Page 124 of Scars Run Deep

And that part was touching what looked like a hand above that was radiating light and warmth. Strength.

I sucked in a breath as I saw the tattoo of a black rose being strangled by thorns spread over the hand-like imagery. It was my tattoo. It was me.

I stepped back and spun to Asher.

“You understand?” he asked, eyeing me curiously.

He actually looked more than curious.

I couldn’t believe it, but it was nervousness.

He was actually worried about my reaction.

More shocking than that was what he’d put on the line here with this painting.

He was expressing how he felt—about me.

“You’re the blur.”

“Blur,” he said, his lip curling with amusement, before it died a quick death and he walked up right into my personal space and told me earnestly, “Killian was wrong with what he said during his outburst a few weeks ago.”

“He usually is when he’s venting. It’s okay.”

“It’s not,” he said, vehemently. “You’re not my servant. You’re not a toy to me. You’re not a thing to manipulate, not a weapon to wield.” He reached out and cupped my cheek, the tender gesture making me suck in an uneven breath. “You’re much much more than that. Everything in that painting and more. I couldn’t even capture the full breadth of it. You hold me to this plane. You’re with me even through the worst of it all, through the worst of me. You tether me to my fucking sanity, to my humanity.”

“You’re saying… you mean… you love me?”

His eyes softened, his whole demeanor did.

It was only brief, before he composed himself, afraid of exposing himself, of floundering in the vulnerability for more than those few seconds.

But the fact that he’d done it at all, and for me, was the biggest fucking deal ever.

And it was confirmation.

A confession.

He just couldn’t speak the actual words.

As he went to pull his hand from my face, I snagged it.

Our gazes clashed.

“I’ve loved you for a very long time. I can’t even remember when it first started.”

A massive weight left me at finally putting those words out there after so fucking long.

“I know. I know, sweetheart.”

Fuck, I couldn’t believe this was actually happening.

Emotion welled in my eyes and I hated it but needed it at the same time.

Asher startled the fuck out of me yet again when he chased away a couple of stray tears with the pad of his thumb.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry I couldn’t… but I need to… I need to be this… this thing.”

“I get it.”

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