Page 21 of Dual

He exhales, his thumb stroking over the back of my hand. "Yes, I love you because no matter where life has taken us, you've been there—woven into every part of my past, my present, my fucking soul. You taught me what the word love means. But I also love you because you see me. The real me. You let me be the man I always wanted to be." He exhales. "You aren't just someone who fits into my world, Anna. Youaremy world."

Tears prick at the back of my eyes, and I squeeze his hand like it's the only thing keeping me here, in this moment.

"I want to believe that." My voice trembles.

"You don't have to believe it all at once," he murmurs. "Just start with this." He lifts our joined hands slightly. "With me. Right here."

I stare at him for a long moment, something fragile cracking open inside straight down the center of me. I want everything he says, but hope is still so… strange. So foreign to me. But Domhnall is real, and for now, I'm staying grounded in my body, here with him.

Maybe, for now, that's enough.

I finally dig into the pie, and my eyes close at howfuckingdelicious it is. Oh my god, I've lived all over the world, and nobody does pie like here in Texas. The streusel crumble on top, the sweet apples, the perfect pastry crust. I sink into the pie between sips of hot coffee that Connie comes over to refill so it's constantly fresh. The bite of the black coffee's bitterness against the sweetness of the pie is absolute perfection.

When I glance over at Domhn, it's to find his pie untouched, his eyes on me.

I'd feel embarrassed, but there's a last bite of my pie left to enjoy, so I stick it in my mouth with absolute abandon.

"We're taking my piece to go," Domhn growls. "I want to watch you eat it at home."

I giggle as I wash down the pie with the last of my coffee. "Don't be ridiculous." I wipe my mouth with my napkin. "It's a sin not to enjoy thatfuckingpie."

"Oh, I'm enjoying myself." His nostrils flare in a way that makes my belly flip. "Believe me."

Heat rushes my face, making my scalp tingle. "I've got to go to the bathroom," I squeak, shooting out from my side of the booth. "Be right back!"

Then I'm bounding across the length of the diner and down the hallway where the restroom sign directed, still feeling flushed all over. As soon as I'm in the stall, I run my hands down my face.

Oh my god. Am I seriously going to literally run thefuckaway every time Domhn so much as flirts with me?

I'm just enjoying my time with him so much, I don't want to switch suddenly because he's got me hot and bothered, and it freaks me out for some stupid reason I don't even understand. I finish in the bathroom, then go wash my hands.

The face that looks back at me is sun-kissed.

I shake my head at her. Today was fun, sure, but good Lord. Mads can't handle emotional intimacy, and I can't handle physical intimacy.

"What a pair we make," I whisper to the mirror. "Hello? You there?"

Mads doesn't answer back.

EIGHT

DOMHNALL

We've settledinto bed for the night after what's become the usual routine with Anna: dinner, and then quiet conversation, with her usually tucked on my lap. I crave the sense of peace that settles over me when I'm with her.

I'm almost asleep, arm draped over her soft waist, when the bed shifts, and I know before my eyes even open—Mads.

Sure enough, Mads flips in my arms, a flash of movement. "Hi, baby, it's me. Have a long day?"

I tense for a beat before forcing my body to relax. I've been trying not to do that, to not make her feel like I'm pushing her away.

"Mads. Hi." I squeeze her waist, a reflex and silent assurance.I don't reject you. But I don't know how to hold you without breaking... everything.

She notices, of course. She always notices. And just as quick, she yanks off the silk nightie Anna wore to bed, the fabric whispering away in the dark.

Then she's pressing against me, her bare skin like fire against my own. A leg hitches over my waist. My cock hardens before I can stop it, a traitor to the constant battle I wage against myself.

Anna says she wants this. She says it's okay for me to take what's mine. That it's okay for me to take Mads. She looks at me with those calm, knowing eyes and tells me I don't have to choose—she accepts all of herself and wants me to do the same.