Page 16 of Must Love Moss and Moonshine
“I realized something in the frigid water,” she whispered, her breath warm against my palm.“Maybe it’s not about remembering every detail.I mean, Iwantto remember eventually, but you said to listen to my heart.I did.What lies behind me feels fun.Fun, but very empty.Maybe it’s time for something new.”
“What do you mean?”I asked, though something in my heart already knew the answer.
She gazed up at me, her eyes sparkling as she smiled gently.“Something that feels less… Well, lessless.”
“Lessless?”
She smiled.“Yes.Exactly.”
I gave her a soft smile in return.“I know exactly what you mean.”
“Somehow,” she whispered, leaning closer, “I knew you would.”
CHAPTER9
TANSY
What are you doing?
You don’t even know him.
Have you gone mad?
As the fire crackled, its warmth slowly seeping into my cold skin, I felt a kind of stillness take over.The sharp chill of the water had been replaced by steady heat from the flames, but it wasn’t just the fire that made my skin tingle.It was the way Kellen was looking at me and the feel of his warm hand on my skin.
His eyes, always so carefully guarded, softened in the firelight.There was something unspoken hanging between us—too fragile to touch, but too real to ignore.The look in his eyes made my heart shudder.
Taking a deep breath, he gave me a gentle smile and pulled his hand back.We sat quietly under the blanket, listening to the fire shift as we tried to warm up.I moved closer, letting my body press against his side.
His eyes flickered to mine, his look heavy with something I hadn’t seen before.Desire, yes, but there was something else.A tenderness that made my chest tighten.
“You have been guardian here for one hundred years,” I said.“And you’ve been alone all that time?”Dryads, like Sylvans, had particularly long lives compared to humans or gnomes.But a hundred years alone was too long for anyone.
“That is the life of a dryad.We gather sometimes at Woodsong for ceremonies, but most of us prefer our solitude.Though I do visit Moonshine Hollow when needed.”
I set my hand on his arm.“That’s a very solitary life.”
He didn’t pull away.His lips trembled before he gave me a reassuring smile.“I have been content with it…mostly.Lately, however…” He shook his head.“Marvelle and the others keep me company.”
“It’s okay to want more,” I said gently.
He slipped his hand over mine.“Thank you.”
The warmth of his hand, the feel of his body pressed close, evoked such a strong feeling of want that I trembled.Everything inside me urged me forward, to feel his warmth against me.
I moved closer.
The space between us disappeared.
He cupped my face in his hand, his finger brushing my cheek.I leaned into his touch, feeling something shift in the air that made my heart flutter.I set my hand on his chest, feeling his steady heartbeat.And then, unable to stop myself, I pressed my lips to his.
The kiss was tentative at first, as if we were both savoring the moment.He tasted of chestnuts and smelled like clean spring water.His lips were soft, inviting, and our kiss grew more passionate.Something about this was different.Sparkles of light danced through my head, like lightning through my whole body.
I had never felt a kiss like this before.
Then a memory flicked to life.I was on the road, sitting in a wagon beside a dwarf who was cracking jokes, making everyone laugh.The sky was bright blue, tree limbs overhead covered in pink blossoms.Someone played a xylophone, the sound merry.A seer’s wagon rode ahead, purple-and-blue curtains sparkling with beads.Sunlight hit the moon-shaped mirrors, momentarily blinding me.
I pulled back sharply.
