Page 67 of Into the Light

“I bought this house for the two of us. I-I don’t want to leave you, Ember.” He paused, and as I started to speak again, he quieted me. “I want, er, no, I hope that you are able to write me into your next chapter, because I so desperately want there to be one where we get to live our story together.”

He sighed. “You know, sometimes when you read a book, you have chapters, sure. But there are some books with entirely distinct parts, right? Like, you’ll have Part One in one section, and then you skip a couple of years, and there’s a Part Two?”

I understood his analogy completely.

“I imagine that’s what’s happening with your life story,” he continued. “That you’re capable of loving in two different ways with two different people, and they are just parts of your life. Each section contributes to the whole story, which, in your case, is still unwritten. Somehow, we’re in Part Three now.”

I couldn’t help but ask, “What was Part One?”

“The story of what it was like growing up with your mom and dad.” I chuckled a little, realizing how well I could visualize his comparison.

I shifted so I was on my knees still on the couch and leaned over so our chests were touching. “My mom used to share this saying with me when she was alive. ‘Into the darkness I’ll go, and into the light I’ll be.’”

“Mm-hm?”

With tears still staining our faces, I spoke softly. “I believe you’re my guiding light.” I caressed his face and then rested my forehead against his. “Everything I said in class, I meant it.”

He let out a slow, longing sigh as I lifted my head to meet his gaze, our eyes locking. “I think we need to stop running away from each other. Stop resisting this thing between us.”

I gestured to the house around us. “This is a pretty big grand gesture.”

He chuckled. “Yeah, I suppose it was.”

“Was this with the money Mr. Ortiz wants?” I asked.

“Nah.” Rain shook his head. “I bought this house with my own funds. I needed some separation so if anything ever happened, you’d be safe.”

“So, the house is in my name?”

“Yes and no.” He stood up and walked over to the kitchen where he pulled out some papers and set them down on the coffee table next to us. I leaned over as he sat next to me.

“You’d have to sign these to officially make it yours, but it is if you want it. I guess . . . I didn’t want to scare you off again,” he murmured.

My hands grazed along the stubble on his cheeks. In the dimly lit room, the air was heavy with anticipation, thick with a desire that had simmered between us for far too long. Our eyes locked, the connection between them intense, and the world seemed to fade away, leaving only the two of us.

“I don’t think you can scare me off,” I mused.

My breath was caught in my throat as Rain’s hand, warm and gentle, cupped my cheek. His thumb traced a featherlight path along my jawline, sending shivers of longing down my spine. I leaned into his touch, my heart racing, and my senses heightened.

Rain’s gaze flickered to my lips, his desire mirroring mine, and then he moved closer. Our lips brushed tentatively at first, the contact as delicate as the first snowflake of winter. But the spark ignited something fierce within them.

Finally, our kiss deepened, becoming an addiction neither of us could resist. It was consuming, as if we were trying to taste every ounce of longing and desire that had built up between us. I responded in kind, running my fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck, tugging gently, urging him closer. Our mouths moved in perfect harmony, a tantalizing ebb and flow of passion, each moment building upon the last.

As our tongues continued their sultry dance, a soft moan escaped my lips, mingling with the low, sensual sound that echoed from Rain.

We broke the kiss momentarily, our lips parting but hovering mere millimeters apart. Our eyes met again, the intensity of our desire reflected in the depths of our gaze.

“I don’t want to do anything you aren’t ready for,” I murmured.

“No. I want this. Us.” He looked me up and down, drinking me in. “I was scared last time because I felt like there was so much unsaid between us but . . . I am really trying.”

“I know you are.”

“Please, Ember. Kiss me.”

Then we came together once more, our lips crashing together in a fiery embrace. The kiss grew more urgent, more passionate, as if we were trying to capture every single moment we’d missed out on. Rain cupped my face and deepened the kiss even further.

Our bodies pressed against each other; the heat of our desire nearly palpable. It was a kiss that felt like a prelude to something extraordinary, a love story written in the language of our intertwined souls.

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