Page 23 of The Banshee and the Warlock

"Ah, just what I was going for." He wiggles his ears, making me laugh in response.

"If you want me to think that you're something other than cute, you should stop doing cute things."

"Then again, I like hearing you laugh," he responds. "So maybe I should keep doing them."

A blush rises to my cheeks and I glance away, nibbling on the piece of shortbread to save myself from blurting out the first thing on my mind. The buttery goodness melts on my tongue, a welcome distraction from the thoughts I'm barely controlling.

"How is your sister's The Doctor's Monster paper going?" I ask once I've regained my thoughts properly.

"Well, I think? She's being a bit cagey about it."

"Which means she hasn't even started writing the essay," I joke. "I used to do that with my dad."

"You might be onto something there."

I offer him the last strawberry, but he shakes his head and indicates that I should have it. I bite into it, enjoying the tart sweetness that combats the shortbread.

A light breeze passes by and I let out a small shiver.

Cethin puts the lid back on his shortbread tin and holds out his arm in what I have to assume is an invitation. I lean in and he puts his hand on my shoulder, making me feel all kinds of warm and glowy in response. There's something so right about sitting with him like this.

I smooth my hand over his chest, feeling the hard planes of muscles even through his shirt and wondering what it would be like if he wasn't wearing one at all.

"Anja?" he asks, his voice low and rough.

"Mmm?" I look up, noticing the ring of purple glowing in his eyes. I don't know what's causing it, or what it means, but I can sense that it's not something that's bad for me. There's no risk of anything bad happening when I'm with him.

I reach out and touch his cheek, biting my lip as I do.

His gaze drops there and warmth spreads through me in response. I shuffle closer, feeling the change in the air as I do. He searches my face, clearly looking for something, though I don't know what. It's only when a small smile curls at the corners of his mouth that I realise.

He's making sure I want this as much as he does. And there's a way to prove that.

I lean in and brush my lips against his, excitement and anticipation zipping through me as I do. There's something intoxicating about the moment, even if I'm not entirely sure what's causing it or why.

He barely responds, and I pull back, panicking slightly that I've done something wrong.

"I'm..."

"No," he says, his voice barely above a whisper. "Don't say it."

"If you don't want this..." I trail off, mostly because I'm not sure how to finish the sentence.

"Oh, I do, Anja. I want it."

So why didn't he kiss me back?

His hand brushes against my waist and his gaze fixates on my lips again.

"Kiss me again," he says.

I nod, shifting so I'm on my knees next to him on the blanket. I reach out and touch his cheek again, leaning in. I can feel his breath tickling my skin and it only makes me want him more.

This time when I press my lips against mine, he kisses me back. Softly at first, but then with an increasing hunger until it feels like I'm the only thing he can think about. He tastes of strawberries, shortbread, and something else that I can't put my finger on. But no matter what it is, I like it. And I want more of it. I want to press myself against him more and lose myself in the kiss properly. Unsure how else to manage that, I shift so I'm straddling him.

Cethin's hand on my lower back pulls me closer, and I can feel every inch of him even through our clothes.

He deepens the kiss and I wrap my arms around him.