Black Keys (The Colorblind Trilogy #1) - Rose B. Mashal Page 0,77

hand.

“Where are we going?”

“Back home, you’ll get sick if we stay any longer.”

“I feel fine. Please, I don’t want to go back yet. Please, let’s stay for just a few more minutes,” I begged.

“It’s cold and will get colder.”

“I’m fine, it’s not so bad. We can sit closer to each other or something.”

The prince sighed in defeat and I held back a squeal. I won.

He sat closer to me and put his arm around my shoulder, but as the minutes passed, I found myself sitting between his legs and resting my head on his bare chest. He was holding me from behind, warming me with his closeness like nothing else could ever do.

I was very relaxed and comfortable; his breath near me was comforting and his touch along my arms was soothing. I liked it a lot, and for a minute, I wanted to forget everything and pretend, just pretend, close my eyes and pretend. Pretend that everything was fine and just let myself have a good time–because, indeed, I was really having a very good time.

“No matter how many times I’ve looked at this view, I can never get enough,” the prince spoke quietly into my ear, his nose nuzzling my hair the slightest, or so–for some mysterious reason–I wanted to think.

“I like the stars,” I said to myself more than to him. I admitted it.

Shining little star…

“I like them, too. The moon and the sky…”

“I don’t like the sky,” I said. “This sky is so dark, it scares me.”

“It’s the same sky you see in the daylight, or everywhere around the world.” He told me softly. “And you wouldn’t enjoy the stars if it weren’t for the dark sky, Princess.”

I turned my head to look at him. Surely he didn’t know about the small talk I’d had with myself in my head in the sunroom a few hours ago. How could he say those things, and make them touch me so deeply? How was he able to do those things to me? Why was he able to make my heart tingle and my stomach flutter this way? What was his deal?

I found no answers to any of my questions. The prince was a mystery to me. My own emotions were a mystery to me.

When I looked at the prince, his head was turned my way, looking at me, too. And just like when we were standing in Thunder’s room, we were so close this time, too. So close his breath was fanning over my cheek and his eyes looked even greener than I’d ever seen them, greener even now under the full moon’s light.

The prince’s eyes moved to gaze at my lips for a moment and then looked up to my eyes again. I started panting. Not only was I shocked that he was begging me with his eyes…but because I found myself wanting it, too.

His eyes weren’t asking me to kiss him; they were begging me to ask him to kiss me.

My breath tangled and my heart beat faster and faster–scared, needing, afraid, longing, refusing but wanting.

I couldn’t. I stood up. Too many emotions jumbling around inside of me. Too. Many. I had no idea what to do. My mind was going everywhere, and my heart was going to one where. But I couldn’t…not right, not right, not right.

His hand touched mine, making me aware of him standing next to me, and my breath settled the tiniest bit. He held my hand fully in his and pulled me, forcing me with tenderness to look at him. I turned to face him but couldn’t look into his eyes–they did things to me.

“Don’t,” he whispered, and I had to look in his eyes, a big mistake I was aware of but couldn’t control. “Don’t run away from me, Beautiful Princess.” His hand gripped mine tightly, and his other moved hair away from my face, brushing softly over my cheek and settling on my neck, where his thumb rubbed my jawline with the sweetest of touches.

His eyes were intense as they looked into mine: searching and waiting, hungry and careful, begging and pleading, but never demanding.

Our faces were getting closer to each other, closer by the second. The only sounds I could hear were our breaths and my heartbeat. The only thing I could feel was his thumb over my jawline, his grip on my hand and the fire inside of me. The only thing I could see was…green. All green. Eyes wanting, bouncing between lips and eyes. Begging with