Page 63 of Nyx
“Showing me this world can be beautiful.” A pained sound leaves his throat as he claims my mouth again. We kiss until my lips are swollen and my chin is raw from his beard, but neither of us are ready to stop. A warm, wet drag glides over my bottom lip as his mouth nudges mine open. When my lips part, he makes a pleased rumbling noise as his hands tighten around me.
His tongue meets mine gently, always so gently. Knowing a piece of him is in my mouth,insideme, makes me hungry for more. Greedy for anything he’s willing to give me. My fingers flex, fingernails digging into his lower back, and he chuckles again. The sound vibrates against my mouth as he slides his tongue deeper, letting it glide against mine.
Everything is intoxicating. Tasting him, smelling him…feelinghim in this way. His weight against me, the strength of his arms and the softness of his belly and the absolute, explicit safety of being wrapped up in his arms. My hands are on his face again, one cupping his jaw as the other rakes through his hair, and we kiss until we have to come up for air.
My sigh melts into a content hum as he pulls back, dotting sweet kisses along my lips and cheeks and nuzzling my nose with his. “Come here,” he murmurs, pulling me forward and tucking me into his neck. I breathe in hiscalming scent, drunk off him as he smooths a palm over my hair. I’m so relaxed I’m drowsy, my eyelids heavy as I curl into him.
He scoops me into his arms, and I don’t fight it as he carries me to the shallows. “Do you want me to wash you?” He presses another kiss to my temple, and I nod sleepily. He balances me in his arms as long as he can, but when he grabs the soap, he has to set me down. I open one eye and pout, and he chuckles as he cleans himself and then turns his attention to me. Patient hands scrub up my back and over my shoulders, down my arms and across my stomach.
I still want more, still want everything he offers me, but my body is blissfully sleepy and my mind is quiet. Reyes takes my hand and helps me stand, and we walk to where a few towels hang on the line. They’re sun-warmed and make me even drowsier as he wraps one around my shoulders. He picks me up again, and I curl into the comfort of his chest and let myself fade.
I know he’ll take care of me.
Reyes
Astagnantsortofsweat coats my body. It’s sticky and uncomfortable, and the humid air is so thick it’s hard to breathe.
I love it.
Random shelves and tables line the outside edge of the greenhouse. Some were pulled from empty houses, and others came from the collection of extras stashed in the storage building. A few were haphazardly built with scrap wood, but they’re sturdy even if they aren’t pretty. Nyx leans over one of them now, staring at the tiny sprouts in front of him with his face furrowed in concentration.
A thick, forest-green woven plait drapes over his shoulder. Taryn taught me to braid, and I’ve been practicing on Nyx. He sits between my feet, usually snacking on something I’ve brought him or chattering about whatever is on his mind while I weave the strands, and he doesn’t get impatient when I have to start over. It isn’t perfect. Some sections are thicker than others, and there’s a distinct curveabout halfway down, but it’s pretty.He’spretty, and I take a minute to watch him.
He’s oblivious to my staring, moving to the next plants when he’s satisfied those sprouts are healthy. “What are these?” he asks, leaning closer and scrunching his face again.
Fuck, he’s cute. “Broccoli.”
“The little trees?”
I chuckle, and he glances over with a sheepish expression. “Yeah, the little green trees. The little white trees are beside them.”
“Collie-flower?” he attempts, and I grin.
“Yeah, sweetheart. Collie-flower.”
“You are teasing me,” he accuses, standing to his full height—his tiny, five-foot-nothing full height—and putting his hands on his hips.
“Would I do that?” I put my hand over my heart, feigning offense, and he pushes another of those soft, breathy laughs from his nose.
“Whole ass,” he mutters, and I can’t stop the loud, barking laugh that escapes me. His grin deepens, and he looks awfully pleased with himself. I’m still chuckling as he crouches beside the half barrels on the ground. “Potatoes?”
“Carrots. The potatoes don’t do well in the heat, so I’m hoping they’ll grow better outside during the colder months.”
“Cameron was sad the other ones did not get bigger.”
“He was, but we had enough to make a few meals.”
Nyx nods, running his fingers across the edge of the makeshift planter. He looks like a witch from one of thefantasy books Cameron loves, standing over his cauldron and deeply in tune with the earth. His eyes snap up and narrow. “What is your face?”
“Someone’s sassy this morning,” I tease, and he rises as I approach. He tilts his face up to mine, and I take him in, smiling at the fullness of his cheeks. They’re no longer sunken and sickly, and though he is still too thin, he’s putting on weight. Those tiny golden freckles shimmer in the sunlight that trickles through the glass.
“Can I kiss you?” I ask in a soft whisper, and he nods and wraps his arms around my waist.
“You don’t have to ask.”
“I like asking,” I murmur as I rub my nose over his. “It makes it even more real to hear you say yes.”
“Didn’t say yes.”
