Page 150 of Chasing Sparks

“No, I need to apologize.”

Ori clicks her tongue against her teeth. “Go ahead.”

“He’s your brother?”

“Yep. Shocked the hell out of me, too. And if you hadn’t driven off like a lunatic, I would have introduced him as such.”

I wince, her words cutting deep. They’re deserved. “How much groveling is required to make up for my behavior?”

“Don’t worry about it.” She waves her hand dismissively and averts her gaze.

“But I am worried,” I insist. “I was an asshole.”

“Agreed.”

“And I want to make it good. Make us good.”

She sighs, her shoulders slumping. “We are.”

“No, we aren’t.”

“Ash …” Ori runs a hand across her brow. “We’re fine.”

Screw this distance.

I step behind the counter, moving closer to her. I wrap my arms gently around her waist, resting my chin on her shoulder.

“See, that’s the trouble,” I murmur. “Fine means we’re decent, tolerable, getting by. But I want us to be incredible. Amazing. Like we were in Florida, where there was nothing but the two of us. I replay those days over and over again.”

“Why?” she whispers, her voice barely audible.

“Because I miss you, Ori. I miss us.” I tighten my hold, the feel of her anchoring me. Despite her size, she makes me feel safe. “You know, it’s my birthday on Friday.”

“Don’t know if you’re getting a gift this year. You’ve been a bit of an ass.”

I chuckle softly, the tension between us easing just a fraction. “You’re all I want for my birthday.”

“Still an ass,” she mutters, but there’s a faint lilt in her voice.

For a moment, she leans into me, and I swear I feel her soften. It’s fleeting, but it’s there.

I glance at her hand, bare and delicate, and wonder if she’s ready for what I have planned. Hell, if I’m ready. But it doesn’t matter. I’ve already decided—she’s it for me.

“Still yours, too,” I whisper.

Her body stiffens, and she steps out of the circle of my arms. Her eyes shine with a raw pain. “Sometimes it’s easier not belonging to anyone,” she says quietly. “I think you had it right all along.”

The words hit like a fist, and before I can respond, she sighs and moves further away. “I have a headache, so can we talk tomorrow?”

Just like that, the vault on her emotions slams shut, and I know I have no one to blame but myself.

Like she said the other morning in the parking lot—baby steps.

Ori needs to be handled with care now, and that’s just what I’ll do.

I step to her side and brush her hair from her face, my fingers lingering against her cheek. Leaning in, I steal a tender, lingering kiss, gentle enough not to spook her.

“I’m here when you’re ready, Ori. You’re worth the wait.”

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