Excitement.
Fear.
Contentment.
Curiosity.
Most importantly, it holds a question, and it’s one that I’m now more than ready to answer because with Rose, one kiss is never going to be enough.
So before she can say anything else, before the magic is broken, and before the spell that’s wrapped itself around us can vanish, I kiss her again.
This time, I don’t stop.
Chapter 12
Rose
I think of all the boys my sisters used to kiss.
Sneaking behind barns and down alleyways, wandering off into nearby clusters of trees, or scooting off to fields where they could lay together for hours, they would totally lose themselves to their desires.
I’d never felt that way. I’d never needed that.
Now I do.
Desire overwhelms me, suddenly, and now I know what they felt all those years ago. Tulip and Daisy haven’t found their true mates yet, but they’ve both found plenty of people to pass the time with. They’ve both found people they need, people they desire. They’ve found people who make them feel like the world is going to end if they don’t get one more kiss.
And now I realize that I need Edward more than anything else. I need his touch, his kiss, his lips pressed against my body.
It’s all I need.
I reach for him, pulling him closer. I can feel all of him against me. He touches me, stroking my cheek, letting his lips wander over mine like we’re joined in some sort of song. Our hearts and bodies are singing something beautiful right now. We’re devouring one another in this moment and I don’t want it to ever stop. Somehow, I feel like I’ll fall apart if it does, like the only thing keeping me rooted right now is his touch.
He strokes my shoulders, running his hands down my arms and then we hold hands as we kiss. It’s very intimate, very sweet. It’s almost innocent, but we’re both very aware that this is going to go somewhere. We’re both very aware that this moment is for certain. What’s going to happen next is going to happen because it’s destiny. It has to be. I can feel it more strongly than I’ve ever felt anything before in my life.
I didn’t think I would find someone today. I didn’t think I would find someone ever, but especially not today. Not like this. Not when my only goal was to save my sister. But somehow, over the course of my adventure, Tulip has faded from the forefront of my mind. Perhaps it’s because I know she’s safe. There’s no doubt in my mind that Greg made his way to her. There’s no way he didn’t. He got to her, and now she’s okay, and he’s safe, too.
I can feel it.
There’s a part of me that suspects that Daisy is having a wonderful time playing mother to Greg. She’s probably making him cups of tea and cocoa. And Tulip is healing wonderfully at home, resting and recovering quickly the way she was meant to.
And I’m here.
With him.
And I’m locked in this moment.
Edward kisses me again and I forget about everything else. I forget that Luther is just upstairs. I forget that I started out the day trying to find a potion for Tulip. I forget about everything else.
And I just touch him.
I run my hands down his chest and then lower, gripping him over his pants. He smiles at me and I kiss him again and again. Then my hands are in his hair and his hands are in mine and he lifts me easily. He carries me as though I’m weightless, as though it’s not even difficult. Edward brings me into the bedroom, kicks the door shut with his foot, and lays me on the tiny bed.
There’s no way this bed was made for two, but that doesn’t seem to matter right now. Not in this moment. Not to us.
He spreads me out on the bed and just looks at me for a long minute.
Finally, he speaks.