“It gets in the way,” I reply with a chuckle.
My fingers wander up his arm and into the crook of his neck, seeking the warmth of his skin. I watch as his eyes flutter closed, his breath hitching slightly as I trace his jawline with a delicate touch.
In a voice that’s low and breathy, he asks, “Can you feel that?”
“The energy or your emotions?”
“The energy. It’s amazing.” His grin broadens, and for the first time, I notice how his eyes crinkle at the corners, an adorable detail I’ve overlooked in my previous obsessions. How have I never noticed it before? Perhaps it’s because he rarely smiles, or maybe it’s that I’m perpetually distracted by that infuriating, addictive dimple on his right cheek. “What do you mean, your emotions?”
I brush my fingers lightly over his lips, recalling the sensation of their warmth against my own. Leaning in again, I let our lips collide gently, and suddenly, his emotions are laid bare before me. The depth of his feelings for me scares me, but it’s the need that gives me pause, as if he requires me to breathe.
“When we kiss, I think I can sense your emotions. I don’t know how or why, but I just can.” His gaze locks onto mine, filled with an intensity that makes my heart race. It’s not fear or even confusion, but admiration. Those blue swirls pull me in, dragging me down into a depth I know I won’t ever escape. I will never tire of looking at them. I want to study them in every light. I watch as the dark blue swirls with the white and silver mini storms. “Your eyes look like a storm over the ocean,” I whisper.
“That’s what my mom used to say.” For a fleeting instant, I see a flicker of pain darken his expression before he masks it. “Yours reminds me of the forest. The way the green swells with light and illuminates flecks of gold looks like shimmering sunlight filtering through the canopy.”
The compliment catches me off guard, and I suddenly find myself staring at his fitted shirt, overwhelmed by a rush of emotions I don’t know how to articulate. I push them aside, choosing to focus on this moment instead.
“Thank you,” I murmur around a lump in my throat.
“For what?” He brushes his fingers through my hair, and the sensation sends waves of delight coursing through me. No matter where or how he touches me, I feel that energy, but right now, it feels subtle, as if all the pent-up energy has finally been released.
“Everything. For Sgya. And after. For—” I chuckle softly, a warmth creeping up my cheeks. “Tonight.”
“Anytime, Princess.” A smirk dances across his lips.
Lying my head on his arm, I bury my face in his chest, breathing him in. I close my eyes, feeling his arm wrap around me, pulling me closer as if shielding me from the outside world, while a strange, warm breeze surrounds us.
I know we should head back to the dorms, but I’m not ready to let reality intrude just yet. Here, in this fleeting moment, I can pretend to be a normal girl. No prince and princess roles, no prophecy looming over us, no weighty expectations concerning whom I should Bond with or how I should carry the fate of the system. I can forget it all in this peaceful cocoon—at least for a while.
thirty-four
. . .
raea
I wake up,stretching and sinking further into the silk sheets at my back with a sort of contentment I haven’t felt before, definitely not since school started. My mind drifts back to last night, with Ryker’s mouth exploring mine, down my neck, settling over my heart. And his confession…gods, it was so unexpected and tender, and I think it made me fall harder. It’s exactly what I needed from him.
Because that’s what’s happening, I’m falling for him. I feel giddy as I get ready for the day, slowly showering, washing my hair twice, and then spending extra time braiding it and letting my natural waves hang loose from the ponytail. Aolyn hums with a knowing smirk when I brush on my blush and swipe my lips with a bit of lip stain.
My bruises have mostly faded from my face, and the cuts on my hands have closed up. Now, if my torso and arms could get the memo. I look like I was beaten up from the bruises peppering my chest from where I hit the console, and the bruises on my arms—well, who knows?
“You seem chipper,” Aolyn teases as I grab my bag from my desk. I roll my eyes and give her an amused smile.
“Have a good day,” I sing back to her as I close the door behind me.
Ryker is across from me, holding out a tea, looking devilishly handsome in his athletic shorts and a backward hat I’ve never seen him in, his chest gloriously bare. Gods, why is it so attractive? His muscled legs and arms are on full display, and the deep contours of his chest and abs are still glistening from whatever workout he just finished. His heated gaze tracks down my body, taking in the skirt and top I chose today.
“Morning, Princess.” His voice is deep and husky, a sound that melts my insides.
I try not to look at his lips, remembering how they molded against mine, how thoroughly he claimed me last night under the moon and stars, but I fail. I can’t help it. His mouth is perfect, and for a first real kiss, well, it was out of this world. I can’t imagine it gets any better than that.
“Morning.” I flush from head to toe when I realize I’ve been staring at his mouth this whole time.
He chuckles, his mouth tilting up at the edge as he turns. Instead of leading me downstairs, I find myself at his door. With a backward glance, there’s nobody around. He opens the door and tugs me inside.
I don’t even have time to look around before I’m pinned against the door, the hard lines of his body pressed into me as his mouth moves to mine. I hold out my tea, careful not to spill it, but apparently, I’m too distracted—I hiss when a scalding splash hits my hand.
Ande—Ryker…gods, I’ve gotta get used to that—pulls away briefly, taking my tea and setting it on an end table near the door before returning to me. With both hands free, I let my bag drop and slide my palms up the warm contours of his chest, wrapping them around his neck. Gods, I love the feel of his heated skin on me. My thoughts drift to what it would be like to feel his entire body pressed into me sans all clothing.
