“Kai.” I gaze down at him with a grin. “Let. Go.”
He peers up at me in sheer horror. Heavens, does this man really think I’m attempting to murder him?
“Trust me.” I nod, prompting him to let go. Again. He’s exhausting sometimes.
“You were bound to be the death of me at some point,” he whispers. “I might as well choose my own terms. Goodbye, angel.”
He closes his eyes and releases his arms from my waist—dramatically, I might add.
He tumbles for approximately two whole seconds before landing on the cloud’s surface. A wave of shock crosses his features, and I lower myself to meet him. He drags his gaze up from the fluff to meet my eyes. “How is this possible?”
“Nothing is impossible for a Greene, remember?”
Nineteen
Cleo
Aglint of mischief enters his gaze, then he proceeds tobounce. He leaps from one cloud to another, ending up several feet away from me.
Quite frankly, I didn’t even realize the clouds were as buoyant as they are.
He jumps up and down, laughing the entire time, bringing a smile to my lips. I tuck my wings away and take in the moment, breathing in the angel mist and gazing at the domed boundary above us, separating us from the Golden Realm. We’re pretty close to the dome—only a couple of hundred feet away.
“Join me,” he shouts, waving his arms.
I shake my head and cross my arms. “I brought you up here to clear your head. You keep doing your thing, and I’ll do mine.”
“Is your thing being a stick-in-the-mud?” he taunts, continuing to jump. My eyes narrow, but I keep watching him. Even afterhow rough his afterlife experience has been, he still finds ways to make light of any given situation, like the sun itself.
Lost in thought, I nearly stumble off the bouncing cloud when a set of strong hands grips my shoulders tightly.
“Be careful, Cleo,” he says in a low voice, his eyes scanning mine. “You fall, I fall.”
Falling like that could’ve been bad, considering my wings weren’t unfurled.
“I’m okay,” I whisper, gulping at the closeness of our faces. The intensity in his gaze transitions into something lighter as he leaps again. This time, he scoops me into his arms to join him.
I wrap my arms around his neck and squeal, burying my head into his chest.
Squeal? I do not squeal.
As we leap from one corner to another, my heart races, and I think I’ve finally determined the nature of my relationship with him.
He brings out a side of me I’d forgotten existed. My inner child.
It’s been decades since I felt a sensation like this.
After bouncing like a madman for a few more minutes, he suddenly loses his footing, leading us to trip and fall onto a cloud.
He lies on his back, shutting his eyes and cackling, his laugh richer than ever. Unable to stifle my own amusement, my stomach rumbles in laughter, too. Lost in a moment of euphoric ecstasy, our eyes lock. His gaze lowers to my lips, lingering there for a moment as heat rises to my cheeks.
We’re tangled in each other.
I wrap my legs around his waist tighter, allowing my opening to rest precisely on his shaft.
We stare into each other’s eyes for a few seconds, a million thoughts racing through my mind at once, when his lips crash against mine like a tsunami.
It’s undeniably petrifying. Terribly unexpected. And absolutely exhilarating.
