Page 288 of Eternal
I pressed a kiss to his collarbone and he stilled.
“Still awake?” I asked, voice hoarse, spent.
“You think I could sleep after that?” he murmured, his hand drifting to my spine, thumb brushing along the curve of it. “You’re literally imprinted into my goddamn bones.”
I laughed, weak but warm, then I lifted my head to look at him. His eyes weren’t teasing anymore, they were soft.
We lay there, breathless and tangled, the quiet breathing between us loud, but comfortable.
His hands found mine and lifted them gently to rest on his chest, and my fingers spread, tracing the steady beat of his heart beneath my skin.
He smiled tenderly at me and spoke. “I promised you I’d keep them warm tonight,” he murmured as his lips brushed the top of my head, soft as a confession.
Then, careful and deliberate, he shifted me around, cradling me close, arms wrapping me in a cage I didn’t want to escape.
“Thank you,” he whispered. “Thank you for trusting me.”
I closed my eyes, breath soft, heart full. “As long as you stay,” I whispered back, words barely there as sleep pulled me under.
His arms tightened once more, and that was the last thing I felt, the tender warmth of him holding me, like I was finallyhome.
83
AZRA
“Delicate” by Damien Rice
Present
Waking up to my phone ringing felt like a slap.
I blinked against the harsh light of the screen and read the nameViktor.
I fumbled to answer, half asleep. “Hey…”
“Kroshka, where the fuck are you and why aren’t you still awake?”
I yawned, my mind still tangled in last night’s mess. “I don’t know…”
There was a pause, then a long, drawn-out, “Ohhhhhhh!”
My heart stopped
This stupid man turned on the camera. And there I was, naked, tangled in sheets that weren’t mine.
The flood of last night came crashing back, the screams, the scratches and kisses, the whispered promises, the touches, the rough softness of Damir, the braid he held on too while breakingme from the inside, the way my body had finally stopped fighting.
My cheeks burned hotter than I wanted.
This is…embarrassing.
I slammed the phone down, muttering, “Fuck.”
Vik’s laughter spilled through the speaker. “I need an explanation…”
And I simply panicked and hung off.
I rolled over, burying my face in the pillow, wishing the ground would swallow me whole or slap me.
