Page 193 of Severed Heart

“I will not,” he admits as I mentally mark him for retribution.

Her eyes flare as he confirms it. “Sonow, I get toknowwhy my husband tried to kill me. Why he did not stay to finish the job. Why he failed. It wasn’t because the man who claimed to love me protected me. No, it was my sister’s husband who ran him off.”

“Delphine, I regret it every day,” he offers weakly.

“You should have told me,” she says to him as she keeps my gaze. “You could have eased my suffering greatly, but the truth isyou’re just another fucking man who made love a liaragain,” she condemns. I fall further in love with her with every word as she ends her war.

“I should hate you, Ormand. For so long, I could not understand my repulsion for you after—and even though my mind concealed this from me, my soul and heartrememberedyour betrayal.”

“It is my biggest regret. Please believe me, Delphine,” Ormand croaks.

“I do not givea fuckaboutyour regrets. You had twenty years of chances to come to me, to right some of this wrong, butyou will hearwhat I have to say.”

A long silence ensues before Ormand gutturally replies, “I’m listening.”

“Hating you takes too much energy from my life. A good life is what I have now.” I cover the palm she still has on my chest. “All there is to do is forgive you, so it won’t interrupt or steal that life. So I forgive you, Ormand. I forgive you for the part you played, even if it will never be deserved.”

“I’m so sorry,” he croaks. “I’ll be sorry my whole life.”

She ignores his comments as she keeps my gaze, her eyes softening.

“You should know I have found love from a man who is truthful with me. Who believes mestrong enoughto always know the truth. Who loves me with far more than his eyes. Not as a possession, but for who I aminside.”

My chest lights fire at this as Ormand speaks.

“I am so happy you found this Delphine—”

“I don’t need you to be happy for me,” she cuts in as the conversation starts to shift from between them to the two of us. “I wantnothingfrom you, Ormand, but your loyalty to Jean Dominic, who is currently under your watch, and Ezekiel as his partner. For you to look out for them both in France, to protect themat all costsbecause your price for this fucking betrayal isyour life for theirs. If you in any way break your word, if either of my nephews meets any sort of harm there, no matter what the threat is, that is exactly how you will pay.”

“You have my word. No harm will come to either of them here,” he vows, “you have it.”

“I have a man I love now,” she declares as my soul lights fire. “Who has loved me wholly at my best and worst, beautiful or ugly, without any condition and would never hurt or betray me. A man who, for the first time in my life, made love a truth-teller. Because only the man who is right for you can make it so. And so I will never waste a second with him ever thinking of you again.”

Ending the call, she drops the phone on the porch as I crush her to me. Her body shakes lightly as she begins to press kisses to my neck and jaw before capturing my lips in a kiss that has me soaring. When she closes it, I scoop her off her boots, which dangle at my shins as she beams down at me where I have her hoisted just above me. “You won your war, General,” I rasp out, “I’m so fucking proud of you.”

“Because of you, Soldier, because of you. Je t’aime, I love you, Tyler, my soldier, my one true love, my best friend, my miracle. My God, how I love you, and always will,” she pledges, “forever.”

No more words necessary, we collide, kissing for long minutes. When we pull away, her lips lift at my expression. “I know that look. I love this look, and oui, please s’il vous plaît,fuck me senseless.”

I’m already stalking us through the door before her order is doled out, headed straight for our bedroom, my heart thrashing against hers as they sync and pound between us. The energy bouncing between us surreal as we become impossiblymoresolidified.

“The day is young,” she whispers as I lift her dress over her head, “but I have a request for after we watch our sunset.”

“So do I, but mine is for right now.”

“Oh? What is your request?” she asks through kiss-swollen lips.

“That you keep those pretty boots on,” I grin, determined to erase their history, though she’s already working on that herself. “Easy done, Soldier.” She smiles as I ask.

“That’s easily done,” I correct.

“Merde,”shit, “maybe I should just give up,” she utters dryly. “I may never master English isms.”

“But you won’t, myfighter,” I murmur, palming her skin, covering her perfect breasts as her eyes begin to hood with desire. Whispering kisses along her shoulder, my curiosity stoked, I pull back slightly to ask, “What are we doing after sunset?”

That spark of determination comes back in her eyes. “I want to make a big bonfire.”

Inside that silver blaze, I see precisely what fuel she’ll be using to stoke that fire, and personally, I can’t wait to watch that fucking cigar box go up in flames.