Oh goddess! Flyn doesn’t deserve that. It can’t happen. It is deeply unpleasant. And the results are unpredictable. It may be selfish of me, but the thought of Flyn forgetting me is beyond awful. I can’t bear it.
I swallow tightly. “He… hasn’t. I haven’t… given him the talk yet. But he is still mine. I claim him. Flyn is my boyfriend.”
I’m shaking so hard I’m going to be sick. I haven’t told Flyn about the paranormal world. I’m not sure I ever intend to. As for claiming him as my boyfriend? Oh hell, I can’t believe I’m doing this. Where have I found the audacity? But it’s the only way I can think of to stop his mind from being wiped.
The sofa creaks as Flyn moves suddenly. I twist my neck again to give him a furtive glance. He is sitting up ramrod straight now. With the hugest grin I’ve ever seen on anyone’s face. Butterflies take flight in my stomach and I snatch my gaze away.
Lello has his hands over his mouth, and his eyes are bright. Pink is beaming. Red is smiling softly. My gaze tracks around everyone else. They don’t look quite as happy, but the mood is thoughtful, pleased. Accepting.
Thank goodness. I could cry with relief.
Blindly, I reach behind me. Flyn’s warm hand slips into mine. I pull him up from the sofa and then out of the room. I tow him up the stairs and I don’t slow down until we are in my room. I don’t breathe until the door clicks shut behind us.
I turn to face Flyn and I find myself caught in his blue gaze. We are standing alone in my bedroom, still holding hands. And I just declared to a room full of people that he was my boyfriend. He definitely would have understood that bit.
Oh crap. I try to swallow, but I don’t quite manage it. Talk about awkward.
“Sorry!” we both say at the same time.
I chuckle nervously. Flyn grins. Then his gaze slides off of me to look around my room.
He whistles. “Nice!”
Is it? I turn around and try to see my room through new eyes. It looks perfectly normal to me. A little plain and dull, if anything. It’s a good size, I suppose, and it has an ensuite.
Flyn, however, looks genuinely impressed.
I blink. I guess my perception could be skewered. While I grew up in slavery, it was on an earl’s country estate. And then I lived in a billionaire’s penthouse in London. There has been an awful lot wrong with my life, but I guess a lack of fancy surroundings has never been an issue.
“I am sorry for being a stalker,” Flyn says softly, snatching my attention back to the here and now.
I squeeze my hand. “I’m sorry about my friends. And for saying you are my boyfriend.”
He grins, flashing perfect white teeth. “I’d love to be your boyfriend.”
My heart does something strange inside my ribcage. Almost like it is trying out dance moves. How can Flyn be so lovely? So open, honest? So very confident in his own skin.
I give him a weak smile. I have no idea what to say.
“But you know, no pressure. I only tracked you down because I was worried about you.”
Guilt gnaws at me. I drop my gaze. “Sorry.” Ghosting him was a shitty thing to do.
Soft fingers brush under my chin. Gently, Flyn tilts my face up so that I’m looking at him again.
“Don’t be sorry,” he says softly. “I’m sure you had your reasons.”
Yeah, my fey ancestors might abduct and torture you as a way of getting me to open interdimensional portals and allow them to come to Earth and conquer it.
A wave of despondency washes over me. So intense it takes my breath away. But then, suddenly, Flyn’s soft lips are pressing against my own. Sensation shoots through my entire body, all the way down to my toes.
My body doesn’t wait for my mind to process. My body moans. My body kisses Flyn back with passion. Eagerness. Hunger and need. I’m acting like I want to devour the poor man.
He pulls away, just a little. Just enough to catch his breath. “Sorry,” he gasps. “I should have asked before pouncing on you, but you looked so sad.”
I grab the back of his head and shove him towards me. Our lips collide. I’m the one doing the pouncing now. We are equal. All is fair in love and war, I think the saying goes.
Having Flyn in my arms feels like a dream come true. My version of heaven. I’ve missed him. Two pathetic days and I missed him. Did I really think I could bear to spend an entire lifetime away from this man?
