Chapter 19
Nineteen
Cleo
Aglint of mischief enters his gaze, then he proceeds to bounce. He leaps from one cloud to another, ending up several feet away from me.
Quite frankly, I didn’t even realize the clouds were as buoyant as they are.
He jumps up and down, laughing the entire time, bringing a smile to my lips. I tuck my wings away and take in the moment, breathing in the angel mist and gazing at the domed boundary above us, separating us from the Golden Realm. We’re pretty close to the dome—only a couple of hundred feet away.
“Join me,” he shouts, waving his arms.
I shake my head and cross my arms. “I brought you up here to clear your head. You keep doing your thing, and I’ll do mine.”
“Is your thing being a stick-in-the-mud?” he taunts, continuing to jump. My eyes narrow, but I keep watching him. Even after how rough his afterlife experience has been, he still finds ways to make light of any given situation, like the sun itself.
Lost in thought, I nearly stumble off the bouncing cloud when a set of strong hands grips my shoulders tightly.
“Be careful, Cleo,” he says in a low voice, his eyes scanning mine. “You fall, I fall.”
Falling like that could’ve been bad, considering my wings weren’t unfurled.
“I’m okay,” I whisper, gulping at the closeness of our faces. The intensity in his gaze transitions into something lighter as he leaps again. This time, he scoops me into his arms to join him.
I wrap my arms around his neck and squeal, burying my head into his chest.
Squeal? I do not squeal.
As we leap from one corner to another, my heart races, and I think I’ve finally determined the nature of my relationship with him.
He brings out a side of me I’d forgotten existed. My inner child.
It’s been decades since I felt a sensation like this.
After bouncing like a madman for a few more minutes, he suddenly loses his footing, leading us to trip and fall onto a cloud.
He lies on his back, shutting his eyes and cackling, his laugh richer than ever. Unable to stifle my own amusement, my stomach rumbles in laughter, too. Lost in a moment of euphoric ecstasy, our eyes lock. His gaze lowers to my lips, lingering there for a moment as heat rises to my cheeks.
We’re tangled in each other.
I wrap my legs around his waist tighter, allowing my opening to rest precisely on his shaft.
We stare into each other’s eyes for a few seconds, a million thoughts racing through my mind at once, when his lips crash against mine like a tsunami.
It’s undeniably petrifying. Terribly unexpected. And absolutely exhilarating.
His hands slide down from my waist to the small of my back before reaching my rear.
“Is this okay?” he rasps with hooded eyes.
I nod slowly, drinking in his gaze and savoring the way his rough hands feel against my body. He cups my ass, massaging it greedily.
“For fuck’s sake,” he murmurs, heat in his gaze. “Has anyone ever told you how perfect your body is?” He strains, his hardness pushing against my opening ever so slightly. “Actually, on second thought, please do me a favor and do not answer that.”
I chuckle quietly, the motion in my stomach causing a vibrating sensation to pass between us both.
He pulls me into him tighter, gripping my ass even harder. “Does this hurt?”
“I’d tell you if I didn’t like it, Kai.”
He breathes hard, then spreads my cheeks slightly, pushing me harder into his erection, with only the thin silk of my shorts separating us.
I roll my hips—just once—and I swear, it’s like he melts beneath me as he lets out a groan.
Relishing in his pleasure and eager to satisfy his needs, I roll my hips again, this time with more rhythm and vigor.
I continue to ride him, savoring the way his cock is swelling with every thrust. Wetness pools between my thighs, threatening to seep through my shorts as I fist his hair.
“That’s it, angel. Take what you need,” he whispers, closing his eyes. “Dance with me.”
Oh, heavens. This does feel oddly reminiscent of dancing. I haven’t experienced this sense of blissful pleasure in so damn long. Too damn long. I can hardly handle the sensation.
I need more.
More. More. More.
More of him. More bliss.
More.
If I pull his joggers down and if he slides my shorts off me, I could finally release—
Suddenly, a golden ray of light distracts me from my euphoria.
I squint my eyes and glance to my left.
The sun is rising.
Coming to my senses, I stop writhing against him, realizing I’ve gone too far.
I look away from the light to gaze at him. Covered in golden light, he is already looking at me. A tenderness enters his gaze, replacing the heat that was present mere seconds before.
I shake my head. “I’m sorry. I went too far—”
“Cleo.” He pauses my racing thoughts. “You’re breathtaking.”
I part my lips and shake my head.
“The sun failed miserably at taking my eyes off you. Nothing could tear my gaze away from your beauty.”
Stunned into silence, I furrow my brows.
Surely, he is caught up in the adrenaline of it all. Surely.
“You don’t believe me, do you?” He raises his brows.
“It’s just… If you knew all of me, you wouldn’t be bathing me in compliments like this.”
“That’s where you’re wrong.” He pierces me with his hazel gaze. “The more I get to know the real Cleo, the more I want to drown her in adoration.”
My heart skips a beat at his admission. He wouldn’t say that if he knew how much of a coward I truly am.
Something about the sincerity in his gaze pierces my heart. Why is he so kind to me? My heart can hardly take it.
“I appreciate you, Kai.” A beat of silence passes between us. “Are you feeling any better now? I took you up here to watch the sunrise in the clouds. I noticed you’ve been a bit down lately, so I hoped it might help.”
He grins, then gives my nose a tender kiss. “I’m much better now, and I can only attribute a fraction of that to the sunrise, baby.”
“Why do you insist on still calling me ‘baby’?”
“Does being called ‘baby’ actually bother you? I can stop.”
Yes, because I want this to be real.
“I just find it confusing.”
“Well, don’t overthink it. The word practically rolls off my tongue when it comes to you. It’s as simple as that.”
I finally roll off him, resting beside him and leaning my head against his chest, drawing a breath. “Okay.”
With his arm still wrapped around my waist, he bends his head down, his lips brushing against my temple.
My hand reaches for his, grasping it and fiddling with the ring on his finger.
The key to his escape and my demise.
I fiddle with it, then do something wildly unexpected. My mind is no better than mush around this man.
I bring his pointer finger up to my lips and kiss it softly, pressing my lips against it for several seconds.
A sharp intake of breath sounds beside me. “Cleo. What are you doing?”
I wiggle the ring off his finger and hold it for a moment, then tilt my head up to gaze at him. “You deserve some time away from the nightmares.”
An unreadable expression crosses his face. “Damn, you aren’t going soft on me, are you?”
He smirks as I roll my eyes and scoff. “Never.”
“Sure, okay. Whatever you say.” His eyes beam even brighter than before, then darken. “Are you sure you won’t get in trouble?”
“I’m certain that you deserve freedom to visit the land below just one more time—especially when Eloras is haunting you.
I’m tired of your half smiles and lack of obnoxious jokes.
Go down there and do whatever you need to do to reset.
Promise me you’ll come back, then we’ll take it from there. Got it?”
I slip the solid golden ring into the pocket of his joggers, clasping it shut.
His gaze sobers, then he runs his fingers through my hair tenderly. The seconds tick by slowly before he nods. “Okay, Cleo.”
We both stand, then he embraces me in a tight, warm hug. His scent of amber washes over me, soothing me.
I realize this is the first time we’ve ever held each other like this.
I’d be fooling myself if I said it wasn’t nice.
He leans away, peering into my eyes again. “I meant what I said. You’re devastatingly beautiful in every way.”
Uninvited heat rises to my cheeks and butterflies flutter in my stomach upon hearing those words again. Instead of denying his words, I simply smile softly.
“I’ll see you soon,” I say evenly, subtly biting my lip.
“See you later.”
As he disappears into thin air and transports to the realm below, I can’t help but feel like something of great magnitude is about to happen.
And I don’t know if that something is good or bad.
Shaking the thought away, I run my hands down my night attire and release a sigh before unfurling my wings to fly home.
Everything is fine. He came back last time; there’s no reason why he wouldn’t this time.
Then, I launch into the sky, aiming for my haven below.
I have grave news.
It has been one full day.
Kai hasn’t returned.
Hadley knows.
The Archangels know.
Everyone knows.
And once again, this mess is all my fault. This time, though, I don’t give a damn about what happens to me.
I deserve this.
I deserve to be blindsided.
I deserve to be left behind.
I deserve to be alone.
It was naive to hope that his words were genuine. Foolish to hope that his feelings reached beyond friendship as mine have. Absurd to hope he would be the key to my salvation.
I should’ve known better. I’m better than this.
No more evening strolls. No more mindless work in the Library of the Sky. No more cloud-hopping. No more dancing.
Good riddance.
I’ve felt emotions over the past few weeks that I didn’t know were possible to feel beyond death. This experience reminded me how vital it is to remain cool, calm, and collected.
Allowing emotions to dictate decisions always leads to mistakes. Like the colossal one I made in trusting him. Letting my guard down was a trap. He only needed me to get back down there anyway. The next time I see Kai—if I ever see him again—I’ll be sure to thank him for reminding me of who I am.
Hell, without his betrayal, I’d be a lovestruck fool. Well, I guess luststruck would be a more appropriate term.
True love only exists in books, and if it’s real, it’s not in the cards for me. I’m perfectly okay without it.
I gaze around my office and push aside the night we spent here, curled up in each other’s arms, hoping to forget it.
On one hand, I hope he’s struggling down there and wallowing in guilt.
On the other hand, I hope he’s filling his days with something worthwhile, like baseball games or movies he loves.
It’s funny, you know? How I can be so upset with him yet still wish him well.
Rubbing my temples and squeezing my eyes shut, I imagine how the Archangels will punish me this time when I meet with them tonight.
Who am I kidding? It’s better this way—it’s good he didn’t fall for me. Loving me is a curse.