Page 65 of Knot My Wonderland: Part Two
"We'll find out together," I said firmly, turning in his arms to face him. "When this is over, you'll show me those singing roses."
His ruby eyes met mine in the starlight, hope flickering in their depths. "Promise?"
"Promise," I whispered, sealing it with a soft kiss that made our golden bond flare brilliantly between us.
When we broke apart, Heart's expression had transformed—no longer shadowed with worry but alight with something that made my breath catch. His golden patterns pulsed in perfect harmony with the silver and gold light beneath my skin, our magic intertwining like lovers embracing.
"Alice," he whispered, my name carrying reverence I'd never heard before. His hand came up to cup my cheek, thumb brushing across my lower lip with exquisite tenderness.
I turned my face into his touch, feeling the golden bond between us deepen with each heartbeat. The pattern beneath my skin responded eagerly, reaching toward his golden light with delicate tendrils that seemed to dance wherever we touched.
"I want to show you everything," Heart murmured, his ruby eyes holding mine in the starlight. "Not just the roses, but all of Wonderland as it should be—as it will be again.”
The depth of longing in his voice made something flutter in my chest. Through our bond, I felt his vision—not just the crystal roses, but markets bustling with laughter instead of fear, courts united in celebration rather than divided by terror, children playing freely without glancing over their shoulders for the Queen's guards.
"I'd like that," I whispered, my hand covering his where it rested against my cheek. "All of it."
Heart's golden patterns flared brighter, and suddenly the space between us felt charged with more than just magical energy. His thumb traced my lower lip again, this time with deliberate intent that made the pattern beneath my skin sing with anticipation.
"Alice," he breathed, leaning closer until I could feel the warmth of his breath against my lips. "May I...?"
Instead of answering with words, I closed the distance between us. The kiss was gentle at first, exploratory, but as our golden bond flared between us, it deepened into something that made my toes curl. Heart's hand slid from my cheek into my hair, angling my head as he kissed me with a reverence that spoke of centuries of waiting. The pattern beneath my skin responded with cascading waves of silver and gold light, weaving through his golden glow until we were wrapped in luminous threads.
When we finally broke apart, both breathing hard, Heart rested his forehead against mine as he looked at me with dark eyes. He took a deep breath, before shifting so I was facing him, my legs straddling him as he pulled me closer to him. The new position sent heat racing through me, the golden bond between us pulsing with shared desire as Heart's hands settled on my waist. The pattern beneath my skin responded eagerly, silver and gold light spiraling toward his touch with an intensity that made me gasp.
"Is this alright?" Heart asked softly, his ruby eyes searching mine for any sign of hesitation.
I nodded, not trusting my voice as his golden patterns flowed beneath his skin, reaching toward mine with obvious longing. The night air felt charged around us, stars overhead shifting into configurations that seemed to mirror the light dancing between our bodies.
"You're beautiful," he whispered, one hand coming up to trace the line of my jaw where silver and gold light pulsed visibly beneath my skin. "Especially like this, when the pattern responds to you so openly."
I leaned into his touch, desire pulsing through me as I leaned back in, kissing him again. This kiss was hungrier than the first, charged with the energy building between us. Heart's handstightened on my waist, pulling me closer as if trying to mold me to himself.
"Alice," he murmured against my lips, my name a prayer that made the bond between us pulse with molten warmth. His hands slid up my back, leaving trails of fire that made me arch into his touch.
I felt the golden light beneath his skin flare hotter where our bodies pressed together, the pattern responding to our shared desire with cascading waves that made my breath catch. His lips traced a path down my throat, each kiss leaving trails of luminous gold that the pattern eagerly absorbed.
"Heart," I whispered, my hands fisting in his shirt as sensation overwhelmed me. The bond between us had become a living thing, pulsing with need that transcended the purely physical.
He pulled back to look at me, ruby eyes dark with want but still carrying that careful concern. "We don't have to?—"
I silenced him with another kiss, pouring all my certainty into the connection between us. Through our bond, he felt my decision, my trust, my growing love that I wasn't quite ready to voice aloud. His answering surge of emotion nearly undid me—protective tenderness wrapped in desire so profound it made my knees weak even while seated in his lap.
His hands found the hem of my shirt, hesitating there as he broke the kiss to look at me questioningly. I nodded, lifting my arms as he slowly drew the fabric upward, exposing skin that glowed with silver and gold light in the starlight. The pattern beneath my skin responded to his gaze with eager pulses, as if preening under his admiration.
"Like living starlight," Heart whispered, his voice rough with emotion as he traced reverent fingers along my collarbone. Where he touched, the pattern flared brilliantly, creating intricate spirals that followed his caress. I reached for him inturn, tugging at his shirt until he helped me remove it. His chest was a canvas of golden patterns, pulsing in rhythm with his heartbeat—literal and metaphorical.
When our skin met, chest to chest, the reaction was immediate and overwhelming. Our patterns intertwined, golden light weaving through silver and gold in configurations that seemed to tell ancient stories. I gasped at the sensation as I tried to keep the moan from leaving me.
"I feel you," I whispered, awed by the depth of connection flowing between us. "Not just physically, but... everywhere."
Heart nodded, his ruby eyes luminous in the starlight. "The bond deepens with intimacy," he explained, his voice strained with the effort of maintaining control. "It's why mate connections are so powerful. The pattern recognizes... completion."
His hands moved with reverent care, exploring newly exposed skin as if memorizing every inch. Where our patterns touched, the light intensified, creating a cocoon of radiance around us that pulsed in rhythm with our accelerating heartbeats.
“Please.”I gasped out as his hands moved up my back to my bra. His fingers found the clasp with gentle precision, the golden light beneath his skin flaring as the fabric fell away. I shivered as the night air touched bare skin, but Heart's warmth quickly enveloped me, his patterns reaching out to caress where his hands could not yet touch.
"You're trembling," he observed softly, concern threading through the desire in his voice.
