Page 47 of Dust and Desire
Something in his voice made my chest ache. I spun him slowly, watching the way he moved with surprising grace, his wet shirt transparent against his skin. When I pulled him back to me, he was breathless and beautiful and completely mine.
“I love this,” he whispered, pressing closer. “I love dancing with you. I love the rain. I love?—”
He stopped himself, but I heard what he didn’t say hanging in the air between us. The words I’d been carrying around like a secret for days now.
“Say it,” I urged, my hands framing his face. “Whatever you were going to say.”
He shook his head, water droplets flying from his hair. “It’s too soon. It’s too much.”
“It’s not,” I said firmly, surprising even myself. “Nothing about this is too much.”
The rain continued to pour around us, creating a private world where only we existed. His lips were slightly parted, chest rising and falling rapidly, and I could see the exact moment he made his decision.
“I love you,” he breathed, the words barely audible over the storm. “I know it’s insane and we’ve only known each other for three weeks, but I love you, Alex.”
My heart stopped completely, then started again with a fierce rhythm that had nothing to do with our dancing. “Dustin?—”
“You don’t have to say it back,” he rushed on, panic flickering in his eyes. “I know you’re due to leave once the job here is done and you don’t like staying in one place for very long and?—”
I put a finger on his lips to quiet him. “I don’t stay places because I never have a reason to.” I pulled him close, cupping his cheek in my hand. “I love you too.”
The words left my mouth before I could second-guess them, and I watched as Dustin’s face transformed. Pure joy flooded his features, washing away the anxiety and fear that had been building there. He surged forward, capturing my lips in a kiss that was desperate and sweet and tasted like rainwater and promises.
I kissed him back with everything I had, pouring all my tangled emotions into the connection between us. The storm raged around us, but all I could focus on was the warmth of his mouth, the way his hands fisted in my soaked shirt, the little sounds he made against my lips.
When we finally broke apart, both breathing hard, he rested his forehead against mine. “Say it again,” he whispered, his voice thick with emotion.
“I love you,” I repeated, the words easier this time, more natural. “I love you, Dustin Corvus.”
He let out a shaky laugh, tears mixing with the rain on his cheeks. “I never thought I’d hear someone say that to me. Not like this. Not like they actually meant it.”
“I mean it,” I said fiercely, my hands tightening on his waist. “I’ve never meant anything more in my life.”
Lightning flashed overhead, illuminating us both in stark relief for a moment. Thunder followed almost immediately, and I felt him shiver in my arms.
“We should go inside,” I said, though I was reluctant to break this spell we’d cast around ourselves.
“Not yet,” he said, pressing closer. “I want to stay here with you a little longer. In our own little world.”
So we did. We swayed together in the rain, holding each other like lifelines, whispering words of love and devotion that were immediately washed away by the storm but burned into our hearts forever. His hands roamed over my back, my shoulders, my face, as if he was trying to memorize every inch of me.
“I was so scared,” he admitted against my neck, his breath warm despite the cold rain. “Scared you’d think I was crazy or needy or?—”
“Never,” I cut him off, tilting his chin up to meet my eyes. “You’re brave, Dustin. Braver than me.”
“How am I braver than you?”
“Because you said it first,” I said simply. “I’ve been carrying those words around for days, too terrified to speak them out loud.”
His eyes widened. “Really?”
“Really.” I brushed a strand of wet hair from his forehead. “I was convinced I’d scare you away.”
“You couldn’t scare me away if you tried,” he said with such conviction that it made my chest ache. “I’m yours, Alex. Completely yours.”
The possessiveness in his voice sent heat straight through me despite the cold rain. I spun him again, slower this time, watching the way his eyes never left mine. When I pulled him back, he was flushed and breathless, his lips parted in invitation. I couldn’t resist claiming his mouth again, this kiss hungrier than the last. His hands tangled in my wet hair as he pressed himself against me, and I could feel his arousal through the soaked denim of his jeans.
“Take me inside,” he whispered against my lips, his voice rough with need. “Please.”
