Page 185 of Before Dawn
Confused, I turned to him. “You know I hate swatching on my skin.”
His arms slid around my waist, fingers grazing my hips as he leaned in. “Use something else.”
“Like what?”
The slow smile that curved his lips sent a flutter through my chest. He took the tube from my fingers, his touch lingering before he tapped his cheek with two fingers.
“Me.”
I blinked at him, expecting a teasing smirk, but he was completely serious.
“Right here,mi reina.113”
I let out a startled laugh. “Are you serious?”
He nodded, unfazed. “Since you don’t like swatching on your skin, use my face.”
“But the kiss marks, Mikkel.”
His fingers tucked a curl behind my ear, his voice steady. “You’re just testing the pigment,correcto?114”
“Yes, but—”
“Exactly. So use my face.”
I stared at him, completely thrown. “People would see you walking around with ki—”
“Let them.”
My breath hitched. He said it so simply like it was the most obvious thing in the world. But the weight of those words slammed into me. Hewantedthem to see.
To be loved was to be loved out loud.
My heart squeezed as I stared up at him. “You’re serious.”
His expression softened, his voice a deep, steady rumble as he cupped my chin. “I don’t care who sees it. The whole universe knows I’m yours, Abigail.”
Something in my chest cracked wide open.
“If you say so,” I murmured, trying to hold back the emotion swellingin my throat.
I reached for a deep red lipstick, twisting it up before pressing my lips to his cheek. The creamy pigment transferred easily, staining his warm skin. His breath ghosted against my neck, making me linger a second longer than necessary.
When I pulled back, I half expected him to tease me. But instead, his fingers brushed over the mark, his tone dropping into a husky rasp.
“You missed a spot.”
Before I could process that, his hand cupped my face, pulling me in until our lips met in a kiss that was slow and deliberate.
When he finally pulled away, his grin was downright mischievous. “Let’s see how the other shades look.”
I laughed, shaking my head. “I don’t think I’ll ever get used to you.”
His nose brushed against mine, his breath warm as he murmured, “We have all the time in the world. And I don’t look too bad, I love my lipstick-testing side.”
I rolled my eyes. “You don’t have a lipstick-testing side.”
He smirked, rubbing a finger over the kiss mark. “I do now,mi reina.”
