Page 49 of Echoes and Oaths
Jinx stiffened, the words hitting hard.
"Things went wrong after Teo was born," Eira continued. "My mother had to drive me into Maracay. I was hospitalized for three weeks after they did the surgery."
Jinx leaned forward, cupping her cheek with infinite gentleness, feeling the fine tremble in her body.
"Dear God," he breathed. "I’m so sorry." He felt as if someone had stabbed him in the gut and twisted the knife. What this woman had been through. The pain, the suffering. No wonder she didn’t trust him to stay beside her. But he would gain her trust. He would prove he was more than an enforcer and an assassin. He was hers. Body and soul.
She leaned into his touch, her eyes swimming with pain. "Will it make any difference? In how you feel about me?"
For a moment, he was too stunned to speak. His mouth opened, then closed again. Finally, he found his voice. "Good God, no," he said fiercely. "The fact that you gave me Teo … that you gave mehim…it’s a blessing beyond anything I ever deserved. I love you, Eira. Nothing will ever change that."
He leaned down, brushing a soft, reverent kiss across her lips. He wanted to crush her to him, to swear she would never hurt again. But he didn’t have that right, not yet.
When he pulled back, she looked up at him with tears streaking her face.
"Mateo … I’m afraid," she admitted, her voice raw. "I’m afraid you’ll hurt me again. But I’m willing to try. Take me inside." She grasped his arms, nails biting into his skin, anchoring herself to him. "Take me inside and show me how much you love me."
Jinx rose to his feet, pulling her up with him. He framed her face with his hands, gazing down at her as if she were the most precious thing in the world. "You don’t have to do this," he said roughly. "Not now. Not until you’re ready."
Her fingers dug deeper into his arms. "Mateo,you’re here. You’re alive. I’ve never stopped loving you. Yes, I’m afraid. Yes, I’m confused. But IknowI love you more than life itself. Take me inside. Make me feel the way we used to feel. Make me feel the love you still have for me."
Jinx lifted her gently into his arms, cradling her against his chest as if she might shatter. Eira clutched the front of his shirt, holding onto him like he was her anchor in a world that had spun too fast, too violently.
Neither spoke as he carried her inside the small house. The door creaked open on its old hinges. He kicked the door shut behind him with a soft thud, sealing them off from the world.
He could see the sheen of tears still clinging to her lashes in the dim light from a single lamp near the couch. She was so beautiful it wrecked him. He set her down carefully, but when he tried to pull away, her fingers fisted in his shirt, keeping him close. Her gaze was wide open, vulnerable, trusting, and filled with a fierce love that hit him savagely.
Jinx cupped her face, brushing his thumb across her cheekbone. "We go as slow as you want," he murmured. "You tell me what you need, Eira."
Her answer was a whispered plea against his mouth. "Just love me."
Jinx bent his head and captured her lips in a kiss that was both reverent and desperate, a clash of the time lost between them. Eira melted into him, her hands threading up into his hair, anchoring him to her.
His mouth moved against hers slowly, savoring the taste of her and the soft whimper she made when he deepened the kiss. He framed her face with his hands, brushing his thumbs over her heated cheeks, pouring everything hecouldn’tsay into how he touched her.
Eira tugged at his shirt, her fingers eager. Jinx pulled back just enough to help her, stripping the shirt over his head before tossing it aside. As she stared at him, her breath caught. She traced a finger across every scar on his chest. Each line had been etched by the life he’d led.
He caught her hands in his and kissed the tips of her fingers. "I’m here," he whispered. "I’m not going anywhere."
Her answering smile trembled, but her hands moved to the hem of her shirt, and he helped her, peeling the garment over her head. His breath hitched at her. Below him, she was bare, vulnerable, and unbelievably stunning.
Slowly, reverently, he bent his head to presskisses along her collarbone, down the slope of her breast. Eira arched into him, her body trusting him even if her heart was still stitching itself back together. He lifted her into his arms again and carried her to the worn bed tucked into the corner of the room.
Lying her down, Jinx followed her, bracing his weight so he wouldn’t crush her. Their bodies aligned naturally, lovers and soulmates finding each other again.
For Jinx, every kiss and touch was an apology. A vow. A promise. Eira gasped his name, and he soothed her with soft words in Spanish, the language slipping out like a prayer.
"Eres mi corazón."You are my heart.
When he finally entered her, it was slow and deep. The moment claimed their past and each other’s souls as much as their physical bodies. Eira clutched him to her, tears slipping from the corners of her eyes.
Jinx kissed them away, whispering her name over and over. They moved together, a rhythm built on old trust and new promises, neither rushing nor holding back. The past, pain, and loneliness disappeared until nothing was left but their love.
When they fell over the edge together, it wasn’tfrantic or desperate. It was complete. That was the healing his body and mind had needed. He prayed it was the same for her.
Jinx collapsed beside her, gathering her against his chest, his heart thundering under her ear. She curled into him, sighing in contentment.
"I love you," she whispered.
