91. Summer
Chapter Ninety-One
Summer
I place a line of kisses along his jaw, enjoying how his stubble makes my lips tingle.
We’re mostly clothed. I’m still in my bikini, and he’s wearing sweatpants but is shirtless.
We did nothing, not even kiss. We just lay together in his bed and talked.
Well, there was some kissing, but never on the lips. Not again.
“I need to go meet Alice and Rafe.”
“Or you could stay here,” he says, running his fingers through my hair.
“Our portal opens in less than an hour.”
He moans and slides his hand down my back to squeeze my ass. I already miss feeling him caress my body, exploring me with his large hands.
I bite his neck hard, leaving a lasting mark as he did to me weeks ago. When I pull back, he cups my cheek.
“Hi,” I whisper, staring into his eyes, wishing I knew what they really looked like.
The ache is starting in my chest again. Will we go back to how it was before? I have no idea. The person I am here differs vastly from the person I left in Avalon, but perhaps this is what healing feels like.
This weekend, I have gone from feeling guilt to lust to happiness to anger, and then back to lust again. Now I am feeling sadness, and as I look into his eyes, I know I’m going to miss seeing them, seeing him.
I try to find a whisper of the anger from last night, the way he acted, the way he pierced me, but I can’t. I’m drawn to his possessiveness and, worse, I relate to it .
“I don’t want to leave,” he says, looking up at me as I sprawl on top of him. He leans up, kissing the corner of my lips. It makes me yearn for more, but these aren’t his lips.
“Me neither,” I say. Every truth I have been able to confide in him this trip has felt like a gift to myself.
He strokes his thumb over my cheek, and there is such tenderness in his touch that it makes my breath catch.
“Will you miss me?” I ask, and he gives me a droll look, making my lips tug into a smile. “What?” I ask somewhat playfully.
“That is like asking if I need air to breathe,” he says, wrapping his hand around the back of my neck and pulling me down to bite my earlobe.
I shiver. “Will you say it?” I ask, and I’m not wholly certain where the question comes from.
He pulls back to search my eyes, no doubt seeing my vulnerability. “I’ll miss you,” he says, making my stomach flutter.
“I really have to go.”
“Say it back,” he growls, making my stomach twist in a completely different way.
“I’ll miss you,” I say without hesitation. Because I will miss him. I will miss the version of who we are here in this secluded bubble.
“I’ll be at the portal,” he says, kissing my forehead.
“Okay, I’ll see you there,” I say with a nod, reluctantly climbing out of bed and leaving his room. I am careful not to look back, very aware of how weak I am in resisting him.
When I return to the suite, Alice has her belongings scattered across the floor and is stuffing them into her suitcase. “I thought our cases were packed by runes,” I say with a frown.
“They were,” she says, looking up at me and blowing a stray lock of hair out of her eyes.
“Okay, so . . .”
“You think I’m leaving without a souvenir?” she asks, and I glance at her case, seeing the white fluffy sleeve of the bathrobe.
“Gotcha,” I say before knocking on Rafe’s door. He opens it a moment later, and I notice his bag is also unpacked. “You’ve not activated your rune yet either?”
He shrugs .
“Mira gone?” I ask.
He plops down on the bed, looking defeated and forlorn. “Yeah,” he says, then he looks up at me. “Stranger?”
I shake my head. “He’ll be at the portal,” I say, following him into his room, sitting on the edge of his bed.
“How are you feeling about everything?” he asks, looking down at a small burn mark on his hand.
“It’s fine. It’s time to go home,” I say, looking away. Even the small lie tastes like vinegar because it’s not fine. I’m not ready. I’m not ready to say goodbye.
“I know that,” he says, nudging me with his foot, hitting the halo wrapped around my wrist. “But that’s not what I asked.”
I shrug, staring at the still silent halo, realizing for the first time since I met Connor, he hasn’t been at the forefront of my mind. Have I accidentally let him go? Is he angry with me? He wanted me to move on?.?.?.
My chest tightens, and I feel my breathing quicken as I brush my fingers against the warm metal, but it remains quiet and passive.
Standing abruptly, I leave Rafe’s room without responding and hurry to my own.
Shutting the door, I stand against it for a moment, trying to push down the rising guilt and panic.
I can’t lose this small piece of him. I pad across the room and crawl onto the bed.
Hugging a pillow, I sit cross-legged in the middle of the massive mattress and stare at the halo.
“Con?” I whisper as I brush my fingers over the halo. It hums once, only once, and I clearly hear the word “Live” fill my mind.
I exhale and press a kiss to the halo, somewhat comforted that he is still with me.
Knowing time is running out, I slip out of bed and get dressed for the trip home before activating the rune on my suitcase.
Slipping on my shoes, I leave my room to find Rafe waiting in the living room.
Alice joins us a few minutes later, stopping short to look between the two of us.
“You two look like you’ve been issued a death sentence.”
I lift an eyebrow.
“No we don’t,” Rafe says, crossing his arms over his chest, and I notice he is clutching a piece of paper in his fist as if his life depends on it.
“Yes you do, both of you.” She rolls her eyes. “Ready to go?”
I nod, and so does Rafe.
Alice doesn’t wait for us to respond before linking arms with us and leading us from the room.
She chatters nonstop on the way to the portal.
I’m fairly confused about how she’s so okay with leaving when she was so excited for All Souls that she permanently damaged Rafe’s and my hearing, but Alice will forever be an enigma.
The whir of the portal draws my attention, but instead of looking at it, my gaze locks with the stranger’s, his blue eyes piercing me. Alice squeezes my arm, and then she and Rafe step through the portal to give us some privacy.
“Hi,” the stranger says, cupping my cheek as I step in close to him.
I lean into his hand, brushing a kiss to his palm. “Hi.”
He strokes his thumb over my cheek. “I don’t want to let you go.”
“Aren’t you leaving too?” I ask, leaning against him, wanting to absorb the feel of him.
“Not for a few hours,” he says, resting his free hand on my hip, his long fingers splayed across my lower back. “And you’ll be gone.”
“This weekend has been . . .”
He chuckles and presses a kiss to my palm. “Tumultuous.”
“Indeed,” I say, laughing softly and resting my hands against his chest.
“If things were different, I’d kiss the fuck out of you right now,” he says, his eyes searching mine.
“Different?” I ask, my gaze dropping to his lips.
His lips tug into a smirk. “If I were different.”
“How hard would you kiss me?” I ask, meeting his gaze again and trying to forget how perfect his lips felt against mine.
“Until both our bodies turned to ash from the force.”
I swallow. “What else would you do?” I ask, my voice breathless.
“I would fuck you until neither of us knew our own names, the realm, or anything but each other,” he says, his smile wicked.
I moan, clenching his shirt as he slides his hand to my ass and squeezes. “At least you have something to remember this weekend by?”
I frown and tip my head questioningly.
“Your piercing,” he says, his tone rife with satisfaction.
My clit throbs as if in acknowledgment of him mentioning it.
I narrow my eyes at him, pretending to be still annoyed, but I know I don’t quite pull it off.
I lift my chin, still trying to act like I have the power.
“And what do you have to remember it by?” I ask, lifting my chin, trying to act like I still have the power .
“That piercing has my initials engraved on it.”
“It does?” I say, quirking a brow.
He nods. “For those who know where to look.” He looks at my lips, and my stomach flutters, my lips tingling with the insistent memory of how he tasted. “I’ll always know where to look, and so will you.”
I lean in, kissing the corner of his lips. He moans softly, and I linger there as his fingers dig into my ass, fitting my hips against his. “If you stay for a moment longer, I’ll do more than kiss you.”
I pull back, wiggling to put just enough space between us so I can reach into my pocket. “You’ll have two reminders of this weekend,” I say, feeling a little shy. “I have something for you.”
His eyebrows pull into a frown, and he watches me as I wrap my fingers around his wrist and turn his hand over. In his palm I place one of the bracelets I made from the shells we collected in Atlantis. This one is all black, with a single white shell at the center.
“I made it for you. I have one too, but it’s white shells with one black.”
He stares at the bracelet for a long moment, and my nervousness increases. He isn’t smiling, and I can’t quite read his expression. Does he hate it? Think it’s stupid?
“For me?” he asks, finally meeting my gaze. I nod, and he closes his hand around the bracelet. “Thank you, little fae,” he says, emotion in his voice. I pull on my bracelet and show it to him before opening his fingers and slowly rolling his over his hand.
He brushes a lock of hair from my face, drawing my eyes back to his.
“Goodbye, Stranger,” I say, the longing sticking in my throat.
“Goodbye, Summer,” he says.
I back away through the portal, refusing to take my eyes off him, and as he fades away, I press my fingertips to my lips and blow him a kiss. Then he is gone, and in his place is the campus boundary. Alice and Rafe wait for me just within it, and as I walk to meet them, my emotions are roiling.
“Well, that was tragically romantic,” Alice quips.
“Romantically tragic,” Rafe corrects.
“You were watching?” I ask, glaring at them.
Alice mimics me, placing her fingers to her lips and exaggeratedly blowing kisses.
I flip her off and turn around, stalking toward home.
Alice cackles, and Rafe catches up, walking beside me.
We are halfway home when our phones appear in our hands.
Rafe stumbles to a stop and smooths the paper he’s been clutching, transferring what I now see is a number into his Contacts. It has to belong to his phoenix.
We walk into the house, and I exhale deeply, the emotional upheaval of the last few days collapsing around me.
I flop onto the couch and kick my sandals off before propping my feet on the coffee table.
Rafe wanders in, his head tipped back and his phone held high.
He trips over my legs, stumbling a few steps before regaining his balance, all without looking away from the screen.
“You okay?”
“Fine. Just getting service.”
My lips twitch, and I scroll through my phone, catching up on posts I missed while away. There are a whole lot of them, given we missed the Avalon Samhain party.
Unknown
Thinking of me?
His message surprised me because he had said he would be there for another couple of hours, and the resort is completely tech-free, yet I can’t deny how my heart speeds up at the sight of it.
Summer
Maybe.
Unknown
Maybe?
I smile, biting my lip.
Summer
Definitely.
Unknown
Better. I’m finishing up in Paradis. I should be back soon.
My stomach flutters a little more.
Unknown
Would you like to see me later?
That nervous energy returns, and I have no idea why I feel so fucking giddy about seeing him already.
Unknown
It would be in my avatar, but I’d be there.
This is a bad idea. I know it is. I need to put some distance between us, but?.?.?.
Summer
Where?
Unknown
Your room.
Summer
Okay.
Unknown
I’m leaving Paradis now. I have some things to take care of before I come to you. Behave.
“There’s better service on the roof!” Alice calls to Rafe, pulling my attention away from my conversation with the stranger. I hear Rafe pounding up the stairs behind me.
“Rafe, no?.?.?.” I start, sitting up on the couch, but he’s already out of earshot, too distracted by his goal. Or maybe he is just choosing to ignore me. I turn and glare at Alice.
“What?” She looks at me, taking a loud slurp from her blood pouch.
“He’s already Fallen once this year,” I grumble.
Alice rolls her eyes. “He’ll be fine.”
“If he falls, you’re looking after him,” I say, standing from the couch. “I’m going to take a shower. ”
“Please. He’s a grown demon baby—” Her words are cut off by a big crash from outside the house, and she winces when I glare at her over my shoulder.
“That’s all you,” I say, continuing upstairs.
I walk into my room and open my other messages, only to see a whole bunch from Max.
Do Not Fuck
I’m sorry
Fuck you’re at All Souls
Text me when you’re back.
I click out of the messages and throw my phone on the bed before going to shower.