I pulled away, panting, my heart still pounding in my chest, and traced the line of her jaw with my finger, the soft curve of her cheek. "Luna." I whispered her name in awe. Then I leaned down and kissed her again, this time with all the reverence I felt for her. I wanted to savor the moment, to imprint her taste and smell and feel on my memory. I had to be crushing her, but she kissed me back as though she wanted to do the same.
"You got my picture," she said as I kissed her jaw.
The photo. I'd almost forgotten about it. "Yes."
"You shouldn't have gone back there." As she talked, her hands stroked my back like it was the most natural thing in the world. Perhaps to her it was, but to me, the sensation was…unfamiliar. But surprisingly, it no longer burned my skin. As a matter of fact, I didn't want her to ever stop.
"I don't want to talk about this." No. The memory of tonight was already being stuffed into the lockbox of my mind where I kept all my childhood memories, only to be taken out and examinedafter enough time had passed that it will have seemed to have happened to someone else.
Shifting my weight off her, I laid on my side with my back to the bars and pulled her tight against me. It wasn't enough, so I tucked her underneath me a little more and held her as close as I could, throwing my leg over hers.
Her arm slid around my waist. Slowly.
I released a long, shaky breath and gradually, I relaxed as our breathing synced and our hearts slowed to an even, steady rhythm. She didn't try to talk anymore and, eventually, my eyes drifted shut. It was disconcerting at first, having her in here with me. But as I listened to her breathing even out and felt her body relax against me, a feeling of peace settled over me.
No one could get us here.
We were safe.
CHAPTER 17
Luna
"Luna."
I jolted awake, my whispered name like a scream in my ear in the silence. As I tried to slow my heartbeat, I looked around, getting my bearings. I was lying on my back on the soft blanket, and something heavy was lying half on top of me. My eyes flew to Tristan's face. He was lying over me, one muscular arm wrapped around my waist, his heavy thigh trapping both of mine, and his head on my chest. His breathing was even and deep. We were both naked, but for once, I wasn't cold.
My chest ached to find him like this, and I wondered how he'd react when he woke up. Would he still be okay with me touching him? Or would he retreat back inside his walls?
Tilting my head up, I found Enzo sitting on his haunches outside the cell near our heads, with his elbows resting on his knees. His face was turned away, giving us as much privacy as he could. "Enzo?" My voice was rusty, and I cleared my throat.
"Are you okay?" he asked. "Is Tristan okay?"
"I think so," I told him. Reaching for the blanket, I pulled one corner over my hips, covering as much as I could.
Tristan stirred in my arms. I rubbed his back with my free hand, and he moaned softly, the muscles beneath my palm twitching, but he didn't wake.
I glanced up in time to catch Enzo watching me comfort him before he quickly looked away again. With his sunglasses on, I couldn't read his expression, but I could well imagine what he was thinking.
"How are you touching him?" His voice was filled with awe. "No one has touched him since he was a child. At least not without earning a violent reaction."
"Can we talk about this later?"
Immediately, he stood. "Of course. Forgive me. I'll let you get dressed and wait in the kitchen. The key to the cell is in the door. I found it on the floor. I was going to come in, but I didn't want to set him off again."
"Thank you."
Once Enzo left the bedroom, I tried to slip out from beneath Tristan without waking him. But he was heavy, and I couldn't get out from underneath him without jostling him awake.
"Where are you going?" he growled sleepily.
I released a breath when all he did was tighten his hold on me. "Enzo is here."
He lifted his head. His eyes fell to my face, studying my features before he looked behind him. I couldn't tell what he was thinking.
"Where is he?"
"He's waiting in the kitchen."
