closer and we just sort of sway together.
He smells divine. Like magic would smell, I imagine, but also with hints of bravery, sexiness, and strength of heart. That’s only a small fraction of a list of ways I could describe him.
“Are you going to apologize?” he asks, the words rumbling through his chest where I have my ear pressed.
“What for?” I ask lazily.
“For that stunt you pulled with Boral today,” he rumbles, trying to convey his ire. But I can feel through his body that he’s not really angry with me.
“He could be a great asset,” I defend my actions.
“He could kill you,” he points out.
“Doubt it.” I pull back a little, tipping my head up. “He’s too afraid of you. And admit it… he’s provided us with information we couldn’t get anywhere else. Who knows what else he might bring?”
Carrick concedes that with a grimace. “As much clarity as we got today, there are still a million unknowns.”
I can feel him receding… his brain starting to spin and go back into planning mode. But this is a moment I’m not ready to give up. I don’t know if we’ll ever dance again, so I move my hand from his shoulder to his cheek to gain his attention.
His head dips, eyes landing on mine. “Hey…there may be a million things to wonder about and will be more every day, but want to know some things I don’t wonder about anymore?”
Carrick tips his head in question.
Tugging my other hand free of his, I loop my arms over his shoulders, his hands falling to my waist. It feels like high school dancing, but I want him to focus on what I’m saying.
“I don’t wonder anymore why my heart flutters every time you look at me,” I tell him with brutal honesty. We don’t really talk about feelings, but now we’re on a clock with a new moon looming in seven weeks.
Carrick’s eyes soften, then start to glow.
“I don’t wonder why when you touch me, it feels like I splinter into a million sparks of light.”
There’s a low rumble of something in his chest that sounds like an animal wanting to break free.
“I don’t question in the slightest that if I fall, you’ll be there to catch me,” I murmur.
“Finley.” Just my name, hanging softly in the air and mixing with the music.
“And it’s never crossed my mind to wonder about—”
My words are cut off as Carrick’s mouth descends on mine, and he sweeps me into the most head-spinning, heart-clenching kiss I’ve ever had in my life. Every time he’s kissed me, it’s felt like the best, but this transcends everything I’ve felt before.
In this moment, his kiss reveals all the ways he feels about me without him needing to say a single word.
I’m thinking wine and dancing are overrated, and dinner can wait. I want to lead Carrick back to his bedroom and let our bodies continue this conversation.
Instead, he pulls back and looks down warily.
“What’s wrong?” I ask, immediately concerned because I can feel his body has become stiff.
His hands pull my arms off his shoulders, one sliding down to lace his fingers through mine. He leads me over to the balcony’s edge, which secures our safety with a low wall that comes up to my stomach but barely to Carrick’s hips. I’m able to easily look out at the city below, as ever since Carrick magically calmed my anxiety before we rode the gryffins in Faere, I’ve not been afraid of heights.
Leaning his elbows on the flat stone top, he releases my hand and looks out over the darkened water with city lights shining on it. The sky is clear, and Bainbridge Island twinkles across the sound.
“It’s time for that talk,” he says, and my heart starts a tripping beat.
Turning slightly to face me, he leans a hip against the wall. I match him like a mirror and try to ignore the fact I’m actually a little scared. I know whatever he’s about to tell me is going to change us, and I just don’t know if it will be for better or worse.
“There’s something I need to explain to you,” he begins slowly, his eyes locked onto mine in a way that I’m simply unable to look away. “Things are starting to move now, and the danger is mounting. I can’t risk something happening to you without you knowing the full truth.”
“Okay,” I drawl hesitantly because I can see the dread in his eyes, which, to my dismay, have