Page 104 of The Last Storm
“Unfortunately, it is.” He brushed the hair from my face. “I will crave only you for the rest of my life.”
Unfortunately.The word rang through me, suffocating any foolish hope that had arisen. My mouth tightened as I jerked my face from his hand and stepped away from him into the rain.
“Yes, how unfortunate for you. Shackled to me—”
He stepped from the overhang and grabbed my wrist, turning me back to him. Dark rain pelted us as we locked eyes and the tension felt as thick as the humidity.
“Shackled to you? That’s what you think? ThatIam shackled toyou?”
I nodded curtly and he took the final step between us, taking my face in both of his hands.
“Ara, you could not be more wrong. It isIwho shackledyouand it is a regret that haunts me every day. Every day I see the hurt that I caused you and I wish I could take it back. I wish that I would’ve told you and courted you and convinced you to like me with pretty words and false promises. But I can’t and I know that. But I also know that it is more than this tiny, insignificant mark on your skin that binds me to you. It’syou. All of you. Your strength and resilience. Your determination to endure no matter what fate throws at you. Your love for love and stories and hope. You are entirely the opposite of everything that I am, and I wouldgladlywear your shackles if it meant I could have you.”
My mouth dropped open at his words, my eyes wide as they searched his face.
“I…” I hesitated, speechless.
He rested his forehead on mine.
“Don’t worry, little storm. I never expected you to feel the same way,” he said, releasing a sad, breathy laugh that broke me. “But there. That is the truth. All of it.”
He pulled back and his face was pained as his thumb slid along my lower lip. His next words were barely a whisper. “If I am fated to live a life of longing for someone who will never return my affection, I am glad to long for someone so… worthy.”
My throat burned and I inhaled sharply, breathing in the scent of smoke and evergreen spice. Placing my palm on his cheek, I pulled back and studied his face—the face that had burned into my memory the first night I ever saw it.
In the recesses of my mind, I knew it wasn’t a matter of if I wanted him in return. That became glaringly obvious a long time ago. It was a matter of if I could allow myself to make the leap.
He studied my face in return as my thoughts warred.
I felt as if I was standing on a cliff with a choice. I could turn away and continue along the same path, well worn by broken dreamers but safe.
Or I could jump. It would be exhilarating and life-altering. It would set my soul on fire with the heat of passion, but would he catch me? Or would it end in us both crashing back down to a painful reality?
I want—I want—
I had always cravedmore, and now it was staring me in the face, just waiting for my response. I licked my lips and his eyes dropped down to them, following the motion. They darted back up and the intensity in his gaze knocked the breath from my chest, throwing me from the cliff.
“You. I want you,” I rasped. It wasn’t the mate bond that forced the words from my lips.
His breath left him in a whoosh a second before every part of him crashed into me. His ravenous lips on mine. His hands knotted into my hair, pulling me closer, and I melted into him.
In this moment, cut off from the rest of the realm and surrounded by his warmth, I surrendered to him. To my wants. To my desires.
And with that came the unabashed rush of freedom.
It was at this very moment that I realized Ihadfreedom and tears pricked my eyes.
He was my choice to make and I chose him.
The air was electrified as I threw my arms around his neck and wrapped my legs around his waist. He groaned into my mouth and the kiss deepened. It was breathless and desperate and soul-shattering.
It was more than lust.
He walked me back under the overhang, and as soon as my back hit the wall, we were shedding clothes. Soaked and starved, we couldn’t pull them off fast enough.
“I wish I could see you,” I whispered as we dropped the last bit of clothing.
With the solid sheet of rain, it was too dark to see each other, but I could feel him. My hands roamed his body, feeling along his abdomen, his scar, over his shoulder. He was hard, all tanned skin over solid muscle, but completely malleable under my touch.
