Page 63 of Mistaken

The heat that coursed through him was utterly unexpected, shocking as a burst of lightning. He had spent countless millennia schooling his body to utmost control, knowing he would never be able to experience physical contact, and to kiss Sarah now was to remind him of everything he had been deprived of during those long, lonely centuries.

She clung to him as well, body pressed against his, and made a soft little sound as their embrace continued, as if she, too, could not quite understand her reaction to his touch.

A moment later, though, she pulled away as she sent him a lopsided smile.

“Well,” she said, “I suppose that answers that question.”

Until he began to lean toward her, Sarah hadn’t truly understood what Abdul intended to do. But once his lips pressed against hers, she realized this was the only way any of this could have ended.

Well, all right…maybe there was one other way. She could have gotten up from the table and walked back to her room, telling Abdul she would never forget, and certainly would never forgive.

For now, though, she was more than happy to let him kiss her, to open her mouth so he’d know she wanted to deepen the kiss. Her body seemed to practically pulse with desire, and she knew no one’s kiss had ever made her feel like this before, as though until this moment, she’d only been half alive. The only other experiences that even came close were the times when she was singing at the top of her form, floating along on a breath that would support whatever note she needed to produce, but that still wasn’t the same. Those times, she’d still been alone.

Now…now she was with Abdul, and she knew her entire universe had changed forever.

She began to feel almost lightheaded, so she drew away so she could catch her breath. But she spoke words she hoped would be reassuring, and it seemed they worked, since he smiled down at her as well, his half-ravaged face the most beautiful thing in the world to her.

“You did not mind that?”

They were still holding hands, so she gave his fingers a little squeeze as she replied, just to reinforce her point. “No, I didn’t mind, not one bit. That was…amazing.”

He bent so he could kiss her again, but gently this time, a quick brush of his lips against hers. “I am glad to hear that,” he said. “And gladder still to know that we appear to be of one mind. But….”

The word seemed to slide away into the ether, although Sarah thought she knew what he meant.

“But…where do we go from here?”

She knew where she wanted to go — straight into his bedroom, which she’d still never seen. The sensible part of her brain…which, she had to admit, was almost buried by the part of her that wanted to tear all those flowing dark clothes off Abdul’s body…tried to tell her there was no reason to rush into things.

Wasn’t it kind of a lot to jump right into bed after only one kiss?

“I will not force you,” he said quietly. “This must be your decision.”

Her lips twisted into a not-quite grin. “Oh, I’m not worried about being ‘forced,’” she responded. “I’m more worried about not having the self-control to keep myself from jumping your bones right here and now.”

Rather than smile in return, he tilted his head at her. “I have not heard of this ‘jumping bones.’”

“Getting intimate,” she said, even as embarrassed blood flooded her cheeks.

“Ah.” He paused for a moment, then went on, “I, too, am desirous of such a thing. On the other hand, we do not need to rush into this. I want you to be comfortable, to wait until you know you are ready.”

Oh, she was ready now. But she also realized that Abdul had just unburdened some pretty heavy stuff on her, and going to bed with him right away when she hadn’t completely processed everything probably wasn’t the best idea.

That seemed to settle it.

“Thank you for that,” she said, and moved so she could resume her seat. “Then I suppose what we should do now is finish this food before it gets cold.”

One corner of his mouth — the corner on the side that was unscarred and perfect — lifted slightly, and she thought of how much she loved the unevenness of it, how the expression was so uniquely his. “It cannot get cold. That is part of the magic of djinn food. But I understand your meaning.”

He sat as well, returning his napkin to his lap. Sarah did the same, and with something of an air of unreality, she picked up her fork and returned to her meal as though nothing had happened.

It had, though. She had kissed Abdul, and he had told her he loved her, and she supposed tomorrow they’d do their best to figure out what that all meant.

His bedroom felt emptier than ever that night, but he reminded himself that he must be patient. While he would have loved to have Sarah lying here next to him, he also knew she was being wise in her attempt to take things slowly. They had all the time in the world.

Or at least, he did. There was no such thing as a Chosen for him, for he had never thought he could give a human his love, let alone expect her love in return. That did not mean he would be forced to watch Sarah grow old and die, of course. No, once she was absolutely sure she wanted to be with him forever, then he would join his essence to hers, and she would be young and healthy and beautiful until the end of time.

That was a conversation they could have later on, however. He had no idea how much she knew about djinn/human relationships, but whatever she knew, it did not exactly apply here. Unlike the djinn, who must abide by the elders’ rules, he was subject to no one.

---