Chapter 25
Rummy
Jessiah’s lips crashed against mine with an intensity I didn’t know he was capable of.
Hungry.
Needy.
Seeking.
As he captured my mouth, he pulled me to his chest.
And goddess above, I kissed him back. It was a bad fucking idea, but my every instinct told me to kiss him back. To let him in. To open up.
I’ll have you. I’ll have you. I’ll have you.
It was what I wanted, wasn’t it? To be seen, by him, like I was something more than broken? For him to no longer see a piece of trash fae living in the ruins of Scarlata, feeding off of everyone else when he looked at me?
I wanted him to see me. To truly see me and not run away.
And here he was.
He licked at the seam of my lips, coaxing them apart, then swept his tongue against mine. His hands remained on either side of my face, holding me steady, imbuing me with strength.
He guided me back gently, step by step, until I was pressed against the solid rock wall of the cave.
I gasped against him, and he swallowed the sound with another kiss, encapsulating me in his arms.
Jessiah. Jessiah. Jessiah.
My hands found his waist, and I tugged his body closer, demanding more.
In response, he deepened our kiss like it was the last thing on earth worth living for, like he would end it all, forget it all, if it meant more time with me. Kissing me.
I’ll have you.
He pulled away for a second, breaking our kiss, and wiped my tears away with his thumbs. Though the caves were dark, I could see the way he searched my eyes, desperate.
For a second, I caught a glimpse of the old Jessiah. The Jessiah who would give it all up for me. Who would protect me. Who saw me.
He had been so soft before. So pure. I was the one who’d ruined that by building a giant wall between us. I was the one who darkened his heart, who stole that light.
But here in this dark, dank cave, buried beneath the doubt and uncertainty, that light flickered back to life.
“Tell me you’ll let me in.” He murmured the words against my lips. “Tell me you’ll let me help you.”
As he angled back, assessing me, my knees shook. My legs weakened. I opened my mouth to reply, to say,Yes, please fucking help me. I’ve needed help for so damn long.
But the words wouldn’t come. Instead, I was racked by a pitiful, wretched sob. The sound pierced the air around us, shattering the silence inside the cave.
I hated crying. It made me feel so damn weak.
And the last thing I wanted was to be seen as weak.
But Jessiah did not back away. He did not look at me with pity or shame or disgust. With compassion and genuine carein his eyes, he wiped my wet cheeks one more time. Then he lowered his mouth to mine once more.
This kiss was different. Softer.
