Page 92 of Ghost Ribbon

“W… was that okay?”

His hand paused briefly in my hair.

“I just… I wanted to know…” I swallowed, pressing my face harder against his chest so I wouldn’t have to look at him. I don’t know why, but I hoped he didn’t hate it. “I know I’m not… I mean, I was probably not as…”

Not as beautiful as the others you’ve been with.

The thought lived in me like rot. Because there had to have been others. He had to have had people who knew what they were doing. People who were graceful. Experienced. Easy to want.

I was none of those things.

I was a mess.

He had to be disappointed.

He had to be comparing me to someone better right now.

He had to be—

His hand slid down to my chin and tilted my face up.

“Why are you always so insecure?” he asked.

I blinked again, rapidly, trying to clear the blur from my eyes.

“I…” My voice faltered. “Because I don’t… I don’t understand why you…”

I couldn’t say why you want me.

He studied my face for a long moment. “You’re the best I’ve ever had, baby.”

My breath caught.

“And that,” he continued, thumb brushing along my jaw, “was perfect.”

Then my eyes filled with heat again, and I had to look away because I was going to cry right there in his arms, and that would have been the most embarrassing thing I had ever done in a life full of embarrassing things.

I pressed my face back against his chest and felt his arms tighten around me.

His hand returned to my hair and he continued to stroke it. Luckily I managed to choke back the tears and spare myself the embarrassment.

A while after, I really should have gotten up and left.

I knew that. The gala was almost certainly over by now.

I should get up. Instead, I lay there with my head still resting against Alexei’s chest, and I looked up at the sky.

The stars were incredible from up here.

Tonight they felt closer than ever. Brighter.

My eyes drifted across the scattered lights absently. Old habit, then I saw something.

I sat up so fast I nearly knocked into Alexei’s chin.

“My hope star!” I blurted.

I heard him inhale sharply at the sudden movement, but I was too distracted to apologize. My whole face had lit up without my permission, a grin breaking across it, and I was pointing at the sky like a child who had just spotted a friend in a crowd.