Page 31 of Morning's Light

“Enough. I’m done talking.” She rose and stretched her shoulders. “Go grab the keys and open up the back so we can get these to the church on time.”

She crossed the space to pick up the first piece. Elon took her hand in a quiet connection, though they remained a foot apart. “Aisanna.”

She lacked the strength to protest when he closed the distance, his palms gentle on her shoulders as he drew them closer until their chests touched.

“This does not equal grabbing the keys, Elon.” Her words were quiet.

He tilted his head to the side, the dark blue of his eyes catching the light and glinting with anticipation. “I’m sorry.” He kept silent then, as he brought his mouth down to hers. The touch of his lips was soft and he sank into her. Drifted beneath the waves and let himself go on a tide of feeling.

It was difficult to speak. To think rationally when emotions she wasn’t ready to handle churned inside of her. She resisted at first, hanging back from the contact though he persisted. Eventually, she moved closer, let him glide his tongue along the silky lines of her mouth. The bare parts of her skin heated and it surprised her when her lips curved up into an affectionate smile.

A thousand impressions assaulted her. The drugging perfume of her flowers, the slightly sweaty musk of Elon’s skin, how delicious he felt next to her. She reacted to the softness of his lips against hers and the feel of his hands when they moved up her back to tangle in her hair.

He remained patient with her, keeping the contact light without pushing too far. There were flashes of hunger, brief moments where she swore she heard the sparks pop in the air between them. Though he held her gently—afraid to bruise—he kept his arms firm.

He drew the taste of her into his blood and his memory. Her unique flavor. There was more to her than he’d first thought, something electric sizzling through his nerves and frying his senses. His arms tightened around her until her lean, slender body molded against his. Elon felt his heart kick into high gear. It galloped. It raced.

Her name slipped out from his lips once, when she broke free with an uneven breath. Her eyes were dark and huge. Indecipherable. Elon waited for her to berate him, knowing it was worth it for one taste of her.

“What are you waiting for?” he taunted.

With a curse, she moved to him. She locked her arms around his neck and took him for the ride of his life. Her mouth was heated, light. Magic. She pushed him to the limits, and Elon knew whatever the risk—whatever the price—he wouldn’t change a thing.

She nipped at his bottom lip before her tongue smoothed over the tiny ache. Then she changed the angle of the kiss, taking him deeper. Enticing him.

He wasn’t sure who stepped back first. He only knew his fingers trembled when he let go of her. One wrong move, one misstep, and he could lose her.

When Aisanna spoke, her voice was hoarse and a little unsteady. “Don’t do that again.”

“Aisanna—”

She shook her head and jerked when his fingers trailed across her chin. “I can’t, Elon. Not right now. Please understand.”

It took him a moment to answer. “I do.”

Somehow it helped, seeing how undone she’d become. Knowing she felt the same as he. It proved something. Proved there was an inescapable draw between them. Something like he’d never encountered before.

The rhythm of the falling ice…the dark sweep of the sky…the flow of his breath over her skin… The interior of her shop felt like a kind of enchantment.

She sighed, hating that their playful banter had to end on a sour note. Why did she constantly feel the need to push him away, even when desire shimmered between them and she wanted to dive back into his kiss. She wanted it more than anything.

“Come on. We’re going to need extra time to get to the chapel.” She curled her fingers at her sides, opened them again. “I don’t want the weather to put us behind any more than we already are.”

Elon shot her a jaunty salute and planted his feet, bending down to lift two boxes stacked on top of each other. “I’ll be careful driving, I promise,” he explained, noticing her unspoken unease.

He turned away because it hurt to look at her. To see her standing there with shadows on her face, looking too pale. He wanted to touch her again now that he knew how she felt beneath his fingertips, against his body. Now that he knew how she tasted.

There would be time for them, he thought. Time to turn her cheek back to him and make sure that, when she looked, there was more than lust there.

“I don’t regret kissing you,” he muttered.

“And I don’t want your regrets.”

He brought the boxes closer to the back door, unsettled, before making sure she was prepared for the weather. “Get your coat on.”

Her brows lifted. “You bossing me around?”

“Do you have your coat? Your hat? How about mittens?”

---