Page 24 of Carnival of Crows

The first firework left the shoreline. A single orange ember climbed silently into the sky.

Luci gasped. It burst above the lake in a brilliant bloom of amber and gold.

A heartbeat later, the boom rolled across Butcher’s Bay. Another shell followed, then another. Orange chrysanthemums opened above the water, their reflections rippling across the lake before fading into darkness.

The flashes painted her face in warm gold. She looked up, completely captivated. I realized then that I wasn’t looking at the fireworks. I was looking at her and suddenly the distance between us felt unbearable.

I stepped closer. She turned toward me and for a second neither of us spoke.

The fireworks continued blooming above the park, bathing the old watchtower in waves of orange and yellow light.

“You smell like apple cider,” I murmured.

A laugh escaped her.

“So…” She searched my face. “Is this where you kill me?”

Instead of answering, I stepped closer. Her eyes slowly left the sky and found mine. Another explosion rolled across the lake, but neither of us looked.

For once tonight, I didn’t know what came next. There was no script. I wasn’t in character. There were no carefully rehearsed line from the Ringmaster. It was just me. Just Damien.

My fingers brushed the loose hair away from her cheek.

Her breath caught.

I let my knuckles trail along the softness of her skin before my hand settled against the side of her neck, my thumb resting just beneath her jaw. She leaned into my palm. Just barely, but she did. That tiny movement destroyed the last of my restraint.

I lowered my head slowly enough for her to stop me. Slowly enough that I felt her breath against my lips before I ever touched them. But when her fingers curled into the front of my coat and her eyes closed any willpower I had left my body.

Our first kiss was almost embarrassingly careful. Just the soft press of my mouth against hers while fireworks thundered above us. For half a heartbeat, neither of us moved. Then Luci kissed me back. And everything changed.

Her fist tightened in my coat, pulling me closer, and the restraint I’d been clinging to all night slipped another inch.

My hand moved from her neck into her hair, cradling the back of her head as I kissed her again.

Slower.

Deeper.

Her lips were soft and still faintly sweet from the cider she’d been drinking. Apple and cinnamon lingered there, mixed with the sugary trace of the fried dough she’d shared with her friends.

She tasted like October.

It was such a ridiculous thought that I almost laughed.

But there was no other way to describe her.

Apple cider.

Cold air.

Cinnamon sugar.

The warmth of her body beneath my hands while the entire autumn sky burned above us.

Her free hand slid up my chest and over my shoulder before settling against the back of my neck.

My other hand found her waist. My palm spread over the curve of it, drawing her closer until there was no cold October air left between us. She made a quiet sound against my mouth. It nearly ended me.