Chapter Fifteen #2
It wasn’t regret that she felt, but mild disappointment. She had wanted him for so long. In her girlish dreams, she had always wanted her first kiss to be with him, but not like that. “It’s only… it’s not how I imagined it would be.”
“Show me how you imagined it,” he whispered. “Tell me what to do.”
Alone with him, in the still of the in-between, with moonlight shining in his eyes, all of her walls crumbled.
These might be the last days she would have with him.
“Why-I-shouldn’t” became “why-not” and she moved forward, raising both of her hands to cup his face as he had done.
The coarse bristle of his night-beard scratched her palms as she angled his head down to hers.
Tentatively, she leaned up on her toes and pressed her mouth to his.
She brushed her lips across his, once, twice, and it felt…
pleasant enough, but compared to the passion from earlier, how he kissed her in the meadow…
. She flushed deeper. It wasn’t as if she could do that to him.
Pulling away, she saw mirth in his eyes and a teasing expression on his face.
He was laughing at her!
“Not like that, little bird.”
Cheeks flaming, she looked away, but with his fingertips, he gently guided her face back to his. Half-lidded midnight eyes met hers, and against her lips he whispered, “This is how you ought to be kissed.”
Seth closed the distance and pressed his mouth to hers, coaxing her to open for him with slow, prolonged kisses, gliding his tongue over hers.
Firm muscles flexed under her hands as she shyly roamed her fingers over his chest. Experimentally, Cassandra dipped her tongue into his mouth, and he groaned in approval.
His heartbeat quickened under her palm. Separating from her, he whispered, “I’ve dreamed of this. ”
With great care, he curved one hand on the back of her neck. His cool breath on her heated face sent shivers through her as he pressed a kiss to her cheekbones, one, and then the other.
“I wondered how you would taste.”
Bending down, he ghosted feather-light kisses down the delicate slope of her throat and ran the tip of his tongue against her pulse point.
A tender, open-mouthed press of his lips followed and a breathless whimper escaped her.
His mouth traced the line of her collarbone to the hollow of her throat, and his tone darkened, sensual and possessive.
“How sweet you are, Cassandra… so soft.”
Every movement, every low breath, every touch silenced all thoughts except how she could get him even closer.
Closer. Following his lead, she eased his face back up to hers.
He skillfully reclaimed her mouth. With each slow graze of his tongue against hers, an aching throbbed within her.
It was too much, and not enough. She buried her hands in his hair, sleek strands slid through her fingers.
He gripped her hips and deepened their kiss, taking.
Heart pounding, a pleading sound escaped her, echoing in his mouth, and he growled in response.
His hands slid from her hips, up, and around her back, roughly pressing her into him—she gasped again as a sharp pain erupted in her midsection.
Seth shot back as if scalded. Breathing ragged. Remorse swam in his eyes. “I’ve hurt you, I’m—”
“It’s all right,” she said in a quick wheeze. She couldn’t bear it if he apologized. She tried to make her voice soothing, but it came out shaky and hoarse. “You don’t have to stop.” She reached for him again and he laughed, a deep and throaty sound.
“Cassandra Cooper, you’ll be the death of me.”
With another chuckle, he wrapped his arms around her shoulders, holding her in a gentle embrace. He kissed the top of her head, lingering there until their breathing evened. She burrowed her face into his chest, wrapped her arms around him, and listened to his heartbeat.
If only it could last.
Come tomorrow, everything had to go back to the way it was before.
For tonight, she could be in his arms, make a memory that could carry her through endless nights without him.
Knowing how it might have been if their circumstances were different.
Hurt pulled at her heart as she tried to leave tomorrow’s problems for tomorrow and be here, now, in this moment with Seth, with his fingers freely trailing through her hair.
Wait.
He had undone her plait!
Stepping back, grinning, he wrapped her hair ribbon around his forefinger before releasing it in a slow curl. With a familiar gleam in his eyes, he played with his new trophy.
Oh well. Better a ribbon this time.
Unbound, the humidity made her heavy hair cling to her brow and the back of her neck. A drop of perspiration formed at his temple and trailed down to his eyebrow. He stood still as she reached up and brushed it away, watching her all the while.
“You’re so lovely. If only I could freeze this moment.” He dipped his head and gave her one more slow kiss, and that same fluttering, aching weighed her heart. She couldn’t have him. As their time together faded, she couldn’t bring herself to words.
Seth spoke first.
“We should go.”
“Yes,” she agreed, separating herself from him. Everything had to end at some point.
“I’ll make sure we have more time, next time,” he said. With a skip to his step, he led her to the entrance of the glasshouse.
She stopped in the middle of the path.
Next time?!
“Seth… Mr. Reeves.” His eyes narrowed at her correction. “This won’t happen again.”
“Yes, Miss Cooper,” he said, voice filled with promise. “I think it will.”