Indecision sweeps through me. Is he being honest, or is this some kind of trick?
“Leti—“ His head dips down and Andrés presses a kiss to the corner of my mouth. “Say you’ll try.”
The kiss is chaste yet my pulse races with nerves.
“I—“
Pulling back, he holds my gaze, his amber eyes searching mine. “If you can’t say yes, don’t give me your answer. Not yet. You can think about it. We have time.”
Except, we don’t.
Cradling my cheek, he leans forward and kisses me again, pressing his lips to mine. The touch is featherlight, but the way he cups my face, both gentle and possessive, makes my cheek burn beneath my skin.
Nibbling on my lower lip, he teases my mouth open with his teeth. I haven’t forgiven him. Not even close. I have every reason to push him away. And I will. I’m just still processing what he’s said. An education? A chance to pursue my own passions and possibilities. That has always been my dream.
Tilting my head back, he traces my jaw with his tongue.
“What are you doing?” My voice shakes, and a flame ignites low in my belly.
“I’m reminding you of how good we were,” he murmurs, his breath hot against my skin. “How good we can be again.”
Instead of waiting for me to make a decision, Andrés returns to my mouth. Crashing his lips against mine, my mouth parts on a sharp inhale. I should pull back. Turn away. But his mouth is soft and warm. Yet also strong and demanding. It’s an overload of sensation, and when his tongue tangles with mine, I know I’m no longer capable of stopping him.
My resolve to push him away crumbles to dust on the floor. There is a promise wrapped in his kiss. One I desperately want to accept.
My fingers sink into the fabric of his shirt. “Please,” I whisper between his kisses. “Don’t destroy me.” I won’t get through the heartache again. I know myself. Even with the knowledge that Andrés is using me, I’ll give in. My resolve isn’t strong enough to resist him forever. Neither is my heart.
He is the sun, and those around him fall into his orbit. But while others know to remain a safe distance away, I’ll be drawn into his gravitational pull.
But you know what they say about flying too close to the sun. No matter your protections, you will inevitably burn.
“Never, princesa.” He tells me. “You will be my queen. I would never destroy someone so precious to me.”
