after a lifetime of exile.

  “Lira,” he breathed against her lips, reluctantly breaking the kiss to look at her. He needed to see her face, needed to know that this was real—she was real—and not another torturous dream he’d wake from alone and aching. “Are you sure?”

  Her eyes met his, pupils dilated with desire, her lips swollen. The sight of her like this—disheveled, wanting, looking at him with such raw need—made his knees weak.

  “I’ve never been more sure of anything,” she whispered, her fingers working frantically at the buttons of his shirt, impatient, demanding.

  He captured her mouth again, unable to resist the pull of her any longer. His shirt fell open under her touch, her fingers trailing fire across his chest, exploring each ridge and plane of muscle as if committing him to memory.

  Callum carried her toward the bedroom, unwilling to separate from her even for the short distance. The apartment blurred around them—the luxurious furnishings, the security screens, the evidence of his double life—none of it mattering now. Only this moment, only Lira mattered.

  The bedroom door hit the wall with a bang as he kicked it open, not caring about the mark it would leave. The last rays of sunset filtered through the windows, bathing the room in golden light that caught in her hair, illuminating it like a crown of fire. He laid her gently on the bed, his eyes never leaving hers as he shrugged off his shirt and tossed it aside.

  “You’re beautiful,” he murmured, drinking in the sight of her sprawled across his sheets, her hair fanning out around her like a dark flame against the fabric. “So fucking beautiful it hurts to look at you sometimes.”

  Callum’s hands stilled on her hips. The trust in her gaze made something twist inside him. After everything—the secrets, the distance, the years of half-truths—she still looked at him like he was worthy of her. Like he was something more than the blood on his hands and the lies on his tongue.

  “What is it?” she asked, pushing herself up on her elbows. Concern had begun to replace desire in her expression, and he couldn’t bear it.

  “I’m afraid,” he admitted, the words scraping his throat raw. “Afraid that once I have you again, I’ll never be able to let you go.”

  “Then don’t,” she answered simply and the last of his restraint shattered.

  Callum surged forward, her mouth clashing with his as he pressed her back into the mattress. His hips ground into hers instinctively as he groaned against her mouth.

  The dress she wore became an enemy, a barrier between him and what he craved. His fingers found the zipper at her back, dragging it down with a sound that seemed impossibly loud in the quiet room. The fabric parted beneath his touch, revealing inches of soft skin that he immediately claimed with his mouth.

  He pressed his lips to each new expanse exposed—the soft curve of her stomach, the delicate arch of her ribs, the swell of her breasts.

  When he finally pulled the garment over her head, his breath caught in his throat. The fading light cast shadows across her body, highlighting every curve, every dip and hollow. His fingertips traced the edge of her bra, feeling her shiver beneath his touch.

  “I’ve dreamed of this so many times,” he confessed, his voice rough with desire as he unhooked her bra with ease, sliding it down her arms. “But nothing I imagined comes close to how perfect you are.”

  Her breasts spilled free, and Callum couldn’t resist lowering his head to taste her, his tongue circling one nipple while his fingers teased the other. The sound she made—half gasp, half moan—sent a jolt of pleasure straight to his cock, already hard and straining against his pants.

  “Callum,” she breathed, her back arching, pressing herself more firmly against his mouth. Her fingers tangled in his hair, holding him to her as if afraid he might stop. “God, that feels so good.”

  He switched his attention to her other breast, lavishing it with the same care, drawing another breathless moan from her lips. His free hand slid down her stomach to the waistband of her underwear and slowly dragged them down.

  “I want to worship every inch of you,” he murmured against her skin, pressing kisses along the valley between her breasts, down her sternum, across her stomach. “I want to learn every sound you make when I touch you here—” His fingers dipped between her thighs, finding her already wet. “—and here.”

  Lira gasped as his fingers slid through her folds, circling her clit with teasing pressure. “Please,” she whispered, her hips lifting to meet his touch. “I need you.”

  He slid her underwear the rest of the way down her legs, his eyes never leaving hers as he tossed it aside. She was completely bare before him, a feast for his senses that he intended to savor.

  “You’re so wet for me,” he said, his voice bordering on a moan as his fingers explored her, finding the places that made her breath catch, that made her tremble. “Tell me, my love, how many times do you want to come?”

  Lira gasped at the question, but didn’t answer. He pressed harder on her clit, and a deep moan rolled from her lungs.

  “I want you to tell me,” he breathed, bringing his lips to her ear and nipping at her lobe.

  “Three,” she forced out, her voice thin and breathy.

  Callum chuckled then pushed a finger inside her. “Only three? We can do better than that.”

  “Oh God.” Her moan was ragged as it fell from her lips. “F-five,” she gasped, greedily pushing her hips toward his hand.

  Callum grinned against her neck at the sound of her pleasure, dragging his lips to hers and kissing her deep and hungry before pulling away. He lowered himself between her thighs, pressing kisses to the soft skin of her inner legs, slowly working his way higher. When his mouth finally found her center, the taste of her exploded across his tongue and he groaned against her, the vibration making her gasp and buck against his mouth.

  Callum took his time, licking and sucking, his tongue tracing patterns that had her writhing beneath him as her hands fisted in the sheets. He slid another finger inside her, curling them to hit the spot that made her cry out his name.

  “That’s it,” he encouraged, watching her face as pleasure transformed her features. “I’m going to worship you like you deserve.”

  Her eyes locked with his, dark with desire, her lips parted as her breathing grew more ragged. He could feel her tightening around his fingers, so close to the edge. He increased the pressure of his tongue against her clit, his fingers moving in rhythm inside her.

  “Callum.” His name was a cry torn from her throat as she shattered, her body arching off the bed, her walls clenching around his fingers. He didn’t stop, working her through the waves of her orgasm until she collapsed back onto the mattress, trembling and breathless.

  His lips did not leave her.

  They stayed, tasting every bit of her essence, refusing to drag himself away. He was going to make this last, to make up for every year he had gone without the taste of her on his tongue. Her heels dug into his back as her thighs trembled around his head. Each gasp and moan she made drove him wild, feeding a primal need to pleasure her until she couldn’t remember her own name.

  “Callie,” she gasped, her fingers tangling in his hair, pulling almost painfully as her second orgasm approached. “Oh fuck, I can’t—”

  “You can,” he murmured against her slick flesh, replacing his tongue with his thumb so he could watch her face. “Give me another one, Li. Let me see you come apart again.”

  Her eyes flew open, locking with his as her body tensed. The vulnerability in her gaze, the raw trust as she allowed herself to be completely undone before him—it nearly broke him. His cock throbbed as she cried out, her back bowing, her thighs clamping around his hand.

  “That’s two,” he said, his voice rough as he crawled up her body. He captured her mouth, letting her taste herself on his tongue.

  Lira’s hands fumbled with his belt, her movements urgent and clumsy with post orgasmic bliss. “Too many clothes,” she complained against his lips.

  Callum chuckled, helping her remove his belt before standing to shed his pants and briefs. Her eyes widened as his erection came free, hard and straining toward her.

  “See what you do to me?” he said, returning to the bed. “Five years, Lira. Five years of wanting you, of aching for you. Of never touching another woman.”

  She reached for him, her fingers wrapping around his length. The feel of her hand on him after so long nearly brought him to his knees. He groaned, his head falling back as she stroked him, her touch tentative at first, then more confident.

  “I need you inside me,” she whispered, her voice dripping with desire. “Please, Callum.”

  He gently removed her hand, pressing her back into the mattress. “Not yet,” he said, his lips finding her neck, trailing kisses down to her collarbone. “I promised you five, remember?”

  Before she could protest, his mouth was on her breast again, his tongue circling her nipple as his fingers returned between her thighs. He worked her slowly this time, building her pleasure with patience, savoring each gasp and shiver.

  When he felt her body clench around him, he shifted lower, replacing his fingers with his mouth. Her taste was even richer now, her arousal coating his tongue as he licked into her. He groaned against her, the vibration making her hips buck against him.

  “Oh God,” she gasped, her nails biting crescents into his shoulders. “Callum, I-I’m going to—”

  He redoubled his efforts, his tongue flicking rapidly against her clit as he slid two fingers inside her, curling them to hit the spot that always made her scream. Her third orgasm crashed through her with such force no sound came out of her mouth as her lips parted in a silent scream, her body convulsing beneath him.

  Callum didn’t stop, didn’t give her time to recover. He kept his mouth on her, his fingers moving inside her, relentless in his pursuit of her pleasure. Her fourth orgasm followed quickly on the heels of her third, a breathless, keening sound escaping her as her body tensed and released.

  “Come here,” she said, breathlessly reaching for him, and he couldn’t resist her call if he tried.

  He rose above her, his cock pulsing with need as he positioned himself at her entrance. He stared down at her, one hand stroking himself as the other dragged up her stomach, feeling every inch of her skin.

  “I could look at you forever like this—”

  “If you don’t fuck me right now, Callum Thane,” she interrupted, her voice a delicious mix of command and plea, “I swear I’ll never forgive you.”

  He grinned at her, and Lira’s answering smile was so pure, so breathtaking, it healed every piece of his heart he’d broken when he’d walked away from her.

  “I love you,” he whispered, the words still new, still precious on his tongue as he pushed into her slowly.

  Callum watched her face for any sign of discomfort as he filled her, the sensation overwhelming—tight, wet heat enveloping him inch by inch, her body yielding to his in perfect surrender. He paused halfway, gritting his teeth against the urge to thrust fully into her. It had been so long, and she felt so perfect around him.

  Lira sighed, her body arching into his as she wrapped her legs around his waist, urging him deeper.

  “Fuck.” The word was a groan tearing from his throat as he sank completely into her. For a moment he remained perfectly still, closing his eyes to keep from ending it all too soon as she gasped into his neck.

  Callum forced his eyes open as he began to rock into her, slow and deep, savoring each stroke. His forehead dropped to hers, their breaths mingling in the narrow space between them. Her eyes remained open, locked with his—a connection more intimate than their joined bodies. In those dark blue depths, he saw everything he’d ever wanted.

  “I’m so fucking in love with you,” he murmured, brushing his lips against hers.

  “Show me,” she whispered back, and Callum snapped his hips forward at the command.