Page 51 of Upon a Dream

He drew closer, his hand moving from her cheek to rest gently on her hip, a connection that seemed to echo the heartbeat of the world around them. He found his arms wrapping around her, their bodies drawing closer, and his heart swelled with longing.

Their proximity was intoxicating, a blend of uncertainty and undeniable connection. Tristan’s touch, tender and gentle, explored the expanse of her back, his fingers tracing patterns over the fabric that separated them from the depths of their desires.

Her warmth seeped through the thin material of her robe, a touch that ignited every nerve in his body. She felt real, solid, as if they were both part of the same realm. He breathed in her sunflower scent, the familiarity of it settling within him like a comforting embrace.

“Aurora…” he murmured, his throat constricting. “I don’t know how to leave you.”

Although their connection was undeniable, he knew that a future with her was as ephemeral as a dream, and yet, in that moment, there was nothing he desired more.

With every touch, every gaze exchanged, their bond deepened, a connection that transcended the boundaries of multiple realms. Tristan’s fingers brushed over her cheek as he leaned in, his lips meeting her neck in a tender, exploratory kiss. Her skin was soft beneath his touch, and he felt her shiver, her body responding to his caress.

Something stirred within him. It was a mixture of raw need and excitement. Gently, he brushed his thumb over her soft, inviting lips. “Tell me… if you were in the real world, and I had asked for your hand in marriage…” His fingers tenderly caressed her bottom lip. “Would you have accepted?”

By her expression, Tristan knew she recognized the intensity of what he was feeling. Though it may have frightened her, she didn’t pull away. Instead, she leaned into him and twined her arms around his neck. He could feel her chest, soft and full, press against him. She brushed his lips with hers. The feathery touch sent tingles throughout Tristan’s body.

“Yes,” she said through a breath. “I would have loved being your wife.”

An explosion of passion tore from Tristan’s heart, flooding him with warmth. She lifted her head as his lips met her neck. Tristan nearly groaned with delight at the taste of her. She was sweet like the ripest fruit from the rarest tree in a secret forest. Her skin felt as delicate as silk under the tip of his tongue. With a groan, she pulled him even closer, and he finally moved his lips toward hers.

As they greedily explored each other’s mouths, Tristan marveled that even though this moment was supposed to have been a dream, he had never felt more awake.

The world seemed to fade around them, their desires the only reality that mattered. The sweetness of her lips against his sent ripples of longing through him, a wave of sensations that stirred his very soul. Her tentative response ignited a flame that consumed every rational thought.

His hands trailed down her hip, memorizing every inch of her skin. Through it all, he was conscious of his love for her, coupled with a riptide of desire more powerful than he’d ever felt before.

When he finally pulled back, her eyes were half-closed, her mouth parted in sensual anticipation. As her golden tresses fell over her face, Tristan took in the sight of her as shiny sweat pooled between the swell of her cleavage and the thin robe left little to the imagination. Then, in a motion that felt utterly natural, he rolled atop her. Her eyes stayed on his, and with a gentle nip at her lips, he made a silent vow to worship her entire body until she begged him to stop.

AURORA

Aurora shuddered with delight as a rush of sensation poured over her. Tristan nibbled at her neck while his fingers left burning trails up her arms. She rolled atop him and straddled his lap. The silk of her robe fell from one shoulder in the most tantalizing way, but Aurora refused to shy away from his gaze as he took in the sight of her.

The intensity in Tristan’s eyes ignited a fire deep within her, a fire she had long denied but could no longer ignore. The way his eyes darkened with desire had her heart racing, each beat echoing her own need for him. She thought again that none of this could be real, but as his strength overlaid her, it suddenly felt more real than anything she’d ever experienced.

She could still stop this. Sheshouldstop it. After all, in a matter of hours, he’d be a world away, and the physical and emotional bond between them was destined to be broken, leaving them both shattered beyond repair—and yet, she couldn’t stop herself. The magnetic pull between them was too strong, a force she could no longer resist. Aurora’s senses were heightened, every touch, every glance burned for him. They were tethered to one another, bound by a love that defied reason and reality.

Tristan slipped his arms around her back, his thumb tracing small circles as if tracing the petals of a rose. The fabric of her robe was thin and light enough for her to feel as if she had nothing on at all.

The moment was so sweet, she almost forgot that it was a goodbye. Almost.

The awareness that their time together was coming to an end infused her chest with a bittersweet ache. She knew none of it was real—their real bodies were possibly hundreds of miles apart. But his warmth, his scent, his kisses, they felt more real than reality.

His kiss was exhilarating—liberating—and when he buried his hands in her hair, she heard a soft moan, barely recognizing it as her own, as their tongues came together. He ran his hands over her back and her arms and then her hips, and the sensation was like a trail of tiny electric shocks, a current that pulsed between them, binding them in a world of their own making.

He then traced a finger over her ribcage and her skin filled with goosebumps. He smiled teasingly, and she knew that image would be etched in her memory forever.

Bringing a hand to his cheek, she ran her fingertips over the stubble. Aurora’s heart swelled with emotion. She needed him to know, to understand the depth of her feelings. With a gentle touch, she guided his hand to rest over her heart.

As their eyes locked, she bared her soul to him. “From this day forward, every beat of my heart…” she whispered breathlessly, “will beat for you.”

The dim light made shadows dance along the walls, but all they could do was drink in the sight of each other. She sensed his desire and allowed herself to soak it in before pressing her lips to his again. As they kissed, she relished their taste.

He lay her back down, alternating between feather-light kisses and rough ones. All the while his hands roamed, as if he was trying to memorize every inch of her. She let out a moan and rolled her head back, savoring each touch as if it were the last.

Reaching for her hands, Tristan placed them above her head, then kissed her cheek and her nose, and then her mouth again.

“I love you,” she whispered against his lips. The corner of his mouth curved, then he kissed her in ways that told her he loved her too. And in that moment, she wanted nothing more than to be connected to him in a way that transcended time and space.

But he pulled back and rested his forehead on hers. “I want to live in this moment forever with you,” he whispered. Then he took her in his arms and continued to stroke her back as the fire weaned.

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