Page 163 of Fallen Stars

Enzo went careening, falling into the warm rock pool. He came up spluttering moments later, curls plastered to his forehead, and Elara smiled against her will. Enzo’s eyes narrowed. “Oh, Ariete’s favour is going to be nothing compared to what I’ll do to you now.”

And Enzo reached for Elara’s dress and yanked her into the water too.

Elara shrieked as she went under, clawing herself up Enzo as she broke the surface, hanging on to him. He kept them both afloat as she shouted out every curse that she knew.

“You done?” he asked.

“No. You?”

“No. I’m still angry with you. But I love you.”

“I love you too,” she snapped, and with a moan, Enzo’s lips found hers again.

He moved her, swimming them both through the natural pool until she felt something hard at her back. It was a flat lower ledge of the waterfall, the water running off it into the deep pool they were currently in. Enzo hoisted her up so she sat on the shelf of the slick rock, peering up at her beneath his curls.

“Elara, I’m furious with you for putting yourself at risk for me. But I don’t want the first time we make love since I awoke to be tarnished with this.”

“Then maybe we shouldn’t,” Elara said, folding her arms.

Enzo scoffed. “Oh, trust me, princess. We’re making love.”

Elara smiled against her will. “I don’t want this to be tarnished either.” She looked to the skies. “I’m sorry. For not telling you sooner. But not for bargaining with Ariete. I’d do it again if it meant having you here. Alive.”

“Heavenly Stars and all that is holy,” Enzo muttered. “Fine. Then you can’t expect me to be okay with it, though I’m grateful that you risked everything to save me.”

“Fine,” she replied.

Tension rose and fizzled as they stared at one another, Enzo’s arms coming to rest on the ledge, his thumb scraping her outer thigh.

Elara gulped, zoning in on his touch as it trailed along the wet fabric to her inner thigh.

She gathered the hem, but Enzo’s hand reached out to stop her.

“Wait,” he murmured. “I just want to…” he let out a shaky breath, “savour this.”

Elara’s brow softened as she nodded.

Enzo reached beneath the water, and she saw him shift as he pulled his sodden trousers off, throwing them onto the ledge beside her. She looked down into the water but could see nothing and sighed in desperation.

“Still haven’t learned any patience after all this time,” he teased.

“Can you blame me,” she breathed. “Look at you.”

Enzo smirked, his arm working as he gripped himself beneath the surface and Elara let out a growl of frustration. Enzo chuckled, reaching to cup her face with a hand, the other threading through her hair.

“I miss you,” he said, pushing his torso between her legs as he kissed her neck. “I miss you even when you’re right beside me. How is that possible?”

Elara pressed her hand gently to his heart as he kissed her brow next. Her entire being shuddered at the soft brush of his lips. “Because our hearts have been bound since the moment we both took our first breath. Because this is the kind of love few ever get to experience. Because you’re the other half to my soul.”

Enzo dipped his head and caught her lips, tasting the word she’d given him. It was a soft languorous kiss, as though he had all the time in the world to relearn every inch of her mouth.

Elara kissed him back, the taste of him a heady drug, the warm water lapping at them both.

Finally, Elara pulled away, if only to admire him yet again.

His eyes were heavy-lidded, the gold of them smoky.

“You’re shining, El,” he whispered.

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