Page 51 of Fire in Stone

“Yes, I did. I’ve been getting it cut like that for two years now. Though, I may try something different next time. If I get enough patience to grow it out for once.”

He kept stroking above my ear. It felt so good. I was beginning to understand why cats loved being scratched at that very spot. I might just start purring, too, if he kept doing that.

“And this?” He touched the piercing in my nostril. “Does it have a purpose? A meaning?”

“Nope. Purely for fashion. I had more, but I took them all out when I started working in the office. I left this one, though. It’s my favorite. Do you like it?”

He shrugged. “It’s you. All of it. Of course I like it.” His hand slid to my shoulder, then down my back to my hip. “I likeyou.”

Why did he have to say that? Why now?

I liked him too. A lot. But I kept my mouth shut. Nothing good would come out of speaking those words out loud. Especially now when he was about to leave for good.

Gripping my hip, he drew me closer, kissing the spot above my ear, then my cheek, then the corner of my mouth.

“I’ve never met anyone like you,” he murmured against my lips.

His hand found its way under the t-shirt I slept in.

“I know you haven’t. How could you? You said there were no humans in your kingdom,” I quipped, using a lighter tone as a defense against the hurricane of emotions he stirred in me.

“I’m not talking just about you being a human, Amber.” He clearly intended for this conversation to be something more than I was ready for. “You’re so fragile and vulnerable, but you’re trying so hard to make it in this world on your own. I wish with all of my heart for you to succeed.”

He took my mouth in a kiss, robbing me of any sense of reality. Everything fell away. This worn motel room with its clunky AC unit, the city, all the problems of my life, and the worries about the future.

All ceased to exist, only Elex remained.

“I wish I were there to see you succeed,” he whispered against my lips. “I wish I could come with you on your journey—”

I jerked back and pressed a finger to his lips. Wishes had no use without actions. And his actions would take him away from me in less than an hour, never to be seen again.

“Don’t,” I said firmly. He wasn’t a part of my future. There was no use daydreaming about things that would never come to be. “Just…kiss me again. Please.”

He obliged, eagerly, passionately taking my mouth with his again. Kneading my breast, he brushed the tip with his thumb. I leaned back, taking my shirt off. The gesture was an invitation to my body for him.

Yesterday, Elex had mentioned my feeling ashamed of being with him. He’d tried to comfort me by saying that “no one will know.” He assumed I was concerned about what people might think.

He was so wrong. I didn’t care about what others would say or think. I had no reputation to maintain or people to impress. My biggest concern was my own safety. It wasn’t the shame I’d felt, but fear. The fear of growing to care about someone so much, it’d make me vulnerable.

Relationships often had far-reaching consequences. But with Elex, it was different. There was no risk of him ever knocking on my door at a random hour. He wouldn’t call me out of the blue. He wouldn’t expect me to do him any favors just because we’d had sex in the past.

Soon, he’d be gone. I’d be left with nothing but memories. What harm was there to add just one more magical memory of being with him?

He trailed his kisses down my body, then caught one nipple with his mouth, sucking on it gently. Hot sparks of desire skittered through my chest and down to my core.

I sank my hands into his thick hair, savoring the sensation of his silky locks between my fingers.

He slid lower still, kissing a trail from my bellybutton to between my thighs.

“Elex…” I tensed when he nudged my legs open with his chin.

I’d never had a man’s mouth anywhere near that area before. Chris despised going down on women, and my first school crush hadn’t lasted long enough to explore that possibility.

Anxious, useless thoughts ran through my mind, dampening my arousal. Did he really want to do it? Was he just doing it out of some obligation? What if he hated it? What if he hatedmeafterwards? What if…

Elex’s hot breath fanned across the sensitive skin of my inner thigh.

“Please let me, Amber. Please, let mefeel,” he begged. “I need to taste you. Everywhere.”

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