Need rose fast and hot. I kissed her like a man who had nearly lost her. Because I had. My hands slid beneath her thighs, lifting her easily. She gasped into my mouth, smiling against the kiss. Her legs wrapped around my waist as I carried her through the balcony doors into the quiet warmth of our room.
The bed waited, impossibly far away. I kissed her as I walked—slow, careful, greedy—my lips mapping hers. Her fingers tangled in my hair, and I couldn’t tell where I ended and she began. At the edge of the mattress, I lowered to set her down, but she caught me by the shirt, pulling me with her. We sank into the blankets together, mouths moving, hearts racing in time. My hand splayed across her back. Her body curved into mine. I was drowning in her scent, in her warmth.
Her nightgown was nothing but a whisper of fabric beneath my palms. I could feel every curve of her, every point where herbody met mine. The soft rasp of my name on her breath was nearly enough to unravel me completely. But even as I kissed her deeper, my thoughts began to splinter at the edges.
This eclipsed desire.
I wasn’t just falling for her?—
I was fallingin lovewith her.
And I couldn’t let this be rushed.
I kissed her more slowly. Then slower still. I pulled back to meet her eyes. She looked up at me, lips parted, chest rising in quick, uneven breaths.
“I want this, I want you,” I said softly. “But not tonight.”
Confusion flickered in her eyes. “Why not?”
I brushed her hair away from her face. “Because I don’t want this to be… aftermath. I don’t want to take anything from you. Not like this.”
Her gaze didn’t falter. “You are not taking.”
My lips curved. “But I want more than this moment. I want every part of you. If and when you’re ready to give it.” I kissed her again, a gentle brush of lips. “Can I hold you?”
She nodded and melted into me with a sigh.
I leaned down and kissed her forehead. Her temple. The tip of her nose. Slow, cherishing touches. She smiled, and we both shifted, easing onto our sides, limbs tangled. Her hand found mine, fingers lacing through like it was the most natural thing in the world.
And maybe it was.
Maybe this was what right felt like.
I pressed a kiss to the crown of her head, my cheek settling against her hair, breathing her in. If I could sleep this way forever, I’d call myself lucky.
My body ached for her.
But my heart ached more.
I lay there, watching her lashes lower, listening as herbreathing slowed, savoring the rhythm of her heartbeat. And I swear—I thought my chest might split from the sheer force of everything I felt for her. I exhaled, slow and full.
I didn’t need more.
Only this.
Onlyher.
FIVE DAYS REMAINING
24
QUINN
Morning mist threaded lazy fingers through moss-draped railings and uneven steps. Durik waited on the sagging porch, leaning against a twisted post with a scowl.
We approached as a company, the spoon cradled in my hands. It felt absurdly ceremonial to bear a kitchen utensil swaddled in oilcloth as though it were a Saint’s relic. Yet Durik had made himself clear; this was of great importance to him.
“Stonecleave,” Mav greeted.
