of work into it, and it paid off. It’s beautiful, Maya. It really is.”
“It’s the view that makes it beautiful,” she said, waving one hand at the vast landscape that stretched behind us. The pale moonlight bounced off the lazy river that ran between the smooth rolling hills, and in the distance, the light turned the ocean into a glimmering pool of silver. Even farther away were the spired towers of the palace, their elegant silhouette backlit by the moon. “You’re lucky, Soren, to have grown up with all this around you.”
“I’m privileged, I’m not going to deny it. But lucky? In my entire life, I’ve only felt lucky once.” I paused, not sure if I could say it out loud. The only thing I could hear was the sound of my own heartbeat, and I had to take a deep breath to steady myself. “When I first saw you, Maya, that’s the first time I ever thought of myself as lucky. And that’s because I am—I’m lucky you’re here.”
“When did you become such a smooth-talker?” she teased with a laugh, but I could feel a wild thrumming hiding behind her words. “I have to be careful around you.”
“I’d prefer it if you weren’t,” I breathed out. “Just when around me.”
“Maybe I’m ready to be a little careless now.” Slowly, she dragged her teeth over her bottom lip. It was an unconscious gesture, one she probably hadn’t even noticed, but it was enough to make my heart race. And race it did. “Maybe I’m ready to try that thing. You know, the one I was worried about regretting.”
“I don’t think we’re going to regret it,” I whispered, reaching for her as carefully as I could, almost as if afraid I’d startle her. Gently, I cupped her face with one hand, relishing the smoothness of her skin, and then leaned in.
Her eyelids fluttered, her lips parted, and time ground to a halt. For a moment, the garden’s silence seemed to stretch into infinity. That vibrant energy that had first appeared when I saw her in the hospital flared up then, right before our lips touched, and I finally closed my eyes.
We kissed.
Almost too desperate to feel her curves, I let my hands go to her hips. As I dug my fingers into her flesh, I parted her lips with the tip of my tongue, the taste of her strawberry lips turning my want into need.
I forgot all about genetics and whatever theories I had concocted to explain this. None of it mattered. Right now, I didn’t need an explanation. I just needed to feel the warmth of her body and relish the taste of her lips.
“We shouldn’t have waited this long,” she whispered against my lips, her words coming out as a delicate purr. She laid both hands on my chest, her right hand above my beating heart. I held her against me, afraid that the moment would slip away from us if I let her go.
“You’re right,” I said, laying one hand on the nape of her neck. “But we’re here now.”
“We are.” Her smile curled up into a grin and mischief burned in her eyes. “And I’m more well-rested than ever. You wanted me sober, didn’t you? Well, I am now.”
“You are,” I whispered. Gently, I threaded my fingers into her hair, the silkiness brushing against my skin. Without a word more, I closed the remaining distance between us, kissing her so that I could appease that desperate need inside me.
It wasn’t long before she pressed her body against mine, the swell of her breasts pushing against my chest. The warmth of desire turned into a scorching heat, and I felt its flames take up residence right between my legs.
Without even thinking about what I was doing, I let one hand wander down the side of her body. My fingers trailed down to her thigh and then further down. My hand slipped down to the hem of her dress, carefully navigating the skin underneath it, and I held my breath as I made the climb back up her leg.
I held my breath as I felt the smoothness of her inner thighs, and then my heart almost burst when my fingers brushed against the fabric of her drenched panties. She reacted at once, her whole body melting into mine, and then she moaned against my lips. The sound was tender with lust, holding promises of so much more, and I simply couldn’t resist. Moving fast, I flattened my palm against