Page 22 of Puck My Heart

“Open it.”

I held my breath and released my hold on her hands. Anya flicked the corner of the lid and I hoped the whole thing hadn’t been ruined. I never had the guts to check. Never thought I'd give it to her afterward, until now.

Her breath stuttered as she flicked open the lid with excruciating care. The folded one line note sat one top. She seemed to read the words I put there more than once, and then the old ink swam in a sea of salt.

Shit, I made her cry again.

The lid and the note were set aside with care as I dared to breathe. Anya ran her fingers over the tiny pearl carved into the shape of tulip petals. The gem sat on a stem of delicate silver, with green enamel leaves.

“I remembered you loved them. I wanted to give you something you liked, and flowers die so… this seemed to last a little longer.” My voice cracked but I didn’t care.

She stared down at the jewellery that had sat in its box for the last years, the box that survived the crash when I saved it, and that had traveled everywhere with me since.

Everything I felt for her was right there, and my heart had never changed.

“I hoped you still liked tulips,” I said helplessly when she said nothing, didn’t even move. “If you don’t, that’s okay. I can–”

I had no idea what I’d do or would have offered, rambling on. Thankfully she didn’t make me find out as she launched across the bed at me, necklace in her hand, and slithered off the covers and onto my lap. Her sweat covered legs dangled either side of my hips as she straddled me.

“You got this for me…back then?” Anya squeezed her thighs around my hips as she stared me straight in the face, some of her spark returning.

I nodded, barely trusting my voice. “It was the first thing I had made up with my first paycheck from the team. It’s not much, but back then it was everything I had.”

Her eyes flared, then her mouth was on mine in a flurry of kisses I could barely keep up with, but I wasn’t about to say no. Soft lips assaulted mine as I sank my hands into her hair and held her to me, kissing her back. I let her take the lead, more than happy to give over control if it meant she let me taste her, touch her again.

When she pulled back, her chest heaved, and she rubbed her body against mine, all needy.

“There’s the little brat I remember,” I murmured, squeezing her name.

“And love,” she prompted.

“And love,” I agreed, thinking of the note she had cried over. Words I couldn’t say, so I wrote them down. Something more permanent than a promise whispered in her ear and broken thenext moment. A secret I’d held for so long, and now she shared it too.

A smile I thought I’d never see again spread over her face. “You took your sweet time, Hux. Where did my brother hurt you? I thought you’d be crawling up the stairs.”

I laughed. “He set us up.”

A kitten-worthy growl ripped from her throat. “That little shit…”

My laugh transformed into a snort. “Only one person in this world can get away with calling Solace Hunter alittle shit, but I’ll treasure this moment forever,” I promised her.

Anya slapped my shoulder. “You better.”

“Always.” I kissed the tip of her nose, and she went crossed eyed. “Damn, girl. I was scared for a minute. Thought I lost you.”

She went quiet again. “For a minute, I think you did.”

My heart stalled in my chest. “What changed your mind?”

“Well, my brother didn’t kill you and, best friend or not, I trust his judge of character. Plus, he hated Peter and I didn’t listen,” she added, offhand.

“Anya,” I growled, tugging her head back until she arched for me. “Your brother has good taste.”

“You’re only saying that because he approved of you.”

“I’m still alive. I’m counting that as a win.”

Her giggle filled my veins with the pink fluffy shit cupids made their living off every February. “That’s a good thing. Cause I ‘ve got at least a dozen fantasies I need to try out and see if the real thing matches up to the Chimera-worthy daydream.”

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