Page 49 of Locked
"Kinden," Basil said, dipping his head. "I'll leave the two of you alone soon enough, I just thought I smelled salmon and I wanted to see--"
Kinden produced the bag he was holding. "Fresh salmon sashimi from the sushi place down the road. I brought us something too," he said, turning to me. "But we can stick it in the fridge if you're not hungry…"
Iwashungry.
But not for sushi. Not right then, anyway. Instead, I nodded, taking his hand tentatively in mine as I showed him to the kitchen. He placed the food in the fridge, save for Basil's, which he opened and placed on the counter right away. "There you go, buddy."
Basil meowed in thanks and jumped up on the counter to eat.
"I also brought some dry cat food, but I thought he'd like a treat… it's been a rough few days for you guys." Kinden shrugged slightly.
It endeared him to me all the more and I reached for him, pulling him close and into a hug once again. He was a very good hugger. Which boded well for other things.
"Go away before you do that…" Basil groused from his place on the counter. "I don't want to throw up this lovely salmon all over your bed."
Rolling my eyes, I again reached for Kinden's hand and dragged him out into the living room area. We hopped over the brook and made for the sofa, stopping just short of sitting down.
"Your apartment is beautiful… he said softly, looking around in awe.
"I used to think so. But a prison is a prison…" I said with a shrug.
He gazed down at me sadly. "Sorry. I didn't mean--"
"Don't be. It's not your fault that I'm here."
"It's not yours either."
I smiled and stepped a little closer to him. "You can kiss me now."
I wasn't sure what the polite way to ask someone for a kiss was exactly, but I didn't really care. I'd been wanting him to kiss me since he'd stepped through the door.
He laughed, wrapping me in his arms. I very nearly sighed with relief, it felt so nice to be held by him. "So soon?"
"We don't have atonof time…" I reminded him.
He nodded slowly, leaning down.
My lips tingled in anticipation as he leaned down. When he brushed his mouth over mine, it sentexplosionsof tingles all through my body.
I wasn't skilled in kissing. I wasn't skilled in much when it came to romantic overtures, so I knew I had to be a little sloppy in my return.
Kinden didn't seem to care. He tilted his head slightly, his hands holding mine still as he gently explored my mouth, alternating between soft pecks and deeper, open-mouthed kisses.
Every brush of his lips sent waves of sensation skittering down my extremities. My belly fluttered, an ache settling there in the base of my abdomen.
My knees were weak and I felt like I was clinging to him as I responded in kind.
His tongue probed softly at my lips, prodding gently to get mine to part too.
I parted them, accepting him into my mouth like I'd always dreamed I would.
Kinden was a good kisser, not that I had any way of gauging that from experience, but I was definitely having a good time, and that was saying something.
He ended the kiss, promptly pressing his lips to mine once more in a chaste echo of the previous one. He moved away and I chased him, causing him to chuckle.
"Did you want to go to bed?" he asked, his eyebrows going up, meaning apparent. It wasn't anywhere near getting dark outside, assuredly not bedtime. I knew what he meant. What he wanted. I wanted it too.
I nodded. "I'msotired." I winked so he'd know I was kidding.
