Page 52 of Sealed By Fire (The Nature Hunters Academy 2)

Ra chuckled. “You’re not wrong.” His voice was dark and full of desire.

She had to be imagining it. There was no way someone who looked like him would want her. No flipping way. She was so inexperienced. He’d probably had loads of girlfriends and tons of experience. Her garden had been locked up tight and not once had a gardener come sniffing around. And she could not believe her mind had just conjured that analogy.Someone, please, set me back on fire.

“Are you all right?” Ra asked her.

She refused to look at him, afraid he’d somehow know what she’d just been thinking.

“I’m fabulous. Fantastic. Never better. Like, seriously, this is just… Wow!” Why couldn’t she shut up? She was never good at keeping her mouth closed, but this was ridiculous, even for her. “I mean, I’m in the underworld and not dead. That’s cool, right? Who gets to come to the underworld and not be screaming in horrible pain for all eternity? This girl”—she pointed to herself—“that’s who.”

Ra walked over to one of the couches, also covered in black fabric—the lord of the underworld had a thing for black—go figure. “Will you sit with me?” Ra asked in a calm, gentle way.

Shelly swung her arms at her side as she bit her lip. “Hmm-mm, sure.” She walked over and took the seat next to him but still didn’t look at him.

“Shelly,” he said. “Please look at me. I’d like to see your eyes. They’re quite lovely.”

Cue the girly sigh. After a few breaths, she did as he asked. When their eyes met, she felt herself falling deep, down into that dark gaze, and she never wanted to regain her footing. She could look into his eyes for the rest of her life and never be bored.

“What are you thinking?” he asked.

She shook her head. “Can’t tell you.”

“Why not?”

“Because then I’d have to die of embarrassment, which would suck. To live through the underworld only to die because of the ridiculous thoughts I was having about a guy.”

Ra’s lips turned up in a crooked smile. “How do you know they’re ridiculous?”

“Because I have the sudden urge to lick your lips, and that isnotokay … aaaaannnd I said that out loud. Dammit!” She slapped her hand to her face. “This is why I’ve never had a boyfriend. Because I can’t keep my abnormal thoughts to myself. Way too often, they’re disturbing.” She couldn’t look at him again, not after telling him she wanted to lick his lips. Who did that? Tara would have fallen on her ass laughing. Bitch.

She felt something touching her hair and started. She turned her head and saw Ra’s hand out of the corner of her eye. He pushed her hair back and tucked it behind her ear.

“Don’t be embarrassed,” he murmured.

“That’s like telling the ocean to stand still,” she said. “Not happening.”

“Would it help if I told you something I’m thinking?”

“Only if it makes you want to crawl in the deepest hole you can find and cover yourself in horse manure.”

He chuckled. “That’s pretty intense.” When she didn’t respond, she heard him sigh and settle back against the couch. “All right then. I’m not about to leave you feeling like you’re somehow defective, Shelly. But I also don’t want to scare you.”

“I’m not easily scared.”

His eyes warmed even more. “I can see that.” After a short pause, he continued. “Since the moment I laid eyes on you, I’ve wanted you.”

Shelly’s heart beat faster. Am I hearing things. Maybe I’m having a delusion because of my embarrassment. I must be trying to somehow lessen my shame by imagining him telling me this. Wait. I get it. I’m still unconscious. This whole thing is probably a dream.

But the dream kept speaking to her. “When I saw you lying on that table just before you woke up, I wanted to touch you. It was as if I wouldn’t be able to breathe until I knew you were real and okay. I needed to feel your skin against my own. I still do. I want to touch you and hold you. And I desire to do more than that, but I refuse to be unworthy of you. And taking anything that isn’t mine to takewouldmake me unworthy.”

Shelly wanted to yell, “Be unworthy. Please, by all means, touch away.” But that would make her seem like a floozy. Even though when it came to Ra, she was definitely one breath away from floozy, she wanted to be worthy of him as well.

“Your confession only makes me want you more,” he continued. “It doesn’t repulse me or make me look at you any differently. I hope that one day I will have the privilege and right to lick your lips any time I want.”

Ra didn’t seem the least bit embarrassed by his confession. In fact, he looked sort of relieved, as if it had been a burden he’d been carrying, and now he was free of the heavy load.

Her breath caught, and Shelly wondered how she was supposed to be able to breathe after such a declaration. Every word that came out of his mouth dripped with a level of sincerity Shelly had never seen in a guy his age. Wait. How old was he?

“How old are you?” she blurted out.

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