CHAPTER 54
Amara stood still at the entrance of the gigantic bookstore, her eyes widening in sheer amazement.
It was a place unlike any she had ever seen before.
Kaelith had brought her to a haven of the world she wished to live in.
It always amazed her how much he knew her, from her dislikes to the things that could make her heart flutter.
It was dangerous yet formidable. The intimacy one should have with their spouse, Kaelith filled that void.
She teased her bottom lip. The sensation from earlier crept up her chest caging around her heart and gently shook it. Chest tightened and the butterflies in her stomach flapped their wings vigorously.
“You like it?” she yelped feeling his warm teasing breath on her ear.
Taken by surprise, her eyes widened and her lips parted.
Kaelith grinned like the devil he was and leaned in, “You like it.” This time it was a statement than his earlier question.
Amara flushed averting her eyes from his hypnotizing grey eyes and cleared her throat.
Of course, she liked it, there was no way in hell a girl who preferred a fictional world would ditch the opportunity to explore the bookstore.
“Why is there no one?” she asked looking around and finding no one but an old man sitting behind the table with a book in his hands and a pair of rounded glasses resting on his nose.
Kaelith tilted his neck, the intensity in his gaze as it bore into her. The air around them shifted, and the previous amusement that danced in his eyes vanished, replaced by a seriousness that sent a shiver down Amara's spine.
“You don’t like crowded places, little one,” he said.
Amara's eyes met his, and a sudden realization dawned upon her.
It was true — the mere thought of crowded places stirred a discomfort within her, a subtle unease that had nestled itself in the corners of her subconscious.
Since losing her memories, she had avoided such places, but now, faced with Kaelith's piercing eyes, she couldn't deny the truth.
Amara nodded. How did he know? The question lingered in her head, but now it wasn ’ t a surprise, he knew things she wasn’t aware of herself.
It wasn’t news to her anymore. She knew there was something that bound her to him and she also knew she had to confront the shadows of her past, but the mere thought terrified her.
There was something in those forgotten memories that she didn't want to face — a darkness that whispered of pain and horror.
The idea of delving into that part of her life sent shivers down her spine.
Kaelith seemed to sense the mayhem within her. His gaze never wavered. Amara couldn't escape the truth, and deep down, she knew that her past held both the key to her reality and the potential for unimaginable pain.
Yet, she was torn. A part of her longed to unravel the buried memories, to reclaim the fragments of her past that eluded her. Another part, however, recoiled at the fear of what lay hidden in the recesses of her mind.
She felt his arms around her, a faint scent of sandalwood that calmed her senses as she shut her eyes and leaned back unconsciously into his hard chest.
“Don’t think, if it brings you pain, it kills me.”
Her heart thundered in her chest, a relentless drumbeat that had been there since the morning.
Then, unexpectedly, she did something astonishing.
A smile graced her heart-shaped lips, lifted in a smile.
A smile that lightened the dark recesses of his dark heart, as she erased his name from his own identity and inscribed hers upon him.
It was a smile that made him lose track of whether he was in heaven or cradled in the embrace of her arms. She turned like a breeze in his arms and mumbled like a siren.
“You have a way with your words, Mr. De Luca.”
He lovingly nuzzled her neck. His deep voice startled her, “So I am told, very times, little one.” Amara giggled as his stubble scuffed against the delicate skin of her neck and she gently pulled away.
Kaelith could hear her laughs for eternity if it meant he was the one responsible for them.
He ruffled his hair and followed as she looked around with her hands behind her back and hair flowing down her waist like waves of turbulent sea.
The scent of ageing paper and the hushed whispers of countless books surrounded her, creating a cocoon of her little world. Yet, as Amara glanced back at Kaelith, she realized how much she wanted him in that world. Despite the fluttering of her heart, she focused on the haven of books.
“I just thought of something,” she gently ran her fingers over the shelf. “You claim to know me so well, why not choose something that I would like.”
Kaelith smirked. This woman didn’t know what he would do to her if she kept tempting him this way. Yet, he hummed, playing the game he knew he’d win. “Is that a challenge, baby?”
Amara looked over her shoulder, her eyes meeting his as she tilted her head. “Do you take it as one?”
Kaelith walked behind her, his chest touching her back as he raised his hand and ran his fingers over the several books on the shelf above. Eyes sharp and amused. Amara was almost pressed between him and the book rack, heart in her mouth and legs clenching. She knew he was doing it on purpose.
“You like fantasy, more like magic and knights.” He pulled out one book, a thick book with a light brown cover with images of a knight and a woman. He tilted his head. “Never grasped what’ s so good about this one though.”
Amara eyed the book and a familiar sensation hit her. “This one?” she asked. Kaelith nodded placing the book back. And running his fingers over others.
“You have read that.” He spoke. Amara stilled but soon recovered and asked.
“What is it about?”
“A princess in love with the villain.”
Amara laughed. “Never took you as a reading type.”
Kaelith leaned down, his warm breath teasing Amara's skin. Her heart fluttered in response, a nervous vitality coursing through her veins. His fingertips grazed the strands of her hair, gently brushing them back, and Amara couldn't shake the jittery feeling that danced across her skin.
His eyes filled with an intensity that sent shivers down Amara's spine and caressed the curve of her neck. His touch was both tender and electrifying, leaving a trail of heat in its wake. Amara's breath caught in her throat as she felt the proximity between them intensify.
He lowered his gaze, his eyes fixating on her lips. A subtle heat pulsed through her, her senses heightened, every nerve on edge.
His lips hovered mere inches apart. Amara's breath mingled with his. “Believe me, little one, you don’t even know the half of me.” And that scared her.