I hope he’ll be gentle because I’ve been terrified to uncover myself when he craves to see me—all of me.
He offers me his hand, and not for the first time tonight. There’s something hidden in the gesture I can’t pinpoint, but it’s like he draws me more and more to him, making me forget reality.
I take it as if he’s the last strand of my sanity when it’s the exact opposite.
This man has a natural ability to make me feel safe. Nothing could happen to me, yet he’s the very threat that might cause my foundation to collapse.
He smiles at my hand in his, eyeing it with something akin to reverence as he intertwines our fingers. His solitude mirrors mine, reverberating through me.
“Let’s go look at the stars,” I murmur, hoping the chilly air will cool down my system.
He sweeps his gaze over my body, frowning.
Just in a flimsy top and shorts, I understand his reticence.
“You can keep me warm,” I tease, hoping for a flirty tone.
He arches a brow, not seeming persuaded. “If you catch a cold…” he says low, a threat dangling in there as if he will take it up with nature if it dares to harm me.
A hot wave rides through my bloodstream. I’ve caught something—a fever. All my symptoms point toward one sickness. One I debate whether it’s even curable—Tristanitis.
In the hallway, he drapes his coat over my shoulders, and hand in hand, we go outside. Billions of stars flicker above our heads, yet it’s nothing compared to my chest lighting up at his mere presence.
On the chaise lounge, I sit down, and he places a blanket over me. Then he gets the fire started in the pit before hurrying into the house and returning with a bottle of wine and two glasses. Filling both, he sits next to me, cutting every bit of space between us.
He pulls me into the crook of his arm, and I inhale a deep breath, but it’s filled with his heady scent and this overwhelming feeling of belonging. The crisp temperature doesn’t affect me as I burn up in his presence.
I cuddle even deeper into his side, seeking more than his warmth, wanting to burrow myself into him so we merge, becoming one, and I can preserve this moment forever.
Sipping the red wine, savoring the light, fruity, and earthy notes, my gaze sweeps from him to the ocean that laps at the shore. The breeze blows a biting wind, causing chills to prickle my skin. Sensing that I am cold, he stokes the flames, causing the wood to crackle in the fire pit and to expel warm air as if in competition with the coldness, counterbalancing it.
Intimacy soaks the silence, carrying a familiarity I’ve never experienced until him, stargazing long forgotten.
“What are you thinking about?” I blurt, overcome by the need to discover everything about him.
“Not thinking.” His brows furrow as if he can’t believe he said that. “Just enjoying some peace.”
“Must be nice. My thoughts run nonstop through my head.”
He chuckles. “I have that effect.”
I nudge his side. “I’m sure you do,” I mumble, jealousy dripping from every syllable.
He grips my chin, tipping my face up to look him in the eyes. “You want honesty. Here it is. No woman has made me feel like you do.”
My heart soars in my chest, feeling elated. I want to believe what he says so badly, but I am nothing special, so I doubt it.
His facial features pull taut. “Hmm, we must work on your confidence. I can’t have my woman feeling anything less than the goddess she is. My queen.”
I giggle, loving the playfulness. “You’ll see I am nothing like a goddess.”
“Then you don’t see what I am seeing. We should go check your eyes,” he says, no trace of amusement in his voice, boosting my confidence.
It’s a heady feeling, seeing myself through his eyes. He makes me feel beautiful. Seen.
I rest my cheek on his chest, doodling. “I like being in your arms.”
“I like that too.”
