Page 207 of Emylia

Then his lips found mine.

Warm.

Sure.

Devouring.

A kiss that didn’t just claim me—itunmademe.

Everything else dissolved.

We kissed in our stolen sanctuary, with light rain dappling the leaves above, the trees whispering around us like they already knew this was a moment that mattered.

A moment that might break us—or bind us.

And I let myself fall.

ChapterForty-Five

Maalikai’s hands swept over my shoulders, down the ridges of my spine, each stroke sparking like lightning across raw nerves. How could I relax when he wound me tighter with every breath, every pause, every maddening trace of his fingertips?

My eyes fluttered closed. A shaky exhale escaped me as his hands continued—gliding over the nape of my neck, down my arms in a slow, reverent glide that made my knees threaten betrayal. A quiet moan slipped past my lips, helpless, surrendering.

He stilled—tense.

Like he’d felt it too.

Then his lips brushed my shoulder. Scorching. Sensuous. Impossible to survive. A shiver tore through me as the heat of his mouth carved a trail up my neck—soft, searing, soul-binding. Desire coiled deep and dark inside me, rising fast, fierce, inevitable.

I didn’t just want him.

Iachedfor him.

One breath, there was space between us—the next, I was kissing him like survival depended on it.

His hands clamped down on my hips, possessive, like I was something sacred he’d bleed to protect. I kissed him harder—nothing held back, nothing soft.

Only need.

Only now.

“Maalikai.” His name broke from me like a fever.

He froze. Eyes locked on mine with that soul-stripping gaze. Treacherous hesitation crept across his face, warring with the hunger roaring behind it.

“I’m sorry,” he rasped. His voice cracked. “I?—”

No.

No, he didn’t get to do that.

I leaned in, breath ghosting over his lips. My voice was steady. Commanding.

“Maalikai. I want you.”

His brow creased. “You have me. All of me.”

Gods, he was an idiot.

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