Kiera blinked, clearly disoriented by my odd change in direction. She was having trouble disengaging her sex drive, and I could tell she wanted to ignore my question, throw me down somewhere, and have her way with me. Maybe the hideous orange couch in the living room? Or right here in the entryway? I was open to whatever she wanted, wherever she wanted it. With curiosity and confusion on her face, she took a sidestep away from me, toward the hallway leading to her room. Ah…so it was to be her uncomfortable bed then.

Seeing a way to make my question seem indifferent and not at all lifechanging, even though my heart was still trying to bruise the inside of my chest, I nodded my head toward her bedroom and said, “Because I really hate having sex on a futon. Not that I won’t, though,” I added with a wink. I’d have sex anywhere she wanted.

My comment worked to disarm her, and she smirked. Grabbing my hand, she said, “You’re the one that kicked me out.”

Her voice was light and airy, but I heard the pain in her simple statement. Yes, I did this. I separated us. It had been for the right reasons, but still, I’d made the cut. Remembering why I’d torn us made acid fill my chest, smothering my rapidly beating heart. Maybe it was too soon, if just mentioning that time still hurt so much. Banishing the anguish from my expression, I forced a laugh. “Well, it sounded like a good idea at the time.” Maybe not a good idea, but definitely a necessary one. We wouldn’t be the same now if we hadn’t…paused.

Stopping at her bedroom door, Kiera put a hand on my chest. “No, it was a good idea.” Reaching up, she cupped my cheek. “You and I needed space. We needed to get our heads on straight.”

Her words matched my thoughts, but still…I hated hearing her say them. I tried to smile, but a sigh ruined it. “Well, now that they are…why don’t you come back?” Feeling painful hope wrap around my chest, I cinched my arms around her waist. When I spoke again, my voice came out more seriously than I intended. “I know we’ve taken things slow, but I still want to move forward…with you.” All the way forward…’til death do us part forward.