Page 91 of The Musician and the Monster

“Love,” he echoed, dumbstruck. “You love me? Even with the monster?”

When she smiled up at him, the sight was blinding. “Monster and all.”

The tightness in his chest transformed, turning into liquid warmth that spread in a slow wave through his body. She really was the most beautiful treasure. One he could never deserve but would savor every day for the rest of whatever remained of his life.

“I love you too, Ceridwen.”

Chapter 41

Ceridwen

He loved her. The mere thought made her dizzy with joy.

She’d known it already—had felt it in the gentle way he touched her, seen it in his eyes when he looked at her, tasted it in his kiss—but hearing the words from his lips trumped all the others.

He took her hand and brought it to his lips. The chaste, gentlemanly kiss only undid her further. “I don’t deserve you, but I started to fall in love with you that day I gave you the tour of the greenhouse.”

The admission sparked an entirely different kind of tear in the corner of her eyes.

“It struck me like a blow from nowhere. I tried to ignore it, to remind myself that you deserve better than me.” Drystan’s head drooped as he released her hand. “I can’t give you the life you deserve. Peace, security, happiness…”

She touched his cheek, and he lifted his face to her.

“You already have. My family has the money they need to live a much better life than before. I sang again. And for the first time in many years, I’ve done what I wanted—for me. You gave me the freedom to be myself, not always the dutiful youngest child trying to keep her family together while breaking apart herself. You brought me back to life and helped me find a beautiful melody in my dreary world.”

Drystan tipped her onto the bed, his body coming to cover hers.

“The blood—” she began.

“I don’t care.”

His lips caught hers, soft but demanding all at once. Ceridwen wrapped her arms around his neck and shoulders, embracing the man she loved as his weight pressed her into the pillow-like softness below.

Her head swam. Her breath drew short until she no longer cared about the mussed dress. She didn’t feel the softness of the sheets, or Drystan’s heavy weight. Only his lips and hers, locked together in an embrace she wished would last forever.

“Can I take this off?” He fingered the edge of her dress, voice thick and rich.

She licked her lips and nodded, unable to form words.

He helped her rise. With infinite care and slowness, he unlaced the back of the dress until it gaped about her form and slipped to the ground.

Gooseflesh broke out over her skin as Drystan ran his fingertips across her face, around her ear, and down her neck, while he worked behind her, unlacing the corset. Every nerve ending tingled. Heavy breaths and the slip of material accompanied the pounding of her heart, the only sounds in the room.

She yearned to see him, to trace the muscles of his bare chest and the dusting of dark hair that graced its surface. Yet she dared not move. Instead, she savored, letting herself feel rather than think or pursue.

Piece by piece, he undressed her. Nerves in her gut twisted tight as the last of the clothing fell away. The cool air teasing her skin did nothing to ease the blazing warmth within. She bit her lip, strategically positioning her hands in a final show of modesty.

Drystan circled, his gaze raking her from head to toe before he stepped in close. The warmth of his skin jumped the narrow distance between them as he brushed her hair back from her shoulders.

“You’re shaking.”

She hadn’t even noticed. Her eyes were glued to his, the brilliant blue that threatened to undo her even more than his touch. He encircled her with his arms, pulling her close until her hands slipped away and their chests pressed together in the most delicious way.

“Are you having second thoughts? If you are, it’s fine, I’ll—”

“No.” She smiled up at him. “None. I want you. I’ve never wanted anyone half so much.”And I don’t know what comes next. What our future holds.She’d never forgive herself if she walked away from him now. She wanted all of him, even if only for a short while.

“You’re my treasure. The light that keeps me going. I love you, Ceridwen.”

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