Page 15 of Gathered Sparkle

His lips part, a soft exhale escaping him, and I see his walls are still down. It’s like I’m truly seeing him for the first time.

I’ve gone too far.

“Are you mad at me?”

“No.” He shakes his head, his eyes still hazy. “This was deserved. And I’m pretty proud of you for managing that…” He pauses, looking up at me, his hands moving to hold my calves. “Areyoustill mad?”

“No.” I give him a smile. “Not if you promise to never hypnotize me again.”

“I promise.” His answer comes out so fast it almost surprises me.

“Good.” I stroke a stray strand of his hair out of his face. “Then we’re even.”

There’s a moment of silence, the air between us thick with unspoken words. This feels weird, knowing that we both want each other but, at the same time, don’t want to cross that line. It’s like we’re standing on the edge of a cliff, terrified to jump.

“Come on,” he gently commands as he stands, holding out his hand to me. “Get ready for bed. I’ll braid your hair, and then we’ll try to sleep some.”

I take his hand, letting him pull me to my feet.

As I get ready for bed, I glance at Koen, watching him as he waits for me. When I’m done, he sits behind me. As his fingers move through my hair, braiding it, I feel a calm settle over me.

Maybe we’re not ready to crossthatline yet, but when I think about where we are now, we’ve crossed so many others.

And each one brought something good with it.

CHAPTER FOUR

Novalee

A persistent buzzing on my nightstand pulls me out of sleep.

The scent of vanilla and spices fills my senses, and I realize I’m not alone. There’s a warm exhale against my ear, and I blink, disoriented, trying to piece it all together. Koen’s arms are wrapped snugly around my waist, his presence so close it feels like he’s a part of me.

I shift, trying to turn and get a look at him, but his hold tightens instinctively, his face nestled against the crook of my neck. I try again, and this time, he lets me move just enough to meet his sleeping face.

God, he’s handsome, especially from this close. His long lashes, which I’m admittedly envious of, rest softly against his cheeks.

“Koen,” I whisper, but then I remember that he won’t hear me. He took out his hearing aids before we went to sleep.

And that’s all we did.Sleep.

The buzzing persists, and I stroke his cheek, trying to wake him. He stirs, a soft rumpled noise escaping him as he leans into my touch, his lips twitching in what almost appears to be acontented smile. I smile, too, at how impossibly cute he is—how different from his usual sharpness and focus.

With a sigh, I reach for the still-buzzing phone on the nightstand and press it against his upper arm. His eyes flutter open, a frown forming as he blinks at me, then at the phone. He takes it from me, glances at the caller ID, then leans over and presses a kiss to my forehead before reaching for his hearing aids.

“Good morning, Little Thief,” he huskily murmurs as he slips the aids in.

“Morning,” I reply, my heart doing a little flip.

This feels so… soft.

Intimate.

He answers the phone and puts it on speaker, his brows slightly furrowing as he sits up more fully. “Ez.”

“For fuck’s sake, Koen!” Ezra almost growls, his voice clearly echoing down the line. “I called you like a thousand times!”

“What happened?” Koen straightens immediately, the sleepiness vanishing from his features, replaced by concern.

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