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But it’s a lie. Such a lie.
“Why me?” he whispers back, so gently. So invitingly.
Unbidden, the truth rises to my mind.
Because you love me,I realize, but don’t say aloud. That’s why. That special relationship—the one more powerful than anything else. The mosthumanthing there is. That’s what does it.
“Alosa?” he prompts.
“I have a—different relationship with you than I do anyone else.”
“Different,” he repeats, amused. “Different how?”
“You know.”
“I want to hear you say it.”
Maybe it’s the thrill of being able to stay myself while under the water. Maybe it’s the realization of why he is able to keep me human. Or the realization that whether or not I call it what it is, that relationship between us is there. I only need to choose whether or not I want it.
He’s been so open with me. If I want to take this jump with him, it’s my turn.
“I think you love me,” I say.
“I do.”
“And I think I love you.”
“You think?”
“I know.”
He steps even closer to me. One hand slides up my arm from my wrist to my shoulder. He grabs a strand of my hair and twirls it around one of his fingers before bringing it up to his lips.
“What are you thinking about right now?” he asks.
“Just you.” Not anything that’s worrying me or frustrating me. There is only Riden.
He slides his hand to the back of my head to bring my lips to his. He kisses me softly, languorously, savoring every time our lips connect. I melt under that pressure, but manage to yank at his still damp shirt. He helps me take it off. I run my hands over his smooth chest. A torso as perfect as Riden’s should never be covered.
His lips slide down to my throat, and I tilt my head back. He supports me with his hands at the small of my back.
“And what about that girly fellow?” he asks.
“Hmm?”
“Your lover.”
“Oh, I lied about that. I can’t stand Tylon.”
He pulls away just enough to look me in the eye. “Why would you do that?”
“You were being cruel, and I wanted to make you jealous.”
“I think we could argue about who was being more cruel at the time.”
I smile and bring my lips to his shoulder. “Are you saying it worked?”
Instead of answering, he picks me up with a hand under each thigh and braces me against the wall. His lips are on mine again, hard and unrelenting this time. I connect my legs behind his back. My arms tighten around his neck.
