“Don’t do that,” I scold, pulling the covers up.
Disappointment surges through me, dull and achy. Then, regret.
I lower the blankets.
He lowers his voice. “Gonna take a while getting used to being around you, Josephine. Choosing my thoughts and my words. But you’re beautiful. Stunning.”
My shoulders relax, feeling the ardent hum. Then, unease ripples through me. He doesn’t say a word. Just watches my mouth instead, waiting for the words. “I just feel more naked than I’ve ever felt before.”
“Me, too,” he admits, flipping onto his stomach and resting his chin on his folded hands. “Wildblood pairs learn to build walls. Otherwise, emotions bleed until both minds drown.”
“Walls?” My mind wanders to anomalous images carved in stone. Of spirals and lines. Rays that break and divide.
He leans closer, his finger tracing the line of my jaw. “Back to work already?”
I chuckle, sinking into the exposure. Surrendering. Observing. “How’d you know?”
“I felt you go serious. The way I imagined you felt when I watched you work.”
“You should know,” I quip.
He nods, slow and easy. “You studying rocks. Me studying you.”
Yearning floods me. “What is that?” I ask, trying to tangle who it comes from.
“How I felt watching you.”
“Wow, you showed a lot of… restraint.”
“You have no idea,” he huffs a laugh.
“And before when I was a young girl?” My face stiffens, thoughts tangling.
But then, it washes over me. Soft and pure. A protector without ulterior motives. A family friend. That’s all. Sometimesannoyed by too many squeals or a prank. But happy to watch his friend’s family grow.
“Good,” I sigh.
He nods, jaw firm. “But when you showed up in your little silver GTI?”
A shiver threads down my spine, goose bumps rising on my arms. Then, pain.
“My God. No wonder you didn’t want to come to dinner.”
“I couldn’t stay away.” He looks down, emotions muddying before clarity—devotion. “I didn’t think it was real till it smacked me upside the head.”
“And is it worth it?” I ask softly.
His voice throbs raw and rich. “For me, yes. I hope you’ll feel the same way.”
“Already do,” I grin, leaning forward to taste him again.
We kiss until we have to breathe, then stare at each other for a long moment. Lost in the quiet spaces of each other.
“Now tell me about what you were thinking about. Your work stuff. Couldn’t ask before. Didn’t want to act too interested. But it fascinates me.”
I smile, knowing now. “It’s just some of the symbols I’ve been studying. What if they described this?” I motion between us. “This state of being… together?”
“This synchronicity?”
