Page 46 of A Cursed Heart
The elevator was out of commission while they performed regular maintenance on it at exactly the same time the delivery arrived. Unfortunately for Mrs. Roberts, the delivery driver, who was incredibly apologetic, could not manage so many stairs and had left the groceries downstairs for her to take up to her apartment. I had noticed this whilst speaking to the repairperson in the hallway near the entryway after dropping Freya at school.
In my old life, I would have walked away from the situation, believing it was beneath me to help someone. However, my time with Ryan had taught me much about community. He asked me often to check on the other older residents of the building. It was now a habit to check for mail in Mrs. Roberts’ box when I took Ryan’s up. So I carried those bags to her apartment without even thinking about it. I even helped her put the heavier items away, worried about how frail she was. When she clasped my hands, I sent some healing magic into her to ease the pain in her joints. Then, I went back to get the mail.
“He didn’t, but that doesn’t surprise me. Mal’s just kind like that.” Ryan’s pride in me warmed something in my heart.
It was the first time in my life that I’d ever been described as kind.
Once she had offered me more praise, the old lady left for her home. Ryan watched her at the door until she was safely inside, then turned to face me. He reached for me, cupping my face and pulling it closer until our lips met once more. This kiss was soft, sweet, and full of feeling. I just wanted them to be the right feelings. I pulled away after a moment, even though it hurt. All I wanted to do was kiss Ryan forever.
“Ryan—”
“What’s wrong? I thought you wanted to kiss me.”
“I do. So much.”
“So what’s the problem?”
“Do you want this? Is this just to help my magic refill after using so much? I want you to kiss me because you can’t think of anything else, because that’s what I feel for you. For the first time in my long, long life, I have a family here with you, and I want it to mean the same thing to you as it does me.”
Ryan chuckled. “You know what I was thinking when I was in that office? I know you weren’t reading everything because you’ve respected my privacy, you also never push for more. You’ve been waiting for me to tell you I’m ready. Well, this is me saying today was really fucking scary, and my first thought after Freya was you. Mal, you are the most important person to me after my daughter. You are my family, and even though I’m nervous, I want to take that next step with you.”
I barely let him finish before clasping his chin between my fingers and pressing my lips to his. It started off as a simple brush of lips, once, twice, then his mouth opened to my tongue. Ryan pushed up against me, wrapping his arms around my neck, his fingers in my hair.
The first brush of his tongue along mine elicited shivers. I moaned when he pulled back to nip my lip before kissing me harder. I was at his mercy.
We were pressed together, from hip to shoulder. My fingers played with the hair at the nape of his neck. I felt his hardness against my own. It was so tempting to take this further, but I needed Ryan to be ready to take that step.
Ryan’s phone rang.
“Ignore it,” Ryan said, then he kissed me, emptying my mind as his tongue explored my mouth. When the ringing stopped, he appeared to relax. He tensed when it began again.
“Ry—” I said against his mouth. His grip on my hair stopped me from moving.
“No.” Our cocks brushed when Ryan pushed further into me. The feeling was delicious torture after so long being untouched. His hands left my hair to tentatively explore my body. He cupped me, grinning against my mouth as he felt how hard I was for him.
His phone rang once more. He groaned when he took it out of his pocket. When he glanced at the screen, he cursed.
“What’s wrong?”
“It’s my sister. She’s just going to keep calling until I answer.” Ryan’s cheeks were red, his lips puffy, his hair a rumpled mess from my fingers. He had never looked better to me.
“We’ve waited this long. I think wherever this is going can wait a little longer.”
“Hey,” he said, answering the call. Though he didn’t need to, he put it on speakerphone.
“Seriously, Ry, I was about to race over to your place! Why haven’t you called or answered any of my texts? It’s been like a week and you’ve ghosted me!”
Ryan turned sheepish. “Sorry, Liddy. I didn’t want to involve you anymore than I needed to, and, well, there’s been someone watching the apartment. Every time we’ve left, they’ve been there watching. I thought if you stayed away…”
“Jesus H. Christ, Ry, why the fuck do you think I’d care?” Lydia was clearly furious at being excluded. I understood why Ryan had avoided telling her anything, though.
“Because I care,” his voice was raised with his anger. I tilted my head towards Freya’s room with a raised eyebrow. “Salvatore’s bodyguard knows I’m up to stuff,” he said in a quieter voice. “And he knows we have the heart ruby. I think Salvatore suspects, too.”
“How? What?”
“The only way I think he would suspect is if he put something on the gem, or has been tracking magic in the city,” I offered. “I have used a lot of magic, and it does leave a trace. This is my fault.”
Ryan shook his head. Both he and Lydia spoke at the same time. “No, it’s not.”
