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The world stopped turning.
Gregorio filled the doorway like a storm rolling in from the mountains. He looked devastating—unshaven, his usual immaculate appearance replaced by exhaustion and a desperation in his gaze that was raw, almost feral.
The arms of his T-shirt didn’t bulge like normal, and he’d tightened his belt another notch.
He was pale, gaunt.
But it was the cane that broke her heart—the visible reminder of how close she’d come to losing him forever. Of the sacrifice he’d made to keep her safe.
Their eyes met across the space between them, and the air crackled with everything left unsaid. She could see the struggle in his face, the war between duty and desire that had haunted him since that first explosive kiss in the janitor’s closet at her friend’s wedding.
He scrubbed a hand over his scalp—a gesture so unlike his usual control that it made her breath catch. His fingers trembled slightly.
Aware of Nadia watching them with uncertainty, Sasha summoned a half-smile. It was the best she could do. “Thank you. I’ve got it from here.”
“Are you sure? I can stay.”
“I’ll be fine.” When Nadia remained in place, Sasha reassured her. “Really.”
After shooting Gregorio a warning scowl, she moved around him, leaving Sasha alone with the man who’d broken her heart.
“I’m an idiot,” he said finally, his voice rough with emotion.
A wry, disbelieving breath escaped her. “Yeah,” she murmured, the word carrying all the hurt and hope of the past weeks.You are. “I’d say that tracks.”
With careful, measured steps, Gregorio moved into her office. The soft tap of his cane against her hardwood floors echoed like a metronome, marking each moment that brought him closer.
Even wounded, he carried himself with that predatory grace that had first captivated her, though she could see the cost in the tight line of his jaw, the way his knuckles whitened around the cane’s handle.
“I tried to do the right thing,” he said, his voice carrying that same raw edge that had been there in the hospital. “Stay away from you and leave you alone. To give you the chance at a normal life, without complications. Without me.”
The words hit her like physical blows.
Fighting for control, she curled her hands into fists, her nails biting into her palms. “The right thing?” She was proud that her voice remained steady despite the tremor running through her. “According to who? Yourself? This is about my life, too, Gregorio. And you didn’t even ask me what I wanted. What I needed.”
His throat worked as he swallowed, and she saw the moment her words landed. The mighty Gregorio—warrior, protector, the man who’d faced down death without flinching—looked utterly lost.
“I thought…” He stopped, seemed to gather himself. “Damien told me to stop running. Told me to look in the damn mirror and see what I was really doing.” His laugh was self-deprecating, bitter. “Said I was sacrificing myself to the point there’d be nothing left to give.”
God bless Damien for being right. “And did you?” she pressed. “Look in that mirror?”
His lips formed a thin line as he nodded. The silence stretched between them, filled with the steady ticking of the clock on her wall, the distant hum of Denver traffic below. Above all that,Sasha heard the thunder of her own heartbeat, echoing through her ears.
Then, so quietly she almost missed it, he went on.
“I love you.”
The words she’d longed to hear, dreamed of hearing, crashed through her defenses like a tidal wave. Her breath caught painfully in her throat as tears burned behind her eyes.
“I know the path forward won’t be easy,” he continued, taking another step closer. His voice gained strength, momentum, as if now that he’d started, he couldn’t stop the flow of words. “I’m difficult—maybe impossible—to be in a relationship with. I was a terrible husband to your sister. I have baggage and scars and a thousand reasons why I don’t deserve this. Don’t deserve you.”
He paused, and she saw the same intensity in his eyes that she’d seen at his cabin when he’d first claimed her. “But you deserve the choice. You deserve to decide for yourself instead of having me make that decision for you.”
The lump in her throat nearly choked her. This was Gregorio stripped bare—no walls, no protective distance, just raw honesty that must have cost him dearly.
“If you’ll have me,” he said, his voice unsteady in a way she’d never heard before, “I’ll do this right. I’ll face your parents, along with the consequences of what we are to each other.”
“They already know.” The words came out barely above a whisper.