Chapter 36
Chapter Thirty-Six
The penthouse was always quiet. But tonight, it was holding its breath.
Bea stood at the window, arms wrapped loosely around herself, staring at the skyline. The city stretched beneath her, glittering and alive.
She felt Gage watching her from the couch.
Bea turned. Found his eyes. Slowly, she crossed the room. One step, then another, like she was walking toward the ledge she’d finally decided was safe to jump from.
She stopped between his knees.
Gage’s palms traveled up her legs, pausing at her hips. His grip was firm, possessive.
She swallowed. Her heart beat too fast, her chest too tight. Every nerve ending lit up, humming with the knowledge of what was coming next.
The moment had come. It should have terrified her. Maybe it did. But that wasn’t enough to stop her. Not anymore.
And somehow, she didn’t have the words.
“I’ve been waiting for you,” he said finally, the strained edge in his tone giving him away.
“I know,” she said, her voice a wreck.
The silence stretched between them.
Gage examined her like she was something rare and breakable, yet entirely his to handle. “Is there something you want to tell me?”
The truth pressed at the back of her throat, sweet and heavy. “Yes…” she admitted softly. “But I seem to be finding it hard to say.”
A small smile tugged at his mouth, subtle but devastating. His fingers flexed on her hips, like he was holding back more than just his hands. Like his whole body was coiled, waiting for the moment he knew was coming. “Do you love me yet?”
Bea’s pulse stumbled. Heat crept up her neck.
And then, because there was no point in hiding anymore—she nodded.
She saw in his eyes that he heard her. Saw the muted triumph.
But it wasn’t enough. “I want to hear the words, sweetheart.”
Her heart thudded painfully, slamming against her ribs to escape. Her hands shook slightly where they rested at her sides, and she clenched them into fists to keep him from seeing.
Then finally—finally—she said it. “I love you.”
For a long moment, the words hung between them.
And then Gage moved.