“I have so very many wonderful things to say to you.” She squeezed his hands.
“I will always be here to listen.” He dropped her hands and slipped his arms around her waist, drawing her closer.
She tentatively reached up to touch his chest. “You are truly not angry with me.” She framed the words not as a question, but as a statement of disbelief.
He wanted to kiss her so badly, but she did not seem ready to accept his love quite yet. He settled for dropping his lips to her forehead, gently cherishing her with slow, soft kisses along her hairline. “Truly, I am not angry with you. I accept your apology and I gladly forgive you.”
“Truly?” She leaned back, looking into his face. Her eyes glistened with tears, and her face held a joyful lightness he had never seen there before.
“Truly. You are wholly forgiven.”
Her hands slid up to his face, landing on his cheeks as she stood on tiptoe to bring her face closer to his.
He responded to the gentle pressure in her hands, meeting her halfway. He smiled as she closed her eyes, enjoying the peaceful anticipation on her face.
They were so close that the very air he breathed in was warmed from her body heat.
She brushed his nose with her own, then tilted her face and pressed her lips into his.
Warmth flooded his body as he tightened his arms around her waist, pulling her closer. Every thought left his mind save for the sweet sensation of her weightless kiss.
Accepting her soft kiss, he pressed his face down and passionately returned the gift.
Chapter 31
Ashlin was glad that Onric had his arm firmly around her waist, as the intensity with which he returned her kiss was enough to make her dizzy.
She wrapped her own arms around the back of his neck to stabilize herself. His direct offer of forgiveness had freed something within her. For the first time in recent memory, she felt right. Both her thoughts and her feelings were aligned, and it felt as though all her weights and worries had disappeared or become minuscule in the face of her newfound clarity.
The confidence and desire in Onric’s kiss gave her new life, and she relished in the feeling of being overwhelmingly loved. Time stopped. She let go of every worry in her mind as her sight, touch, taste, and smell experienced his reassuring closeness.
Finally, his lips pulled away from hers, but he kept his head bowed and his face close. She drew in a deep, shaky breath as her lungs begged for air. A giggle formed deep in her throat as she reeled against him, clinging for support.
She felt so light that she was sure her feet would lift off the ground. “I think you might have a spelled kiss,” she said, “for nothing has ever felt quite so right before.”
“Are you saying that kissing me feels like a spelled needle affirming all your choices?”
She nodded, closing her eyes so she could press her face against his chest. “Yes,” she sighed in affirmation.
“I’ll guess I’ll have to kiss you more often then.”
“That sounds perfect.” She breathed in through her nose, enjoying the fresh aroma of his clean jerkin. Her ear was pressed against his chest, and she could hear his heart beating beneath it. The soothing rhythm was louder and closer than the distant strains of the ballroom musicians. This was exactly where she wanted to be. This was the comfort and presence she had longed for at home. This was home.
He held her close, one hand wrapped around her shoulders and the other lightly stroking her hair. Occasionally, he dropped a kiss on the top of her head.
With every beat of his heart, the world grew more stable under her feet.
“Dance with me?” He spoke low, his voice rumbling close to her ear.
She stepped backwards, ready to take on the world. “I would love to.”
He led her back into the ballroom, placing a hand at her waist as the first chords of the next melody began to flood throughout the room. She stepped into his embrace as though they had danced together a hundred times. He pulled her closer, his arm tightening at her waist.
She smiled up at him, her mind filled with the things she wanted to tell him. She blew the thoughts away, choosing to enjoy this perfect moment instead. They would have plenty of time for talking later.
The melody came in and rose above the chords as they moved in harmony. He held her close the entire time, not even spinning her out as the dance called for. She had no complaints, as she could not bear to leave his arms, even for a moment. She wanted for the dance to never end.
Finally, though, the music did come to pause, and she took in the ballroom around her for the first time.
