Page 55 of Yearning For Her

Mortals milled past him, each preoccupied with their own wants, their own worries, their own lives. Thanks to his glamour, none looked his way. He was in no mood to be approached by anyone. Only one mortal held his interest. Only one mortal was worth his time.

Kian ran his tongue across his lips. Willow’s taste lingered there, and he groaned at the reminder. He’d brought her breakfast again earlier today, and he had taken his own meal in the form of another kiss, as he had the last few mornings. Leaving her house, especially after that, had been hard. Really fucking hard.

He wanted more. Another taste, another touch. The essence of her, of her desire, of her arousal, was fresh in his memory, teasing him constantly. His every instinct demanded he remain at her side, and they grew stronger with each day. Before long he wouldn’t be able to stay away. Before long he wouldn’t be able to deny his needs.

Gods, he craved her.

His roving eyes settled on a pair of human females walking hand-in-hand. They met each other’s gazes and smiled, their eyes practically aglow with desire and something much, much deeper. With something much more potent and meaningful.

Kian craved Willow, but he was only beginning to understand what that truly meant.

Yes, he wanted her delectable body, wanted to fuck her over and over again in every way conceivable, wanted to explore every avenue of carnal pleasure with her. But more than that, he simply wanted to be in her presence. He wanted to have that simple, casual intimacy with her, to hold her hand as they walked, to look into her eyes and have the world fade away. He wanted to talk with her, to hear her laugh. He wanted to be gifted with the brilliance of her smile, because when she was happy, all the universe brightened.

He wanted to learn everything about her, body, mind, and soul. Wanted to hear every story she had to tell, wanted to know everything she found amusing, scary, exciting, disgusting, infuriating, and saddening. He wanted to know her completely—and wanted her to know him in return. To see him like no one, including Kian himself, ever had.

The two women leaned toward each other, shoulders and heads touching gently, all without missing a step.

Two hearts beating in time. Two minds, two souls, intertwined…

And it wasn’t just those females. Everywhere he looked, he saw another couple enjoying each other’s company. Sharing conversations, food, and laughter. Kian had spent his existence hunting desire, seeking raw, unbridled pleasure, but how much had he missed?

What would it be like to eat food with Willow that neither of them had ever tried? What would it be like to visit a place together that neither had ever visited, to do something neither had ever done? What would it be like to, after four hundred years of detachment, finally explore everything this world had to offer, all with his Violet at his side?

He longed to experience every moment of joy, sorrow, and pain, every triumph and every struggle, every miracle and every tragedy, with her. Longed to be strengthened by her and be her strength. To face it all, the good and the bad, with her hand in his.

Who the fuck have I become? When did I get so contemplative and sappy?

“Gods, Willow,” he rasped. She’d changed him more than should’ve been possible.

But Kian still needed to learn. He still needed to decipher the way humans thought, the way they felt and shared their emotions, the way they earned each other’s trust. He would’ve thought it a simple task, as he’d always believed humans were simple creatures. But if nothing else, his time with Willow had taught him that mortals were unnecessarily complicated beings who often couldn’t sort out their own feelings, much less those of their fellows.

Sighing, he ran his gaze over the storefronts around the plaza. So much information to absorb, so much of which lay right in front of him, yet it was all maddeningly cryptic. Other fae would laugh in Kian’s face were he to suggest that humans were so difficult to puzzle out.

And more than a few of those fae would attempt to flay him alive were he to suggest that their estimation of mortals was, in fact, completely wrong.

His attention halted on a male human who’d just emerged from a flower shop called In Bloom Floral with a bouquet of pink roses in hand.

Gifts. Humans enjoyed receiving gifts, and it was customary for a man to lavish his woman with them. According to the internet, mortal females especially enjoyed receiving flowers from their lovers. It was considered a thoughtful, romantic gesture.

Kian wasn’t entirely sure why. Flowers were things of great beauty, yes, but they were also so ephemeral, especially when cut. Wouldn’t they simply serve as reminders of the limited human lifespan? As reminders that all mortals would eventually wither and die?

Seriously, Kian? Do you really think they spend every moment obsessed with their own inevitable deaths?

A chill formed in his chest, spreading outward like frost creeping across a windowpane. Even Willow would eventu—

“Not pursuing that line of thinking,” he growled. She was his mate. All she had to do was accept him, and he could seal their mating bond. Then his lifeforce would be hers.

And regardless of his doubts, mortals liked flowers. As much as she clearly appreciated his breakfast deliveries every morning, he wanted to give his mate something more than food.

Kian pushed himself onto his feet and strode toward the florist’s. He allowed his invisibility to fade, trusting that most humans were too oblivious to notice him appearing out of thin air.

His steps brimmed with subtle excitement. He couldn’t help but anticipate Willow’s reaction to receiving fresh flowers. Would she offer him one of those smiles, or perhaps a kiss? Would she throw her arms around him?

Would she feed him without either of them trying, as she’d done so many times lately?

A little bell jingled over the door when Kian entered the shop. The woman behind the counter, who wore a green apron and was wielding a pair of scissors as she worked on a flower arrangement, smiled at him. “Welcome in! If you need help with anything, just let me know.”

“Thank you,” he replied. Though he was already browsing the items for sale, he didn’t miss the way the woman’s eyes widened when she saw him, didn’t miss them darkening with lust—and nor did he miss the flare of desire she emitted.

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