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I can only pray that the feeling is mutual.

GIDEON

After Winnow saw the letter from Seraphine, I was worried that she might start to act differently toward me. It would be completely understandable if she changed her mind.

Yet, days later, she’s still here.

Soon. I’ll tell her the full truth soon.

In the meantime, we’ve even developed a routine, and lying in bed reading with Winnow has become the highlight of my day. Like the lovesick fool I am, I’m nearly buzzing with excitement by the time we’re both freshly showered and crawling into bed. The same evening we went shopping, we stopped by a local pharmacy, where I bought her some toiletries and other feminine essentials.

When I climb under the blankets and pat my lap, I have a hairbrush in my hand.

She gives me a grin filled with adoration as she climbs onto her side of the bed.

“Do you have any idea how perfect you are?”

This woman never fails to make me smile.

“Only for you, angel.”

My cheeks heat at my admission. I’ve never been one for romantic declarations, but Winnow has revealed a side of me I didn’t even know existed. Lifting the blanket to reveal the space I’ve made between my legs for her to lie down, I pat my abdomen to indicate she should lie with her head on my stomach.

Winnow’s expression softens as she takes the hairbrush from my hand, straddles my lap, and sets it on the bed beside us.

My heart kicks up to a steady, pounding thump as she settles that luscious ass of hers right over the heavy length of my cock.

Her hands roam over my bare chest and shoulders with a barely-there touch. Her throat dips, and her brow pinches as if she’s working up the courage to say something. So, I let her take all the time she needs as my hands slip beneath her shirt, curve around her soft waist, thumbs stroking idly. We simply sit quietly, basking in one another’s presence.

“I want to be perfect for you, too.”

My heart jumps to my throat like it’s leaping for fucking joy. On the outside, I imagine I look like my usual stoic self, but on the inside...

I’m not merely falling—but fucking nose-diving, plummetting, crashing—into love with this woman.

And as terrifying as it is, I wouldn’t do a damn thing to stop it and why I’m still struggling to find a way to tell her the reality of my past.

“You already are perfect, angel.”

My eyes catch on Winnow’s throat doing a little dip as her brows pinch again.

The randomhallucinationsof Winnow having horns and a tail and flowers in her hair flash through my mind, making me chuckle.

“I’m pretty sure you could tell me you have horns and a tail, and you’d still be just as perfect.”

Winnow’s lips part as her eyes go round. “What makes you say that?”

I hesitate with a chuckle, shrugging. There’s no fucking way I can explain the hallucinations, so I settle for something just as honest.

“It’s just the truth, baby girl.”

Winnow’s brows pinch with emotion just before she lowers her face and brushes her lips against mine. “You’ve done nothing but take care of me since I got here. Let me take care of you for once.”

Fuuuuck.

I want–need–this woman like my body needs food and water for sustenance.

And seeing as how Winnow brings out the best in me, she also awakens my conscience. I can’t let her give herself to me without her knowing fully what she’s getting into.