"Love is composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies." Aristotle

Saint

The warmth of Saint's embrace lingered even after he pulled away from the kiss, a comforting weight against the lingering unease that had settled in my stomach. His words, his touch, had ignited a spark within me, a flicker of hope that maybe, just maybe, this could work. But the reality of our situation, the complications that surrounded us, loomed large. He was my security guard, hired to protect me, not… this. Yet, the way he looked at me, the raw honesty in his eyes, made it hard to deny the pull between us.

"So," he murmured, his voice still husky, "where do we go from here?"

I took a deep breath, trying to calm the butterflies fluttering in my stomach. "I… I don't know," I admitted, leaning back against him, enjoying the feel of his arms still wrapped loosely around me. "This is all so new, so… unexpected."

He chuckled, a low rumble in his chest. "Unexpected is one word for it," he agreed. "But… I wouldn't trade it for anything."

His words sent a shiver down my spine, a mix of excitement and trepidation. I wanted this, I really did. But the fear of the unknown, the potential for things to go wrong, was a constant whisper in the back of my mind.

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"Tell me about your parents," he said, changing the subject, and I was grateful for the shift. It was easier to talk about them, about the familiar comfort of family, than to dwell on the uncertain future that lay ahead.

I told him about my adoptive mother, about her strength and unwavering love, about how she had single-handedly raised me and cared for her own mother. I told him about Damon, my biological father, the unexpected connection I had found, the lawyer who had become family. And then I told him about my mother, how she was on vacation after my grandmother passed away, and how much I missed her.

He listened patiently, his gaze never leaving mine, and I felt a sense of comfort in sharing these pieces of myself with him. It was as if by telling him about my family, I was somehow making him a part of it.

When it was his turn, he told me about his parents, about their enduring love, about his father’s security business, and how he had followed in his footsteps, taking it over and expanding it. He spoke with a sense of pride, a deep respect for his family and their legacy.

"They sound amazing," I said softly, genuinely touched by the warmth in his voice when he spoke of them.

"They are," he agreed. "They're my everything."

We sat in comfortable silence for a moment, the weight of our unspoken feelings hanging heavy in the air. Then, he turned me to face him, his eyes searching mine.

"Veronica," he said, his voice serious, "I know this is complicated. I know there are a lot of reasons why this shouldn't work. But… I can't ignore what I feel for you. And I don't want to. Do you… do you feel it too?"

My heart pounded in my chest. "Yes, Saint," I whispered, my voice barely audible. "I do."

He smiled, a slow, breathtaking smile that made my breath catch. "Then," he said, his voice husky, "let's take a chance. Let's see where this goes. Let's… let's see what happens."

I nodded, my eyes shining with a mixture of hope and fear. "Okay," I said, my voice trembling slightly. "Okay, let's do it."

He leaned in and kissed me again, a soft, tender kiss that sealed our unspoken agreement. It was a kiss that spoke of possibilities, of taking a chance, of two souls reaching out to each other in the darkness, hoping to find light. It was a kiss that, for a moment, made all the complications, all the uncertainties, fade away. There was only us, and the fragile hope that maybe, just maybe, we could make this work.