This kiss was nothing like the first one.
The first had been quick. Impulsive. A brush of lips that was over almost before it began.
This... this was something else entirely.
His mouth moved against hers slowly, deliberately, like he was savoring every point of contact. She felt the press of his lips, the gentle scrape of his teeth against her lower lip, the soft warmth of his tongue tracing the seam of her mouth.
Oh.
She parted her lips instinctively, and the kiss deepened.
Heat flooded through her, starting at the point where their mouths met and spreading outwards like ripples in water. Her hands found his chest, palms flat against the hard muscle beneath his shirt, and she felt his heart pounding nearly as fast as her own.
He feels it too,she realized.This pull. This need. It’s not just me.
The knowledge emboldened her. She pressed closer, eliminating the last few inches of space between them, and felt a rumble vibrate through his chest—that same low sound he’d made earlier, half-groan and half-growl.
His arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her closer until she was flush against him. She felt almost fragile against the breadth of his body, but there was nothing threatening about the stark difference in their sizes. Only warmth. Only strength. Only the intoxicating sense of being held by someone who wanted her.
Wanted.The word echoed through her mind. She’d never been wanted before. Not like this.
“Baylin,” she breathed against his mouth.
He pulled back just enough to look at her. His eyes glowed green and his breathing was ragged, his control visibly fraying.
“We should stop,” he said.
“Why?”
“Because if we don’t stop now, I won’t be able to stop later.”
She considered this. Considered the heat coursing through her veins, the ache building low in her belly, the desperate need to be closer to him than she already was.
“What happens later?” she asked. “The other things you mentioned. What are they?”
His hand flexed against her lower back. “You don’t know?”
“I know the basics. I’ve read medical texts, biology books. I understand the mechanics of reproduction.” She tilted her head, studying his face. “But the books never explained what it feels like. The emotions. The sensations. The way my skin seems to come alive everywhere you’re touching me.”
A harsh exhale escaped him. “You’re going to be the death of me.”
“I hope not. I like having you alive.”
he gave a surprised laugh, rough and genuine. It transformed his face, softening the hard lines and making him look younger. Lighter. More like the man he might have been if life had been kinder.
“You’re remarkable,” he said. “Do you know that? Absolutely remarkable.”
“Is that good?”
“It’s terrifying.” His thumb traced slow circles against her hip, even as his other hand remained tangled in her hair. “You makeme feel things I thought I’d buried years ago. Things I wasn’t sure I could still feel.”
“What kind of things?”
“Want.” The word was low. Intimate. “Hope. The possibility of something I’d given up on.”
“What did you give up on?”
“Belonging somewhere. With someone.”
