47. Aryn #2
I nod. “Thulga said Mezie comes here with friends to attend.”
We follow the music, and it leads us down winding stairs into a large open square between buildings.
Several bonfires crackle in iron pits, casting golden light and sparks into the night sky.
Musicians playing strings, deep drums, and flutes stand on a low platform, and people laugh, drink ale or smoke thraeva while they dance around the fires.
Cato’s eyes light up. “This is perfect.”
We grab tankards of warm ale and wander closer. Before long, Cato chugs his and sets the empty glass down. He grabs my hand and pulls me against his chest. “Dance with me?”
“I’d be glad to, handsome.”
He pulls me into the sea of moving bodies and lively music.
I fall into it, trying to remember the last time I felt so free.
The ale makes Cato’s smile looser, and he dances with pure, charming enthusiasm.
His steps are a little clumsy and his timing slightly off, and he nearly steps on my foot twice before I take control, guiding him with a hand on his waist.
He’s a little embarrassed as he laughs, then he ducks obediently as I spin him under my arm. “How are you this graceful?” he asks. “You look like you were born doing this.”
I lead him through another turn as the music shifts into something calmer. “Dancing is a lot like fighting.”
He shoots me a skeptical look. “You and I have very different fighting styles, it would seem.”
“So it would,” I agree with a laugh. “Dreven are graceful by nature. We can blame it on genetics.”
Cato huffs, though he’s clearly enjoying being guided. “Genetics? Is that what we’re going with?”
I fight a smile as I say, “It is.”
“Well, I’ll need to have a word with my family tree. Find out who gave me the genes that make me dance like a drunk ox.”
I chuckle and dip him just enough to make him grab my shoulders with a surprised laugh. “You’re doing fine. I like how eager you are. It’s charming.”
“Charming,” he repeats, rolling his eyes as he settles in close once more. “That’s one word for it.”
“You are charming, Cato. You’re a lot of things… you’re everything I’ve ever wanted.”
The teasing shifts into a soft smile as he presses a kiss to my lips.
“Maybe I am charming, but you’re beautiful.
I could watch you out here all night, moving like the music was written just for you.
” He pulls me closer, cradling my head and kissing my temple.
“And this fucking brain. I wish I had even half your smarts, darlin’. ”
“Well, don’t stop there,” I tease softly against his neck, wrinkling my nose at the tickle of his beard. “What else do you love?”
He barks out a loud, surprised laugh. “Hey, now. Getting awfully greedy, aren’t we?”
I nuzzle into his jaw. “I’ll always be greedy with you.”
“Good,” he murmurs, guiding my mouth to his. “Be greedy. It’s about damn time you weren’t so selfless.”
We kiss and dance, sometimes doing nothing more than holding each other and swaying to the music.
The song changes and the beat kicks up, and I dance while Cato tries to keep up.
Every time he missteps, I catch him, pulling him back in until we’re both laughing.
The firelight flickers across his face, highlighting his flushed cheeks and bright eyes.
After a lifetime of being empty, my chest feels too full—stretched thin with this absurd happiness.
Eventually the music slows, and I draw him in until our bodies are flush and our kisses deeper.
A vendor weaves through the crowd, carrying a tray of hand-rolled thraeva with an open-flamed lantern beside it.
The sweet, herbal scent drifts toward us on the night air, and I catch Cato’s eye and raise a brow. He gives me a slow smile and nods.
I wave the vendor over and buy one of the neatly rolled sticks, then light the end with his lantern. We step a little further from the dancing crowd, finding a quieter spot near one of the smaller bonfires where the shadows are softer.
I take the first slow pull, holding the smoke in my lungs before leaning in. Cato meets me halfway, lips parted. I exhale gently into his mouth, feeding him the smoke as our lips brush in a lazy kiss. He inhales deeply, eyes fluttering half-closed, then holds it.
When he breathes the smoke back into my mouth, I groan softly against his lips. The thraeva hits quickly, softening the edges of the world and warming my veins. We pass the roll back and forth, taking slow pulls and sharing smoke and breath and kisses that grow deeper each time.
Cato’s hands slide under my coat, gripping my waist as he exhales into me again. His tongue teases mine while the sweet smoke curls between us. I press him back against the wall, caging him in with my body as I kiss him properly, deep and unhurried, tasting the thraeva on his tongue.
“Fuck,” he breathes, pupils blown wide. “This stuff is dangerous with you.”
I smile against his mouth, then take another pull before leaning in to blow it between his parted lips. “Good dangerous?”
“The best kind,” he murmurs, chasing my mouth for another smoky kiss. Everything feels electric right now, with each touch hitting like sparks on my skin. His hands tighten on my hips, pulling me closer until our bodies are flush again, and I feel him hard against me.
“You remember those stories about my wild youth?” I murmur as I give up the fight on my arousal. Heat pools low in my belly as slick dampens my skin, and I shudder as his thigh moves against my cock.
His cheeks are flushed, and he’s beautiful in the firelight as he licks his lips. “The one where you fucked in bars and back alleys?”
“Mmm,” I hum in agreement as my mouth drifts to his ear. “I want to be inside you, and I don’t have the patience to get back.” He whimpers softly, calloused fingers slipping under the waist of my pants. “Do you want to be wild with me, kitten?”