Page 48 of Ties of Shadow

A wry eyebrow lifted. “Then what am I?” He paced forward, forcing me to take a step back. “A menace?” Another step. “A fiend?” My back hit the wall, yet again, oh so miserably trapped beneath the intensity of his gaze and the power of his presence.

I basked in it.

My necklace seemed to glow brighter, reflecting his eyes as his shadows crept around us and hid us from the rest of the world. Oh, what would it be like to stay here forever? My neck itched as I regretted forthe first time that this man didn't have a bondmark. If only fate would be so clear.

“Penny for your thoughts, Dayspring?”

“Tell me what you want—like deep down, in your soul, want?” I asked. His eyes traced every detail of my face, his lips pressed together before parting—more luscious than before. I flushed, and I quickly added, “Emotionally.”

He smirked, seeming to be aware of my thoughts. His dark voice dipped lower. “I want—”

I backpedaled, panicking. “Platonically, like from a family member.”

“Really?” When I nodded, he continued. “I want…” His hand brushed past the mark on my neck and threaded through my hair, pulling me closer. My lips buzzed, hot with the breath from my tight lungs. “Lunch.”

My breath left in an awkward exhale. “That’s not emotional.”

“What’s an emotion?”

“Shade!”

“No tell me, I’ve heard of such things, but they seem mysterious and magical.” He chuckled, clearly joking, yet I was unhappy. “Lunch meets both physical and emotional needs and is also mostly platonic.” His eyes drifted down to my lips and back. “At least, it used to be platonic.”

I laughed and patted him on the chest, pulling slightly on his collar. The heat between us intensified. I whispered, “And what if I took out the qualifiers?”

He leaned forward, his breath tickling my ear. “I know what I want, Dayspring.” His shadows twirled, and his pine scent flooded my senses. “The real question remains: What doyouwant?”

My gaze fell to his lips before I dragged them back up to his eyes. “Firstly, I want to stay here.” His smile was as radiant as the moon on the snow, the soft shards of light from my necklace glowed beneath our faces. “Secondly, I too would be okay with eating lunch.” His other hand pulled on my hip, derailing all logical thought. “And fourthly—”

“Thirdly.”

I ignited the few remaining brain cells I had left. “Lastly, I would be okay if you kissed me again.”

He rolled his eyes and pulled back a bit. “Just okay?”

“Yes?”

“We only do all or nothing around here, Dayspring.”

I paused, then closed my eyes before saying words that shouldn’t be so difficult. “I want you to kiss me.”

He moved toward me, and my lips burst with prickles of anticipation. His body crowded mine, the temperature of my skin between us as hot as the sun that beat on our clothes through the window. My breath hitched as he approached. His breath was minty; it tickled my cheek. My fingers twisted in the collar of his shirt. He came closer until…he dropped a warm kiss upon my nose.

The Shade pulled back, pressing his hand on the wall behind me. His breaths were ragged as he set his forehead on mine. Eventually he stood up straight and tugged on my hand. His emotions were a riotous mix within me. “Never kiss on an empty stomach.”

“I’m certain that’s not a rule,” I whined as I pulled him back toward me. A sudden thought made me pause. He doesn’t really want me.But that only elicited another laugh from the Shade.

“Oh, I want you, Dayspring, let me be very clear about that. But first, food. Then a nap for both of us after the stress of the day.” He paused, and his touch was warm as his hands held one of mine. “I want you to be certain. I also don’t want to play second fiddle to any otherman. Not that you’d intentionally do that,” he added when he saw me protest. “You have moved too often, too long under the whims and wills of other people. I want you to choose with your whole being, Dayspring, whatever that may be. I want to see you thriving, settled, and self-assured first.”

I nearly stomped my foot. “I want this. I want the kissing—”

“My lips await.” He squeezed my hand, flooding me with reassurance. “But I am a patient man.”

I grumbled as I determined that I was, in fact, not patient.

Not patient at all.

Chapter twenty-one

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