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“You doing alright?” Ethan asked softly, his caring eyes searching my face.

I forced myself to nod. “Yeah, just taking a minute to get used to it.”

The gondola climbed higher. Below, ferries and boats crossed the dark water, their lights like tiny shooting stars crawling across the Bay.

The higher we rose, the colder it got inside the tiny capsule. I felt the warmth radiating from Ethan as our bodies touched ever so slightly.

Whether it was proximity or how small the gondola was, I felt so close to him. His scent was overwhelming in both the most excruciatingly best and worst ways. The scent of darkness had become so normal, but with Ethan, there was none.

Leaning in, I closed my eyes, letting the hints of cedar and honey flood my senses. I fought the urge to lean even further into him, but really I wanted nothing more than to bury my face against his warm body, breathing him in deeper.

“Beautiful,” Ethan said, his voice soft and deep.

I turned, searching for what he was looking at, only to find him looking at one thing—me.

Ethan's eyes gleamed like two gems, rays of neon from the Ferris wheel dancing across his face.

My eyes traced the shape of his lips, wondering if he tasted as good as he smelled. He was so close now, our bodies were practically pressed against each other. An aching in my chest bloomed as warmth spread throughout, pooling low in my belly.

The desire for Ethan was undeniable.

God, I wanted him. It was selfish, and I hated myself for it.

“Evie,” he said, his face slowly leaning in. The city lights reflected in his eyes as he gazed back at me.

The way my name sounded coming from his lips and the feel of his hand on my thigh sent electricity tingling across my skin.

I shouldn't be doing this. It was only putting him in danger, but everything in my body screamed for his touch.

“Yes?” I asked, leaning in, my voice breathy.

Looks like I’m the one being reeled in for once…

“I really like you.” His words came out hushed, his breath warm against my lips.

The tightening in my stomach told me to pull away, but the rest of my body said otherwise. Shouldn't I protect him from what I was?

Feelings were bad. Feelings could kill.

There was no stopping myself, unable to hold back the words from coming out.

Leaning closer, my breath caught as the whispered words left my lips. “I like you too, Ethan.”

There was no going back from that.

“Can I kiss you?” he asked.

The question sent shivers through my body. Something as simple as giving me a choice, a basic right I was owed that had been stolen from me before. Thoughtfulness, consideration. Everything I hadn't experienced when I was alive.

My gaze held his as heat crept up my body. All I wanted was to capture this moment. To remember the way he was looking at me right now, before everything would change.

His hands cupped my face, slowly caressing my cheek, as I leaned into his touch, his skin warm against my cold skin.

“Yes,” I whispered, as if he had stolen all the air from my lungs with the closeness of his lips.

Ethan closed the distance between us, his lips meeting mine.

Soft. Gentle. Everything I’d hoped it would be and more. His lips sent waves of ecstasy flooding through me, and I pulled him closer, his hair tangling in my grasp.