“Just trust me.”
I rolled my eyes so hard it hurt, but my mouth was already curving up into a smile. “You're serious?”
Will just kept holding out his hand, patient as the moon. So I sighed, wiped my sweaty palms on my dress, and gave him my hand. He did ridiculous, theatrical bow. One leg back, head lowered, like we were standing in the ballroom of some rich man’s estate instead of whatever dusty patch of nowhere we’d ended up in.
“May I have this dance, my lady?”
“Gods, you’re the worst.”
“Is that a yes?”
“Fine,” I muttered, already caving. ”I’ll do you the honors.”
He straightened, eyes shining like he’d just won some grand duel. Then he tugged me gently into the courtyard, where the night folded around us like a secret. The music drifted in from a tavern somewhere down the street, soft, distant, half-lost to the wind, but still strong enough for us to find the rhythm.
At first, we were ridiculous. I tripped over his boots, he stepped on my toes. We stumbled in circles, laughing under our breath like children trying to mimic something grown ups did. I don’t remember the last time I’d danced. Not like that. Not with someone who looked at me like he did.
But then… somewhere between one misstep and the next, something shifted. My body stopped fighting it. The stiffness melted, replaced by instinct. I let him lead. Let the rhythm pull us along.
“We’rethemnow,” Will said, his eyes sparkling in the dark. I used to say they looked like the ocean. But now that I’d seen the real thing, I knew I’d been wrong. The ocean had nothing on him. His eyes were softer. Warmer. But just as endless. I’d gotten that part right. If I looked too long, I knew I’d lose myself in him.
The stars stretched out above us, and for a little while, I let myself forget. Maybe he was right. Maybe a future was possible. Maybe I could still dance, still fall in love, stilllive. Maybe I deserved to.
His grip was gentle, but certain. One hand laced through mine, the other hovering near my waist.
“Do you think things will ever go back to normal?” I asked, leaning in to him. Just slightly.
“No,” he said. “But I’m not sure I’d want it to. Right now, I’ve got everything I need.”
His hand found the curve of my waist and settled there. And then he pulled me closer. Just enough for my chest to brush his, for our feet to fall into sync. I felt him breathe. The sharp inhale when he realized how little space was left between us. I tipped my head forward until it found his shoulder, then rested there as his fingers pressed slightly firmer at my back. I didn't recoil at his touch. I didn’t feel the thing inside me wanting out. It felt satiated. But even if it hadn’t, I wasn’t scared. Not of my power. Not of losing control. Not with him. I’d never hurt him. Not even by accident. Somewhere deep down, I knew that. Maybe he knew it now too.
Then his boot caught on the cobblestones. He stumbled, and I fell with him. We hit the ground hard, his back slammed into the dirt, and I landed on top of him with a gasp that punched out of both of us. Heat flooded through me, my chest, my stomach, my thighs, everywhere we were pressed together. My body went still. His did too. And I could feel his breath, the way it shuddered through him, how it caught when my legs tightened around his waist.
His gaze dropped to my mouth, then back up to my eyes. Then he reached up, and tucked hair behind my ear. His touch was gentle. Too gentle. Careful in a way, like I was made of glass. His thumbs brushed along my jaw, and slipped down to the corner of my mouth.
And I broke. My lips parted. No plan, no thought behind it.
I just kissed him.
Soft at first. Testing. Then deeper. He made a sound deep in his chest, half gasp, half growl, and kissed me back. His grip on my face tightened just enough to ground me, as his other hand slid to my hip,fingers curling tight like he couldn’t help himself, pulling me down harder against him. I moved without thinking, chasing the heat, the friction, the fire roaring in my blood.
His mouth opened under mine and we melted into each other. I felt my own body unraveling, my hips grinding against his without shame. I should’ve pulled away.
I didn’t want to.
Because it wasn’t just a kiss.
It was everything we hadn’t let ourselves feel. Everything we’d buried. Everything I never thought I would feel again. I trusted him enough to let him in. With every meaning of the word.
Will made another sound, low, broken, and I felt him, hard and aching beneath me. My breath caught in my throat, and slowly, as if it physically hurt to do it, his hands dropped from my body. He broke the kiss, pulling back, before he scrambled out from under me, putting distance between us like he didn’t trust himself. Like maybe he shouldn’t.
“We should get back,” he said, voice hoarse, and cracking. Like something forced him to say it. Morals maybe. Stupid morals.
He turned and walked quickly toward the inn. I stayed where I was, one hand still braced in the dirt, my body thrumming with everything that had just happened. I could still taste him. Still feel him. The way he hardened beneath me, and froze like it scared him. But it hadn’t scared me. I hadn’t pulled away, I hadn’t stopped him. As he walked away, I realized I didn’t want him to. I didn’t want him to stop. And I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Not just the kiss. The way hewantedme.
The way Ilikedit.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
