Her heart clenched. She thought of him traveling alone, hunting and surviving and carrying the weight of whatever had driven him from his pack. She thought of herself in this tower, surrounded by books and plants and an AI that had lied to her for her entire life.
Two people who’d been alone, finding each other in the middle of nowhere.
“You belong here,” she said. “With me. For as long as you want to stay.”
Something flickered in his eyes—vulnerability, quickly masked. “You barely know me.”
“I know enough. And I want to know more.” She reached up and traced the scar on his face, the one that ran from his temple to his jaw. “I want to know everything about you. Where you came from, what you’ve done, what you dream about. I want to learn you the way I’ve learned my plants—every detail, every variation, every secret.”
“And what if you don’t like what you find?”
“Then I’ll still want to know.” She smiled up at him. “Knowledge is never wasted. And I have a feeling I’ll like what I find very much.”
He stared at her for a long moment. Then, with a sound that might have been surrender, he kissed her again.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Liora felt the edge of the mattress against the back of her legs and sat down automatically, her hands still clutching his shirt. Baylin followed her down, kneeling on the floor before her so their faces were level.
“Tell me if I do anything you don’t like,” he said, his voice strained. “Anything at all. I’ll stop immediately.”
“I will.” She tugged at his shirt, trying to pull it up. “But I don’t think that’s going to be a problem.”
He caught her wrists gently, stilling her movements. “Slow down.”
“Why?”
“Because this isn’t something to rush.” He lifted her hands to his mouth and pressed a kiss to each palm, the gesture unexpectedly tender. “You’ve waited twenty-one years to experience the world. You deserve to experience this properly. Slowly. With someone who takes the time to show you how good it can be.”
The words sent a shiver through her. “You want to take your time with me?”
“I want to learn every inch of you.” The admission seemed to surprise him as much as it surprised her. “I want to learn what brings you pleasure. What makes you say my name the way you did before.”
Heat flooded her cheeks. “That sounds... thorough.”
“I’m a thorough person. When something matters to me.”
“Do I matter to you?”
He released her wrists and cupped her face in both hands, tilting it up to meet his gaze. The intensity in his eyes made her breath catch.
“More than I can explain,” he said. “More than I should admit. I’ve known you for a day, and already I would do anything to keep you safe. To make you happy. To see you smile.”
“That seems fast.”
“It is.” His thumbs traced her cheekbones. “But some things don’t follow the rules of time. Some things just are.”
She thought about that. About the books she’d read, the stories of love at first sight that she’d dismissed as fantasy. Now she wondered if there was more truth in them than she’d realized.
“Kiss me again,” she said. “Please.”
He obliged.
This kiss was different from the others—softer and sweeter, but no less intense. He kissed her like she was precious, like shewas something to be cherished rather than consumed. And while part of her thrilled at the gentleness, another part wanted more.
She wanted the hunger she’d glimpsed earlier. The raw, barely-controlled need. She wanted to see what happened when his careful restraint finally broke.
“Baylin,” she murmured against his lips. “You don’t have to be so careful.”
