Page 59 of A Thief to Die For

‘This tunnel leads behind the waterfall,’ she says as mist wafts towards us. ‘Although I’m not sure how much we’ll be able to see in the dark.’ She shivers at the dampness coating our skin.

I turn my back to protect her from the cold mist. ‘I’ve got a confession. It’s not the falls I came for.’

She stares back at me in the low rim of light. ‘Well, that’s too bad. They’re really beautiful.’

‘You’re beautiful.’ I lean in and get distracted by the freckles dusting her nose. If she was the only person I got to look at from this day forward, I think I’d die a happy man.

‘I think … you’re beautiful, too.’

Oh, really. A bright smile spreads across my lips.

‘Especially when you flash those dimples. Like that.’ She sucks in her bottom lip, and my gaze drops there. ‘But I’m sure you’re well aware of their effect.’

I make sure to flash them again. ‘Yeah, well, everything about you is a weapon that disarms me. Fascinates me. It’s been really difficult to think about anything but you since I got here.’ We both seem to be holding our breath, standing in the space of so much potential.

As intoxicating as it is, my heart pounds in my throat. ‘Would it be okay if I kissed you?’

Her answer is to grab my face and pull me to her. I groan against her lips. It’s so different from last night. Less careful. More sure. Heat rips through me like an open flame.

‘Finally,’ she breathes.

We shift, hands pulling each other close. Her tongue brushes my lip, and I have to beat back the urge to lift her. Beg her to do that again.

She shivers, and I try to shuffle us back out of the mist without breaking apart. We trip, unwilling to let go of each other long enough to see where we’re heading. I give up and lean against the cold stone wall. Marian presses into me so close, she probably feels my heart slamming against my rib cage. I capture her lips. Get lost in them.

We lose our breath, and she pulls back, panting for air, peering up at me through heavy lids.

She’s so achingly beautiful, my throat tightens into a knot. A knot that threatens to choke me at the thought of any of this coming to an end. I don’t know how we got here so fast, but it feels like I’m falling over the edge of something.

‘I want you to come with me when I leave,’ I whisper. The words just slip out. I wait, my stomach sparking with nerves.

She blinks up at me. ‘W-what? I can’t. Atlas would never –’

‘I think he will. There’s a way where he releases you completely.’

Her brows pinch. ‘How?’

Now that’s a loaded question.

What I wouldn’t give to slow this way down. Do it right. Take our time. Learn all there is to know about each other.

Earn her heart, fully.

I can honestly picture us ending up together. Eventually. But how can I wait for the perfect moment if it puts her life at risk? She needs separation from the Commander and protection – the kind only the connection can give. The kind only I can give her.

And the connection will cover the rest. You can’t share memories and emotions without building trust. Every gap in what we understand about each other will be quickly filled in.

I bite my lip. I can’t just ask her, can I? I’ve got to set this up better. Explain. Tell her everything.

‘This is going to sound a little impulsive, but … marry me.’

I bite back a curse at the confusion and shock on her face. Okay, I’m an idiot for saying it that way.

I inhale and talk fast. ‘Think about it – this could set you free from the Commander. Protect you.’

Her eyes are wide, lips parted. ‘You think if we marry, Atlas will let me go?’

I nod, encouraged. But my reasons go far deeper than that. Part of me wants to ask if I’m alone in feeling this pull between us, like something’s bringing us together.