Page 49 of Compass Points
Rose made a split-second decision. She’d never really know how much of it was born from believing she had a solid plan to blend in or simply the urge to do something she desired. Either way, she looked at Luc, eyes locking on his.
“I need you to kiss me,” she whispered.
His face flashed a complex and rapid set of emotions. She could only pick up one or two, seeing a glimpse of his desire and doubt. He didn’t think she knew what she was doing. He thought she was panicking.
“I know what I’m doing, Luc. He’s glancing down each alley as he passes. He’s looking for someone. It honestly could be you. We should make sure he doesn’t give us more than a passing glance. We need to be occupied. Please, Luc.”
“You certainly don’t need to beg, Rose,” he murmured as his strong frame closed the space between them. His shoulders further blocked her from the view of anyone looking down the alley. His eyes met hers again, seeking something. Reassurance? Her desire to match his? She wasn’t sure, but she didn’t have time to figure it out. She nodded once more, closing her eyes, leaning forward into him.
“Ah ah ah,” he whispered, his smooth and taunting voice only for her. “You asked me to kiss you.” His hand moved slowly up her arm, and her grip on the pastry box loosened. It was evidence of the impact of his touch that she didn’t spare a thought for her breakfast when she heard it fall to the ground.
She could barely hold herself still as she marked the path of his hand and the delicious warmth it left in its wake. Her heart was racing so fast she thought it’d escape from her chest. Already a disaster of emotion from this place and the Norden Point’s appearance, she thought she would explode as his hand slid higher, crossing her shoulder, finally finding the nape of her neck. She gasped at the heat of the skin-to-skin contact.
A satisfied smile crossed his face as he guided her gently back a few steps, his body following hers like a magnet. Her back found the brick wall behind her, leaving her nowhere to go. She wouldn’t dream of being anywhere else. A flame built low in her belly from the way his eyes devoured her. His attention finally settled on her mouth.
She sucked in a breath as his hand at her nape guided her head forward, and his lips met hers. They were surprisingly soft and warm, erasing any lingering doubt that his Suden Point exterior was a facade. She felt wrapped in the pine and cinnamon scent that was his and only his as she sank into his kiss.
She knew there was a logical reason they were doing this. Wasn’t kissing part of the plan?
She lost the thread of thought the moment his lips moved against hers. Her hands snaked up to Luc’s chest, wrapping themselves in fabric as they grasped his shirt. They seemed to have a mind of their own, their one goal to get him closer to her. She tugged him in for a deeper kiss.
He needed no further encouragement as his mouth covered hers, his tongue teasing as she opened for him. Fingers still clutching the fabric of his shirt, she smiled as his body came stumbling forward against hers, his weight pushing her further against the wall. She kissed him back, relishing the contact, thrilled to have caught him off guard with her advance.
His tongue intertwined with hers, he worked his hand into her hair and then sucked her lip. Rose couldn’t stop a small moan as she focused on eradicating all distance between them. Hours, minutes, seconds later, their lips parted. Breathing heavily, Rose broke eye contact first, her gaze darting over his shoulder. The Norden Point must have passed. She could no longer see him. She met Luc’s eyes again, still unable to form words, and nodded.
He took her hand, his face mirroring her surprise at the intensity of their kiss. He worked to even out his expression as he led them back up the alley. They were taking their chances heading in the opposite direction of the Norden Point. Both of them paused when a black bird landed on Rose’s shoulder.
“You thought now was the best time for that little interlude?”
“We had a plan,” she said back to him, measuring what words Luc would hear as she replied.
“Of course, you did. He just went into one of the shops down there on the right.”Arie gestured with his beak in the direction opposite of where they were headed.“So you should be clear to scamper off. I’ll see what he’s up to and meet you at the Suden house later.”
“Thanks, Arie,” she said, nodding at him as he took off, soaring over the market. She turned to Luc, working to control her emotions even as her eyes distractedly darted toward his lips.
“Arie says we’re clear. Let’s go.”
She tried to maintain the same calm with which they’d entered the market. It had been a close call with the Norden Point, but Rose feared that she’d crossed a far more precarious line with the Suden Point with that kiss.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Quickly and quietly, they made their way back down the path. Rose’s heart was still racing. She couldn’t be sure if it was from the danger or the kiss, and she didn’t want to analyze it too closely. She snuck a glance at Luc, as if that would help. Unfortunately, he was staring right back at her.
“So how much closer did we just get to the Suden Point,”came Arie’s singsong voice.
Her cheeks warmed as she thought about the multiple implications. She’d given away a little more of her past and spent quality time getting acquainted with his tongue. Judging by his stare, he was affected by at least one, if not both events.
She’d say that closer was an understatement.
Pushing the kiss momentarily from her mind, she focused on the knowledge he’d gained. He already knew she had two fae lines. Knowing the second was Norden wasn’t that big of a deal. No, the problem now was the enormity of her reaction to the Norden Point. Luc was observant. It wasn’t just fear of recognition he would have seen. It was fear of the man himself, though she hated to admit it. Luc deserved an explanation.
Her eyes never left Luc’s as she responded, “A lot.”
“What’s he asking?” Luc finally broke the silence between them. “Wait, don’t answer that. That is in no way how I want to use my first question.”
“What do you want to use your first question on?” She found it easy to tease him. This was familiar when everything else for them seemed to be changing by the second. She knew he was in a tight spot in the market, but if he wanted to leave her to the Norden Point once he’d realized that’s who she was hiding from, he could have.
He hadn’t.
