“Bastian?” She questioned, raising her hand to rest against my back as she stroked my skin with her fingers. Feeling the brush of her fingertips over the place my wings were trapped within my skin sent sparks of electricity searing through me.
Hell, maybe I did have a heart. The way she said my name and the way it made me feel was…concerning. The need I had for this woman—the urge to devour and discover each and every part of her—was all consuming. It fucking startled me.
A part of me loved the release of my connection to my feelings after my brother’s death and the years of torture I’d endured. The coldness allowed me a reprieve from the pain and I told myself I’d be happier without pesky emotions. No one could ever inflict damage upon my heart again. But now…now I was really beginning to question if Kieran was changing all of that.
I kissed her again, needing to further test the effect she had on me. Her hand slid up to my neck and her legs spread to accommodate for my larger frame. A deep groan rattled from my chest at the feel of her body actively reaching for me, her thighs tightening around my hip.
I ripped myself away from her lips, scared at the way I already felt my heart warming in response to her and this moment.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, her tone full of uncertainty that tore at my chest.
I took a deep breath, trying to get a grip on myself before I fucking ravaged her. What type of man would I be if I skipped all the way to feeling her center when there were so many pieces of her body I wanted to explore and worship first? I pressed a soft kiss to her nose before taking another breath and resting my forehead against hers.
“Absolutely nothing, Darling—that was perfection. I just…” I laughed at the irony of what I was about to say. “I’m scared of the feelings you inspire in me.”
“Oh,” she breathed out, before admitting, “well, that makes two of us.”
A groan worked its way up my throat at her admission, and my hips naturally rocked toward her warmth. “Fuck,” I breathed out heavily, “don’t say things like that right now.”
Unfortunately, our moment was broken by a knock on the door. Kieran pushed me off of her gently, though I didn’t let her go entirely, settling for laying on the bed with my handpossessively on her back. Much to my disappointment, she stood and called out, “Come in.”
Ronan stepped into the room, spearing me with a disapproving look before offering up a steaming bowl. “Dinner. You need to eat, Kieran. I expect you to eat all of this, okay?”
If it meant him leaving us alone, I’d force the contents down her throat myself.
“What if I’m not hungry?” she quipped as she crossed her arms across her chest, drawing a smile to my lips at the fire returning to her. From what I had observed, this seemed to be their usual banter.
Ronan chuckled before handing the bowl to her and repeating himself, “Every damn bite.”
Her brow furrowed as she watched him leave, the door closing behind him with a thud. Not much later, she was back on the bed. After I declined her offer to share the broccoli and cheddar soup, I followed my instincts as she set the empty bowl on her nightstand.
Tugging on her hand gently, I pulled her against me, rolling her over so that her back was to my chest, and my hand settled possessively over her hip. “Is…this how you cuddle?” I asked, a bit nervously, wanting her to feel comfortable.
Her small laugh rumbled through her small frame and into me with our contact. “Yes, Bastian. There are a few different positions, but this is cuddling.”
I smiled, pleased with how the end of this night had turned out. We stayed like that for what felt like hours until I heard her softly snoring. How such a weird sound could elicit a happy feeling in me was further proof of the hold she had over me.
Silently slipping from the bed, I headed for the light switch near the door. She had another long day ahead of her tomorrow, and I wasn’t going to allow my own selfish needs to get in the way of her resting.
As the lights flicked off, I turned toward the door but faltered as her sleepy voice called out, “Bash?”
My hand stopped mid-air as I reached for the handle.Did she…did she just give me a nickname?
“Bash?” she questioned again, and I walked back to her side quickly, unable to deny whatever it was she wanted.
Brushing back the hair that had fallen across her cheek and tucking it behind her ear, I asked, “Yes, Darling?”
Her sleepy eyes opened, somehow still piercing through to my very soul in the dark. “What if I want to run away from it all?”
I heard the guilt and fear in her question, but I’d never judge her. If anything, I felt honored she was being so honest with me.
Rubbing my thumb against her cheek, I murmured, “Then every day you’ll allow me to, I’ll be at your side, until those damned stars fall. I don’t need the world to continue after that because I’m pretty sure I’m living my version of heaven with you right now.”
KIERAN
From the second I woke up in the morning, I felt like I was drowning under the expectations laid on me the night before, and I didn’t even know everything yet. Bastian’s sweet offer rolled through my head, making me smile at not only the most romantic words ever said to me, but from the way I found a sense of safety in his arms.
I’d be a liar if I didn’t say running away from all of it wasn’t appealing, but I’d fought to be here. I’d come to the Rebellion hoping to find a place in this world, and I was getting that…Just in a very different package than anticipated.
