the desire to comb through that polished hair of his and make it wild again. To undo a button or two of his onyx shirt and see just how much of him glistens with oil.
I’m glad for a moment to gather myself as he disappears into the wash room to wash his hands, though I lose myself again the moment he’s back.
“Let me escort you tonight.” His declaration is cool water against my skin. I feel the anxious pulse of his soul, but he doesn’t show it. He holds out his arm, and I have to pull myself back when I instinctively reach for it, desperately wanting to touch him.
“Jewels,” I choke, needing to distract myself. This isn’t the time to be having these feelings.
“Jewels?” Bastian’s brows furrow, then steady when I point to my bed and the collection of jewelry laid upon it. “Ah. Right. I can wait out in the hall if you need some more time?”
He starts to back away, and—though for the life of me I can’t understand why—I shake my head before he can get to the door. Bottom lip sucked tight between my teeth, my voice betrays me. “Stay. You can tell me what looks best on me.”
“Everything looks best on you.” His smile burns bright with charm. When I say nothing, however, Bastian’s quick to wipe it away and take a seat at the edge of the bed, waiting.
I run my fingers over the jewels, pretending to contemplate them for the distraction of it. But gods, all I can think about is how being so close to him warms the ice in my veins. I can’t stop thinking about how frustratingly handsome he looks in these clothes, but I’m also imagining what he looks like outside them. Not to mention, he’s on my bed.
Maybe my feelings for Bastian are real. It’s as though, from the moment I first met him, his spirit has called directly to mine.
I hope you give it your best shot with those boys, he’d challenged. Because you’re going to be sorely disappointed when you discover that not one of them is me.
There isn’t a single part of me that doesn’t want to take off on Keel Haul and explore Visidia with Bastian at my side. I remember moments when I thought that Bastian could be it for me; that he understood my soul in a way no one else would ever be able to. But our curse has muddled those feelings.
I very well might be in love with Bastian Altair. But until our curse is broken, I cannot trust myself to make that decision.
It’s all I can do to force the thoughts away. To scoop the closest necklace and hold it up as if I’d been eyeing it all along.
“This one?” I ask, only now seeing it’s an elegant silver chain with teardrop of black pearls and matching earrings.
He takes the time to look them over, then nods as I fasten on the earrings—simple pearls that dangle from an onyx chain, understated and elegant. When I go to put the necklace on, however, Bastian watches me struggle with the clasp. Taking pity on my attempts, he stands.
“Give it here.” He takes the delicate jewels in his broad, calloused hands. I shiver as they graze the back of my neck, and my lungs tighten until my breathing comes in quiet, short rasps.
Bastian doesn’t appear to notice my struggling. He manages to clasp the necklace quickly and adjusts it so it sits straight.
“There.” The huskiness in his voice does strange things to my stomach. “Beautiful.” But he’s not looking at the necklace, and his hands don’t move from my shoulders.
Every part of me is simultaneously chilled with goose bumps and drowning in fire, my body igniting under his touch. Under his voice.
I can’t take it for another second.
I turn, and Bastian knows exactly what I want, because he wants it, too. His firm hands grip my shoulders and he pulls me into his body with every ounce of desire that roils through my own. I wrap my arms around his neck, hating myself for kissing him, and hating myself for ever considering otherwise. I back into the bed and drag him over me. I don’t have it in me to break our kiss and wince at a pair of earrings that dig into my back, but Bastian tries to sweep everything aside all the same.
For fear of breaking this moment, neither of us says a word. One wrong word, one wrong