Xavier's POV

For one perfect moment, she was kissing me back. Mia's lips moved against mine with the desperate hunger I remembered, her hands fisting in my shirt like she needed to anchor herself to me.

She still wants me. Despite everything, she still wants me.

The realization sent pure triumph coursing through my veins. Five years of separation, five years of believing she hated me, and she was still mine.

Mine. She's always been mine.

But then she pulled ...