He made a sound in the back of his throat, though it was a familiar sound.
“You drive me to madness, you know that,luxiva?” he rasped.
Her toes curled in the water.
“But I think I like it,” he admitted.
Crystal’s lips parted, feeling about a million butterflies in her stomach at his pronouncement.
“I missed you,” he murmured. “Two spans away from you felt like an eternity.”
She heard the truth of those words in his voice and they echoed in her own chest. He was always so open with her, so honest about what he felt. Yet, she hadn’t been able to be open and honest with him. She admired that about him. She envied him for that.
She wanted to cry. She wanted to smile.
God, how had he done it? How had he dragged feelings out of her, feelings that she’d tried to keep locked away for so long?
I think…I do want to give this a chance, a little voice in her mind sounded.
What could a few days hurt?
It scared the shit out of her, thinking about it. But, at the same time, she couldn’t stop thinking abouthim. Something Beks said earlier came back to her. And she knew that if she didn’t try…she would regret it.
His expression sobered as he looked up at her. “We should talk about that night.”
That night. The one when she’d told him about Leo.
“Later. You’re tired,” she said, her hand trembling so she closed her palm around the soft fabric of her dress, a gentle hum in her ears. “Cruxan?”
“Tev?”
“I…” she trailed off. She licked her dry lips, telling herself to be brave. “Can I stay here with you tonight?”
Chapter Twenty-Five
His bedroom was dark and quiet. So quiet that he could probably hear her heart pounding away in her chest.
The bed was piled high with furs and cushions, though it was neat. Crystal stared at it, hyper aware of Cruxan’s presence behind her.
She sensed his gaze on her. Felt it like a touch. He was waiting, letting her take the lead, no doubt wondering what she would do.
Her stomach was in knots as she climbed into bed. She was still in her dress and sweater but she didn’t move to take anything off. Instead, she slid her legs underneath the furs and tilted her head to look over at Cruxan. He was only dressed in a clean pair of pants, which he’d pulled on after climbing out of the bathing pool. He didn’t move to take them off, but rather climbed in after her.
She was sitting up, her eyes gliding over his bare shoulders, how they shifted as he adjusted the furs over the both of them.
Crystal imagined reaching out. She imagined reaching out and touching his skin, feeling his warmth, the hardened strength of his muscles.
You can, her mind whispered. Cruxan would welcome her touch, she knew. But she hesitated nonetheless.
“I can feel you thinking a thousand thoughts,luxiva,” he murmured, his deep, rich voice soft between them. “What is it that you want?”
I want you, was on the tip of her tongue.
“Can I try something?” she asked instead.
Cruxan leaned his shoulders on the stone wall at the head of the bed, the furs pooling into his lap.
“You can do whatever you wish,” he said. “You know that.”
