Page 239 of Legacy
And then I just look at her.
My Scarlet.
And for the first time in five years, I feel clean.
Not because I’ve been forgiven with words, but because she let me back in.
Because she gave me her body, her trust, her heartbeat beneath my palm.
“I don’t deserve this,” I whisper, voice frayed. “But I swear, I’ll earn it. Every fucking day I breathe.”
Her eyes flutter open. Glassy, cheeks flushed. She looks like a dream.
I kiss her again. Softer this time.
And then I whisper against her mouth, like a vow.
“I’m never letting you go again. Not now. Not ever. You’re mine, and they’ll have to pry you from my cold dead hands.”
Chapter 40
Scarlet
Iwake to the soft warmth of breath against my shoulder.
The room is still, but the quiet hum of early morning filters through the curtains. Light spills in soft and gold across the sheets, and I feel him before I even open my eyes.
Angelo.
His presence is heavy, solid, like gravity itself has curled up beside me. My body aches in the most tender, beautiful way, but it’s the weight of him, the awareness that he’s watching, that makes my skin prickle.
I blink my eyes open and there he is.
Propped on one elbow, bare chest half in shadow, tattoos stretching and shifting with every slow breath he takes. His eyes, those impossible gray eyes, are already on me, unblinking.
“Morning,” he says, voice low, husky with sleep.
There’s a steaming mug on the nightstand.Coffee.I can smell the richness of it before I even move.
“You made coffee?” I murmur.
He nods. “Didn’t want to wake you. But I figured you’d want it first thing.”
Damn he’s good.
I shift slightly, and suddenly I’m very aware that I’m still naked beneath the comforter. His shirt, I was wearing, is somewhere across the room ormaybe on the floor. My cheeks burn as I tug the covers tighter around myself, up to my collarbone.
Angelo watches every move I make, and I know what he’s thinking. His gaze dips for half a second—just enough for my pulse to quicken before he looks back up.
“I should… get dressed,” I mutter, voice trailing off as I glance toward the abandoned shirt. Too far.
Too exposed.
He doesn’t give me time to calculate my escape route. His arm curls around my waist and pulls me into him in one smooth motion.
“Wait,” he murmurs, lips brushing my jaw.
My breath hitches.
