Free Fears and Scars by Emily Krat

before I can apologize more, he turns away from me and keeps looking out the window. No matter how much I fancy his butt in those jeans, it hurts that he’s turning his back to me.
    Should I apologize again or give him space?
    I’m sure about one thing—every beat of my heart is for the man standing in front of me. He can be an ass all he wants, but I’m not going to let that ruin us. The truth is, I’m the one to blame that we started fighting in the first place, so I need to make it better.
    I kick my shoes off right in the doorway, take off my coat and scarf, and lay them on the arm of the couch before making my way into our bedroom.
    Ryan clearly isn’t ready for whatever I have to say. That means it’s time to unpack.
    Yes. I decided to move my stuff in even though Ryan hasn’t pushed the topic since the truth about my adoption so abruptly came up; I know he wants it as much as I do.
    Making my way through the bedroom and into the closet, I turn on the lights and look around. The space is ridiculously enormous. Who needs such a giant closet in a hotel? I’m not completely accustomed to the luxurious conveniences of Ryan’s wealth, but getting used to bigger and better things is always easier than the other way around.
    The better part of my wardrobe is already here, on the opposite side of a neat row of Ryan’s suits, shirts, and other belongings. As I hang one of my blouses, I notice some new dresses have been added between the hangers with my old ones. It’s my fiancé’s sneaky way of gifting me things. Now is not the time to complain about his generosity, so I open my bag and unpack what I had left at Granny’s apartment.
    I’m putting one of my sweaters on the shelf when I hear Ryan’s voice.
    “What are you doing?” He’s standing in the bedroom doorway watching me.
    “Unpacking the rest of my stuff. I brought it tonight from Nina’s.” I specifically choose the new name for Granny’s apartment. Nina’s . I hope she will be the only tenant living there starting right now. “Is that okay?”
    When Ryan doesn’t answer and just stares at me like I’ve grown an extra head, I ask him, “Do you still want me to move in with you?”
    A slight nod is all I get from him, but it’s more than enough.
    “Then I guess, I’d better continue. I have another bag full of things. Some of your shirts and sweaters are in there also,” I say, pointing to the bag beside me. “You must have left them, and I didn’t want to leave anything behind. I mean, Nina may want to find a roommate.”
    “You’re rambling,” Ryan states.
    I turn and nod, not sure how to answer that.
    He closes the space in three long strides. Demanding fingers drive into my hips, pulling me flush against his hard body.
    “You’re nervous.”
    His proximity makes me even more anxious. “Of course I am, Ryan,” I huff. “You don’t want to hear my apology, and I need to tell you so much, to explain everything.”
    He cups my face, stroking his thumbs over my cheekbones as he states the obvious, “You want to move in? To live here with me?”
    “I do.”
    We stare at each other for a solid five seconds before I can’t take it anymore. He smells so good, and I want to kiss him so bad.
    “I didn’t mean to hurt you. I was wrong to—”
    Ryan’s lips steal the rest of my words. He kisses me. Deeply. Desperately.
    My hands drift up into his hair, and I pull the strands between my fingers.
    “Tell me you were with Nina all this time,” he pleads, breathing hard.
    I don’t waste a second to reassure him. “I was with Nina, and then I was alone. Packing.”
    His tongue slides into my mouth again, taking control, stroking my mine greedily. The kiss is hard, claiming, and takes my breath away.
    My hands push under his T-shirt and slide the fabric up his stomach, over his smooth, warm skin. He grunts into my mouth and kisses me deeper, making the ache inside me catch fire.
    We break apart and gasp for air as Ryan nips and