Page 242 of Sweet Nightmare

“Thank you,” she whispers, her voice so soft and tender that only I can hear it.

I close my fingers gently around hers, careful not to hold too tightly.

We both glance down at our hands. Hers is delicate and flawless, while mine is covered in ink and scars. That right there is proof that this otherworldly woman doesn’t belong with a man like me. But fuck it, I want her anyway.

I study her face, etching every detail into my memory, and all I can hear is music. A thousand melodies. A thousand lyrics. I commit it all to memory because I want to remember her like this forever. I want to remember the woman I’m falling in love with.

Yeah, love.

I’m falling in love with this woman.

“Okay, let’s do this before we lose light.” Junie’s voice cuts through my thoughts, pulling me back to the world around us.

I blink, dragging my attention away from Artemis and back to the chaos around us, though a part of me is still lost in the woman standing in front of me.

The creative director gestures toward the horse. “Artemis needs to be on top of the horse for this next set.”

Artemis hesitates for a second.

“Come here,” I murmur, stepping closer.

She moves toward me without hesitation, and I slide one arm around her waist, the other beneath her thighs, lifting her effortlessly onto the horse.

Someone shrieks in the background but I ignore it and focus only on the vision before.

Golden rays of sunlight catch in her hair, illuminating her face and turning her into something almost ethereal. Her long coat falls around her bare legs, the fabric shifting with the movement, and she settles into the saddle with a grace that makes my heart beat faster.

She must be freezing, yet she refuses to show it.

Fuck. We need to hurry. Knowing her, she’d rather catch hypothermia than admit she’s cold.

I reach for her coat, carefully smoothing the fabric over her thighs, straightening the lapels and adjusting the way it drapes around her. My fingers linger a second longer than necessary, brushing over her soft skin with a tenderness I can’t seem to hide.

“Let’s hurry before you turn into an ice sculpture on me, yeah?” I murmur, giving her a playful smile.

Her mouth twitches but she doesn’t say anything.

So, I take a step back, intending to give her space, to let her shine but before I can get very far, her voice stops me.

“Stephen.”

I look up.

“Stay.”

One word.

That’s all I need.

She’s looking down at me, her expression calm, as if she hasn’t just reached into my chest and wrapped her fingers around my heart.

“You want me to stay?” I ask, needing to hear her say it again.

A faint smile touches her lips. “Yes.”

So I stay.

Stevie makes a small, excited sound behind the camera. “Oh, that’s it. Don’t move. Either of you. Oh, my God!”