Lachlan
I gripped her face, holding her tighter than I ever had as my tongue swept against hers, pouring everything into this kiss. There was so much I wanted to say. So much I wanted to thank her for.
So many reasons I didn’t want this to end.
I just didn’t know if it was enough.
Eme’swords from earlier filtered into my subconsciousness, encouraging me to just tune out the noise and find our magic. And there was no question in my mind… This thing between us was magic.
“Julia,” I began after bringing our kiss to an end, gaze focused intently on her. “What if—”
“Don’t,” she begged, as if able to sense what I was about to say. “Please. Don’t make this any more difficult. I guarantee you won’t like my answer to what you’re about to ask. This week hasn’t changed my position on that matter. Nothing can. So let’s just enjoy our last night in our bubble. Because this can’t last outside of this bubble.” A tear slid down her cheek, her words drenched in sadness. “Okay?”
I opened my mouth, on the verge of telling her all the reasons she was wrong. But I didn’t want to spend what little time we had left arguing. Didn’t want her to push me away before our time was over.
So instead, I reluctantly nodded. “Okay.”
Lowering my mouth back to hers, I sealed my vow with a kiss. As I traced my hands down her body, I imprinted every delicious curve to memory, pretending the idea of never again feeling her in my arms wasn’t the soul-crushing ending it was.
“Hold on tight,” I murmured against her lips.
She only had seconds to react before I swooped her up into my arms in a cradle hold, carrying her from the kitchen and up the stairs. Her eyes remained locked on mine, glossy with emotion.
After crossing the threshold into the bedroom, I slowly lowered her to her feet, the atmosphere charged with a thousand emotions I was scared to label.
That neither one of us would.
If we did, it would be too painful. Too real.
And this was never supposed to be real.
I touched my lips to hers, sighing into her perfect kiss. I’d always thought her kisses addictive, even more so once we dropped the pretenses and shared our true selves with each other.
But this one was so much more charged.
So much more vibrant.
So much more electrifying.
I looped an arm around her waist, her body flush with mine. So warm. So inviting. So damn perfect. It was as if our lips were made to do just this. Our hearts made to beat for each other. Our souls destined to be inexplicably intertwined for all eternity.
I felt it that first night I touched my forehead to hers.
And I still felt it.
My hands on her hips, I backed her the few steps toward the bed, my lips never leaving hers.
“I need you,” she begged against my mouth as she attempted to yank off my shirt. “Need to feel you. Need you inside me.”
“Then that’s what you shall have.”
I stepped back, reaching for the top button of my shirt.
“Let me,” she murmured seductively.
Her emerald eyes no longer awash with heartache but desire, she unbuttoned my shirt with slow, languid motions, each second ratcheting up my need for her even more. I wanted to tear my clothes from my body. Hers, too.
But that wasn’t what this was. Not to me.