His gaze didn't waver. It deepened, consuming, as if searching for an answer buried deep within her.
Lorraine blinked…once, twice… her eyes clouded with shock, bewilderment, and a fragile, growing joy. She looked as though her entire world had toppled, rearranged itself in that single revelation.
Leroy chuckled, low and warm, a sound laced with bittersweet amusement, as if witnessing the inevitable unraveling of a beautiful illusion.
Without hesitation, he pulled her into the water.
The bath splashed and spilled around them, water rising like a tide of confession. Her body floated for a moment, suspended, the delicate fabric of her chemise billowing atop the surface, before sinking slowly, enveloped by warmth.
But her eyes never left his.
He cradled her cheeks with a tenderness reserved for no one else. His fingers traced the curve of her skin as if committing every detail to memory. For no reason, for no person did he summon such tenderness in his life. Always, only for her.
