Page 71 of Knot Your Sunshine
"What?" I take a step back. "No way. It'll be pitch black."
"That's the point." His voice drops to something playful and coaxing. "Trust me, Mia."
I bite my lip, finger hovering over the switch. Every logical part of my brain screams this is a bad idea. But the way he's looking at me...
"Fine. But if something eats me in the dark, I'm haunting you."
"Deal." His smile flashes white before he clicks his light off.
I take a breath, then follow suit.
Black. Complete, absolute black. My heart pounds so loud I'm sure he can hear it. Water drips somewhere in the distance. Plop, plop, plop.
"I can't see anything." My voice comes out smaller than intended.
"Wait for it." His hand finds mine in the darkness, fingers intertwining. "Give your eyes a minute."
We stand there, connected only by our hands, his thumb tracing small circles on my wrist. My other senses heighten in the darkness, the sound of his breathing, the warmth of his palm, the faint yet growing scent of him despite the blockers.
Then something impossible happens.
A faint glow emerges from the rocks themselves, blue-green and ethereal. It starts as barely a suggestion of light, then grows stronger as my eyes adjust. Soon the entire chamber glows with soft phosphorescence. Thousands of tiny points create constellations on every surface.
"Oh my God." I squeeze his hand hard. "What is this?"
"Physics and chemistry. Josh explained the science once." His thumb continues its maddening circles on my wrist. "But the lovers in the legend called it their blessing. A light in the darkness, just for them."
"It's magic," I breathe, turning in a slow circle to take it all in.
The glow makes everything feel suspended, dreamlike. Like we're floating among stars. I reach up to touch his face, needing to make sure I'm not dreaming, that something is real in all this impossible beauty.
"Mia," he whisper, just my name, but the way he says it…
We drift together like celestial bodies pulled by gravity. In this cosmic cave, it feels inevitable. He leans down as I rise on my toes, and our lips meet.
His lips are soft, patient, tasting faintly of salt water and something uniquely him. A small sound escapes me and his arms come around me, pulling me flush against him. The kiss deepens, and when he groans, the sound echoes through the chamber, surrounding us with the evidence of his desire.
My fingers tangle in his hair, still damp from the waterfall, pulling him closer.
"God, Mia," he breathes against my mouth when we break for air.
In the phosphorescent light, his eyes are dark with flecks of blue, intense and wanting.
"You're so beautiful," he says, voice rough. Then he's kissing me again, deeper this time, his hands sliding up my back over the damp fabric of my dress.
The heat between us builds quickly. Too quickly. He pulls back slightly, breathing hard.
"Mia, we can take things slow. We don't have to—"
Instead of letting him finish, I take his hand and guide it to my breast. His pupils blow wide, a growl rumbling from deep in his chest. His thumb finds my nipple through the fabric, and I arch into his touch, gasping.
"Still want to go slow?" My voice comes out breathless, teasing.
"Fuck," he mutters, then lowers his head to my breast, his mouth hot through the thin material.
I gasp, my hands finding the front of his shorts, feeling him hard and ready. He makes a strangled sound and shifts his attention to my neck, kissing and nipping a path to my ear.
"You're driving me crazy," he murmurs against my skin.
