Page 57 of Nyx
“And you think you could fight them? An army?”
“Maybe not, but I could’ve tried.”
Nyx shakes his head. His hair is velvety soft with the tangles cleared, and a little fluffy from the brushing. “Then you would be gone. And I would still be all alone.”
He closes the rest of the distance between us, resting his cheek on my shoulder like he did yesterday. My arms wrap around and hold him against me, relishing his honeysuckle scent. “I forgot to warn you I was going to touch you,” I murmur, my lips brushing against his temple.
I do it again, pressing the softest of kisses to his skin.
Something beyond lust, far more potent than longing, pools heavy in my center as he tilts his head to peek up at me through his lashes. “I did not need a warning,” he whispers, and his eyes drop to my mouth.
Gods, I shouldn’t want him like this. Not yet.
He stares at me like I’m the thing he orbits—the sun he circles, and the source of his light. It’s everything I’ve ever wanted. Eyes never leaving mine, he lifts his head and inches forward, and my fingers clutch at the fabric of his shirt. My nose brushes his, and he’s so very close, but a knock thunders at the door and sends him scrambling backward.
“Reyes! Are you in there?!” Lillith’s voice is booming, and Nyx’s eyes go wide.
“Fuck, I’m sorry,” I groan, resting my elbows on my knees and dropping my face into my palms. “You didn’t… I shouldn’t have…”
Nyx’s bare feet come into view as he stands in front of me, the fabric still pooling at his ankles. Tentative fingers feather over my curls, and I sigh as I peek up at him. “You will not break me, Reyes.”
“I know,” I whisper as another knock thuds on the door, and I stand, taking a moment to stare at Nyx’s face tilted towards mine.
But you might just break me.
Reyes
Aquietknockbreaksthe silence in the house as I’m drying off from my shower. “Just a sec!” I shout as I toss on a shirt and pair of shorts, expecting to find Lillith outside. We’re supposed to start building the greenhouse today, but I didn’t tell her what time. Leave it to her to be enthusiastic enough to come get me before I’ve even had breakfast. As I swing the door open, I’m already craning my neck to look at her.
I blink at nothing, then drop my eyes to find Nyx standing there, shifting between his feet. “Hi,” he whispers, his toes curling against the ground.
“Well, good morning, beautiful.” He makes another of those little squeaks, and my grin spreads. “I was just getting ready to come see you.”
“You have breakfast?” He glances around my back towards the kitchen, and I wonder if he’s noticed what’s on the counter yet.
“Come on inside. Did I take too long this morning?”
“No,” he says as his eyes dart around, and I give him a minute to indulge his curiosity. He’s never been inside my house before, and there’s enough in here to keep him exploring for hours.
Snooping, some might call it, but I don’t mind.
After I pour us each a glass of water, he wanders over to join me at the table, but when he looks at the plate, his brows meet. His bewildered expression as he stares at the pink slices makes me laugh. “What is this?” he finally asks, picking one up and twisting it in front of his face.
“It’s called a watermelon. I found a vine behind the corn with a few ripe fruits. The people that lived in this village before us must’ve been growing it, because I didn’t plant it.”
He returns the slice to the plate, and his eyes go wide as he licks his fingertips. “It is sweet.”
“It is very sweet. See these black things? Those are the seeds, so don’t swallow them. Save them, and we will grow more of these in the future.” I take a bite, trying to stifle my laughter as he intently watches me eat. Hestudiesme, like he wants to make sure he does it right. Holding a slice daintily by the rind, he picks out all the seeds he can find, then takes an absolutely enormous bite. He closes his eyes and groans, and I lose it.
I laugh so hard, I’m convinced watermelon is going to come out of my nose, but he’s too focused on chewing to pay me any attention. A tiny stream of juice drips down his face, and after he wipes his mouth with the back of his hand, he licks that, too.
“Do you like it?” I finally collect myself enough to ask, and he nods without opening his eyes.
“You are teasing me, but this watermelon makes it okay.” Aside from my rogue laughter, we don’t talk much as we eat. Nyx has always been happy to sit in the silence, so I never force conversation. I cut him a chunk of bread to give him something more substantial, and he accepts it with a sweet smile. Once we’ve polished off our food, he sits back and rubs his stomach.
“Are you full?”
He nods with a thoughtful expression on his face. “We should have watermelon more often.”
