“I love you,” he whispers.
That’s all it takes to send me over the edge. Release tears through me, and he meets me with his own. Together we fall. Together we unravel. Together we burn and break. Once drained of pleasure and left limp in each other’s arms, all I can think is that no matter what happens next, this was worth it. He was worth it. And if everything fails and I must die, then at least I’m happy to have lived. Truly lived. Not as someone else. Not as another’s reflection.
Just me.
Existingoutsideanother’s eyes. Me, as I am, with all my messes, mistakes, and oddities.
For the very first time, I feel like I’m real.
35
TORBEN
Ihadn’t meant to tell her I loved her when we came to the grove. I hadn’t meant to do anything but comfort her. But as a fae, I’m incapable of lying. And when it comes to Astrid, it seems I can’t keep my deepest secrets at bay. Neither from her nor myself.
Now, as I hold her folded against my chest, my back sunk into the plush moss beneath us, it seems ludicrous that I’d even attempted to maintain my distance from her. I made it less than a day trying to keep our relationshipprofessionalbefore I gave in, heart, body, and soul. And fuck it all if it wasn’t the best decision I ever made. Our future remains tenuous. Our fates uncertain. But the feeling of her warm body against mine, her sweet soft curves molded against all my firm edges, feels like the rightest thing in the world.
Astrid nuzzles closer to me and releases a contented sigh. I stare down at her, taking in her closed eyelids, the sweet smile playing over her swollen lips. The smell of her fills my senses, a fragrance so potent I could get drunk from it, live off it alone.
I run my fingers over the arm she has slung across my torso, and she shudders at my touch. “Should we return to the manor?” I ask, my voice hoarse in the wake of such expended pleasure. “You must be cold.”
“I’m not,” she whispers. “And I don’t want to return. Not yet. I just want to stay like this a little while longer.”
* * *
A little whilelongerturns into daybreak.
I wake with a start, confused by the canopy of pink blossoms overhead, the earthy mattress beneath me, until I find Astrid. She’s still in my arms, still naked, still folded against my chest. I’m surprised the cool night air didn’t eventually wake us, but with her body heat still entwined with mine, cocooned in the recess we’ve created in the mossy floor, I realize I’m not cold at all.
I shift slightly toward her, and she stirs. “Torben,” she whispers, eyes still closed.
The sound of my name on her lips, uttered in the haze of sleep, sends my heart thudding. I’m almost of a mind to take her once more, here and now, but with the rising dawn, a sense of deepening urgency has settled itself in my gut.
We’re running out of time. We have only five days until my bargain is due to be fulfilled. As much as I wish it were otherwise, we cannot linger in the throes of pleasure. Instead, we must use every remaining hour we have to prove Astrid’s innocence. We must find Marybeth. It’s the only chance either of us has.
I bring my lips to her forehead, and she finally opens her eyes. “Is it morning?”
“Yes. We should return to the manor.”
“Must we?” She releases a pouty moan, one that has me tensing with want. As if sensing my waning resolve, she meets my gaze with a devious look. Then her lips come to mine, her kiss slow and soft. Last night’s desire returns at once, and she climbs on top of me, straddling my hips, torso upright. The blush of the rising sun illuminates her smooth, bare flesh, the rosy buds at the tips of her breasts, the need in her half-lidded eyes.
She’s beautiful. Desirable. The woman I love.
My body responds with a pulsing need, something she doesn’t hesitate to utilize. She lowers herself onto me, and there’s no going slow this time. No teasing. No pretense. Just our insatiable love. Our unyielding desire.
I turn myself over to it. To her.
Our mission can blooming wait.
* * *
When we’re spent once more,we go about collecting our clothes strewn about the grove. They’re slightly damp with morning dew, which makes for awkward dressing. Awkward and yet somehow erotic as we end up dressing each other between heated kisses.
Damn. What is it about this woman that distracts me so?
Thankfully—or perhaps unfortunately—we manage to keep our clothes on, reversing last night’s slow undressing as we take turns doing the buttons on each other’s shirts, each one secured with a kiss. When I reach the top button of Astrid’s blouse, I plant a kiss at the base of her neck. As I help her into her coat, something red slips to the ground. It’s the velvet ribbon I gave her. I hand it to her, and she runs her fingers over the soft length of it. Our eyes lock, and the suggestive tilt of her mouth nearly has me tearing off our clothes once more. I bite my lip to suppress the urge, but that only has her smile deepening.
She turns around, her backside brushing up against the aching front of me, and glances coyly over her shoulder. “Will you tie it in my hair?”
