Page 63 of Heir Of Sun And Moon
I can’t deny him. I’ve never been able to. The beating of my tattered heart quickens as I slowly turn, my gaze staying glued to the floor. His hands lightly cup both sides of my face, the warmth of his fingers across my cheeks seeping into my skin. Immediately, my magic perks up under his touch—as it always does—but it’s the way I can feel some of my own tension and anger andhurtmelting away that leaves me breathless. My head tilts up to look at him, his molten eyes boring into mine with the kind of intensity that leaves no room for deceit.
“I never want you to doubt anything when it comes to me, so let me tell you some truths.” He smiles, taking a deep breath to fortify himself. All of my attention is focused on him as I wait for his words, the anticipation so heavy that it feels as though the universe itself is leaning in to listen. “The truth is, I find you so captivating that the risk of getting caught visiting you is inconsequential in comparison.” His thumbs gently wipe away new tears as they fall down my cheeks. “I have thought of nothing else—no one else—but you since the moment our eyes met for the first time.”
My lips part as the air around me is sucked out of the tower. My hands grab onto his chest, gripping the tunic there tightly.
“The truth is that when I look at you,” he rasps, “it’s like peering into a blazing sun. I’m drawn to you, and I would happily go blind if your face was the last thing I saw.”
My gaze is latched onto his as my chin tips further up. He compared me to the sun, but I’m more like a flower drawn tohislight.
“And I’m terrified, because the truth is,” he whispers, leaning in even closer, “I feel that there is no limit to the things I would do for you to keep you safe. To make you happy. To see you smile and hear you laugh.”
Something overwhelmingly tender floods my body, wrapping me safely in its warmth. It feels as though the world around us is shut out and only he and I remain.
“Do you understand what I am telling you, Sunshine?” he pleads, our chests rising and falling in tandem. “I don’t expect anything from you. I’ll only accept what you’re willing to give me.” He lowers his head until our foreheads touch.
I’ve experienced my heart being ripped apart before—more times than I ever want to remember—but I’ve never felt what it’s like to have someone piece it back together again. I’ve never experienced what it’s like to have someone consume me so thoroughly with their words that I feel wanted, as I am.
“A minute, an hour, a day,” he says, continuing reverently and breathing in deeply, “or more, I don’t care. I first came to this tower because it was part of my job. I kept coming back because of you, because I was selfish and wanted to learn more about you. I was weak and couldn’t resist trying to make you smile. Because you enchanted me so much that I was willing—amwilling—to risk nearly everything just for that minute, or hour, or day where you look at me like you see me—the real me.”
My magic flutters inside of me, coiling and twirling around, as his words permeate through any of the darkness that might have remained. Staring at him now, I nearly forget how to breathe. He’s always been so indescribably handsome, but now as he looks at me like Iamthe very sun his universe spins around, I realize that this version of him might be his most appealing. Vulnerability and desire blend in his expression, mirroring my own feelings.
“Flynn.” His name comes out on a ragged breath. How could I even begin to voice what he means to me? How could it compare to everything he’s just said? Perhaps more words aren’t needed. Maybe an act or a gesture can mean more than anything spoken.
At this moment, there is only him and the way he is looking at me. And I can’t deny either of us any longer. Closing the infinitesimal distance, my lips slide across his, the featherlight touch igniting me from within. A burst of panic flares through me briefly, fear that I may truly be awful at kissing or that he might not actually want this, causing me to pause. But Flynn gives me no time to dwell on it. One hand slides to the back of my head, tilting it delicately to the side while his other moves down to my lower back. His lips press more firmly against mine, guiding me with his own movements as the world around us does indeed fade away. The need to be closer to him—to have every part of me touching every part of him—is nothing like I’ve ever felt before.
I slide my fingers into the silky softness of his hair.Finallyfeeling it the way I’ve always wanted to as I gently grip it. In one swift move, Flynn lifts me off the ground, my legs instinctually wrap around his torso, bringing us even closer than before. A deep groan rumbles from him as I squeeze my legs tighter. My mouth opens on a gasp, the tantalizing slide of his tongue against mine causes a demanding ache to pulse at my core. The taste of him is indescribable. It reaches into the deepest parts of me, forging new pathways and unlocking parts of my body previously untouched. That unique scent of his envelopes me, creating a hazy cloud of desperation and lust. And I know instantly that a metaphorical line has been drawn in the sand.
There was my life before this kiss, and there is my life since. There was the Rhea of the past who existed alone, with so much fear and so much guilt that she never truly lived. Then, there is the Rhea of right now, kissing a man who makes her feel wanted and safe and precious andalive.
And nothing would ever be the same again.
Chapter Thirty-Two: Rhea
Flynnslidesbothofhis hands down to grip the bottom of my thighs. My body shivers under his touch, and I can’t help but tighten my hold on his hair. If this is what kissing him is like, I can’t imagine—
He pulls his mouth away from mine, only to plant searing kisses down my jaw and neck. My back arches in response, small gasps seeming to echo off the walls. When his lips are on me, I feel transformed, remade. Like a different version of myself that has been locked away and hidden is now brought to light.
“You are perfect,” he rumbles in between the pressing of his lips on my skin. I’m blazing, feeling more alive, more wanted, more undone—justmore—than I ever have before, as my body moves against his. I have no idea if what I’m doing is right or if I’m affecting Flynn the same way, and that small hesitation in me causes him to pause and look up at me. His eyes are wide and filled with a hunger that I know is reflected in my own. His perfect wavy black hair is tousled from my hands, eliciting more of those thoughts of what it would be like to do this completely uninhibited. Heat crawls up my cheeks as I chew on my tingling bottom lip. Flynn frowns, leaning in to kiss me, forcing the lip free and asking against my mouth, “Do I want to know what is making you blush so fiercely?”
“Nothing,” I respond too quickly, causing him to laugh. My body trembles from the sound, and I’m not sure if it’s my magic reacting or just me. Or perhaps it’s both—it likes Flynn as much as I do.
My hands slide down from his hair to hold the sides of his face, so similar to the way he held mine. I pull him in for another deep kiss, feeling like I could exist off of only this. Off of onlyhim. Like two choruses fusing together, our lips create an exquisite melody—a song unique to us. When we separate again, both panting for air, he groans as he adjusts his hold on me. His large hands slide farther up my legs and closer to the center of my body.
“What’s wrong?” I ask, worried that he was injured earlier or that maybe he’s tired from holding me.
“Everything is perfect. It’s just—” He laughs, his olive skin flushing at his cheeks as he leans in to kiss the tip of my nose. “I have been thinking about this moment for a long time.Youhave consumed my thoughts for a long time.”
Warmth brushes the edges of my mind as my fingers fan across his cheeks and chiseled jaw, gently stroking the smooth skin there in response. “You have consumed mine as well,” I say quietly, my heart fluttering at how his eyes glaze at my confession. “Was it— Was I—” I stammer, not able to find the bravery to question what I’m afraid to know the answer to. Flynn reads the unspoken words on my face, though, and just laughs in that all-consuming way he does. His forehead comes back to rest on mine, his eyes indulgent as he pins me in place.
“Do you believe everything I told you?” I nod my head slowly as his earlier declarations replay in my mind. I want to brand them onto my brain—an eternal reminder of what he feels for me. A dedication of the moment we became somethingmore. “Then know that this is the truth too. All I can think about now is how you taste,” he avows in a dark velvet voice. His tongue darts out to lick his lips like he’s desperate to see if there’s any part of me still lingering there, causing my legs to squeeze around him tighter in response. “And I am now burdened with not only the knowledge of that taste but my desire to consume you again.”
Gods above.
Our bodies are so closely pressed together that I can feel the evidence of how much he wants this—of how much he wants me. I let out a pathetic whimper, while inside of me is an inferno fueled by the knowledge that his desire for me is so… prominent. My earlier thoughts of what it would be like if all the barriers between us were removed pushes to the forefront of my mind again. My magic agrees with the direction of those thoughts as it warms me from the base of my spine to the top of my head.
“I don’t want to rush things with you,” he breathes as his lips skim across mine. “But make no mistake, Rhea, you have complete and total power over me.”
I have no idea how that can be true when just my name from his lips has my legs weak and my heart skipping beats. He’s holding more of me than he knows, and the longer I stare into the depths of his eyes, the more I would give him anything he asks. Any broken part of me he might desire, it’s already his.
