Page 3 of The Sword & the Stone

The words hung in the air between us, playful on the surface but laced with something all too real. I peeked at him between my fingers, my heart doing a complicated flip in my chest at the soft look on his face. His eyes searched mine, suddenly serious.

I lowered my hands slowly, pulse thrumming. "Merlin, I?—"

A crack of thunder rattled the barn walls, so loud it felt like the world was splitting open. We both jumped, the charged moment shattering. I let out a shaky laugh, running a hand through my hair.

"Guess that's our cue to get some shut-eye," I said, trying to sound casual even as my heart raced.

Merlin sighed, a rueful twist to his lips. "As the lady demands."

He shifted onto his back, close enough that I was aware of the heat of him but carefully not touching. I immediately missed the contact, even as I told myself it was for the best. We settled into silence, just the drum of rain and the pop of the fire filling the room.

I gazed up at the cobwebbed rafters, my thoughts swirling like a damn tempest. This was dangerous territory. Merlin and I had been through too much together to risk tearing it apart over inconvenient feelings.

And yet…

I turned my head just slightly, stealing a glance at him. His eyes were closed, dark lashes fanned across sharp cheekbones.His chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm, radiating a raw kind of sensuality that made something ache deep inside me.

“I can feel you staring, Wart,” Merlin murmured, his voice low and playful, still not opening his eyes. A tiny smile danced on his lips.

Heat rushed to my cheeks, and I quickly redirected my gaze to the ceiling. “I was just checking to make sure you weren’t drooling in your sleep. Wouldn’t want you to drown.”

Merlin chuckled softly. “How thoughtful of you.”

“I’m a giver, what can I say?”

We fell into silence again, but it was charged now. The air crackled with unspoken words—or maybe it was just the storm raging outside that made the barn feel impossibly small.

I squeezed my eyes shut, willing myself to sleep, to banish the thoughts of how easy it would be to roll over and press my body against the long lines of his. To tangle my fingers in that long dark hair and discover if his lips were as soft as they looked.

I exhaled sharply.Right. Sleep. Not…other things.

Beside me, Merlin shifted restlessly. His hand brushed mine, a fleeting touch that could’ve been accidental, then slid between my fingers in a tentative, teasing gesture. My heart leaped into my throat, and I squeezed his hand once in response.

Merlin exhaled, a shaky sound in the stillness. His thumb traced my knuckles slowly, mapping every ridge and valley. Each glide sent sparks skittering up my arm, pooling in my belly. I craved his touch everywhere, a single-minded desire to explore every inch of him until I could memorize the feel of his hard body. The body of the man he was. Not the boy. Not for a long time now.

“Arthur,” he breathed, the word barely a whisper.

I rolled to face him, our noses nearly brushing. Up close, I discerned the darker flecks in his irises, like shards of midnightsky. His gaze dropped to my mouth before flicking back up to meet my eyes.

I swallowed hard, my heart racing. This was the moment that could change everything between us, for better or worse.

“Tell me to stop…” I cupped his jaw, my thumb brushing the corner of his mouth. “Tell me you don’t want this and it’ll end here. Like it never happened.”

Merlin’s tongue darted out to wet his lips, and I tracked the movement hungrily. “Why would I say something so damn stupid?”

A shiver ran through me, and I briefly closed my eyes, overwhelmed. “This—this could change everything.”

Slowly, giving me a chance to pull away, he leaned in. His nose brushed against mine, a gentle nuzzle, and I felt his breath ghost over my lips, the warmth of him seeping into my skin. My eyes fluttered shut of their own accord. I wanted to savor this.

Just as Merlin's lips began to graze mine, the barn door crashed open with a deafening bang.

We sprang apart like scalded cats, reaching for our weapons on instinct. I blinked the haze of desire away, trying to focus past the pounding of my heart. A hulking figure stood silhouetted in the doorway, rain lashing at its back. Something about the shape of it made my blood run cold.

"Well, well," a horribly familiar voice drawled. "Isn't this cozy?"

Ames and Reeno lumbered into the barn, their brutish forms blocking the doorway. Rainwater sluiced off their mud-splattered cloaks, pooling on the floor. Ames's beady eyes glinted with malice as he took in our too-vulnerable position. Reeno's lips peeled back in a feral grin, revealing crooked yellow teeth.

"Looks like we interrupted a tender moment," Ames sneered. "So sorry."

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