Page 55 of Heir Of Sun And Moon
“I guess that means I’m not so bad of a teacher, then,” he grins, those dark eyes ensnaring mine.
As we dance to a made-up melody only we can hear, the tower begins to fade away so that I only see him. Awareness of the way his body is pressed up against mine as we move sets me ablaze. Every point of contact is a spark, my body seeking the heat of it until I can’t push myself further into him. The thought causes a flush to rise to my cheeks, one I’m hoping can be explained away by the exertion of dancing. Flynn’s movements falter for the first time as his eyes bounce between mine. Whatever he sees in them is enough to distract him. It takes me a moment to realize we’ve stopped moving, the surroundings of the tower slowly coming back into place—though the details are hazy. Only Flynn remains crystal clear.
“You are absolutely stunning, do you know that?” he questions, his eyes never leaving mine. “I believe you are the most alluring person in all the realms.” The light of the flame gem gives the skin of his face, neck, and forearms a golden hue. His features are so striking—so perfect—that he almost looks otherworldly.
“No one has ever said that to me,” I breathe. This moment feels impossible, like trying to walk on a cloud but hesitating with each step and expecting to fall through to the ground below. To find reality again. “And you haven’t been to the other kingdoms.”
“I don’t need to leave this one to know that those words are true,” he counters, lowering his head slightly.
The softness of my body fills in the gaps left by the firmness of his, and it creates a sensation that feels like I’m transcending the limits of what it means toexistin this moment. That’s the thing with Flynn; being with him feels like I’m running forward through time. Sunrises, sunsets, the moon and stars… they all are meaningless when he’s here with me. Especially when he looks at me like I might be someone he cares about—like I matter to him.
His eyes dip down to my lips for a moment, the movement making me lift just a fraction higher on my toes to try and close that last remaining distance.Kiss me.The thought of his mouth on mine has heat flooding through me with each breath that I take. That craving sweeps away every rational thought in my mind, every reason why we shouldn’t do this. The sensations of my dress rustling against my skin, his warm hand holding mine, our bodies pressing so closely—it’s a heightened realization of just how much I am yearning for him. He lowers his head slowly towards me, his breath tickling my lips as his gaze holds mine and—
A high-pitched whining sounds from behind us, startling us both into taking a step apart. The intoxication of the moment dissipates as we both turn to look at Bella, who is stretched out on the couch. She lets out another high pitched whine, the sound like a frustrated wail. Flynn chuckles, letting my hand go to walk over to Bella. He squats down and scratches the top of her head and bottom of her chin.
My cheeks puff up with air before I blow it out and tuck my hair behind my ears. My magic is lit up inside me, pure warmth buzzing and coiling until I sense it all over. If it is a sentient thing, it definitely likes Flynn as much as I do. Gods, I feel absolutely insane right now. Needing the fresh air, I head out onto the balcony, closing my eyes as I lean against the railing. I breathe in deeply, letting the earthy scents clear out my murky thoughts.Dangerous. This is so dangerous.For a multitude of reasons. Even with my eyes closed, I feel him come out and stand next to me quietly, his presence wholly consuming me.
“I should probably get going,” he says almost regretfully. I plaster a smile on my face and nod, but I can’t help how disappointed I am at the too-short-lived moment.
I follow him to the door, waiting for him to say something—anything. Instead, he faces me on the other side of the threshold and extends his hand out. Without hesitation, I place mine in his, holding my breath. He brings the back of my hand to his lips, planting a sweet kiss there before giving it a squeeze and letting go.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, Sunshine.” He moves to step away, and I remember that I have a letter for him to give to Tienne and Erica.
“Wait!” I yelp, running over to the table and grabbing up the folded letter. “Can you give this to Tienne and Erica?” He takes the letter from my outstretched hand and holds it up to look at it. “You can’t read it though. It has… womanly stuff in it. It’s only for ladies to read.”
Flynn laughs—a hearty, true sound of amusement—before tucking the letter into his pocket. “I swear that my extremely handsome—but decidedly not female—eyes will not read your letter.” He winks at me before taking a step back again. “Goodnight, Rhea.”
“Goodnight, Flynn,” I say back.
His face lights up, brighter somehow even with only the light of the torch in the stairwell. Then he turns on his heel and leaves, his steps echoing down the stairs. The only thought I can muster as I stand there, staring at the stone walls, is that I am so completely in over my head.
Chapter Twenty-Eight: Rhea
“Haveyouplayedcardsbefore?” he asks from where he sits across the tea table from me the following night.
“Alexi and I used to play on occasion,” I answer. I study the cards in my hand, sadness taunting the edges of my mind and reminding me it is never very far away.
“So I shouldn’t take it easy on you?” His grin is cocky as he looks at me.
“I doubt you’d take it easy on me even if I hadn’t played before,” I reply sarcastically, eyeing him suspiciously over the top of my hand. He returns his own mock-menacing glare before he motions for me to go first. Back and forth we go, placing cards down and picking new ones up, making small conversation and telling jokes as we play.
“If you could be any animal, what would you be?” I ask him as I tap the cards in my hand to my chin.
“Something very formidable and fierce, like a jaguar or forest tiger,” he declares, flexing his right arm. I snort but definitely notice his muscles through the thin black tunic as he moves them. I pretend to be unaffected. “What about you?”
“I’ve read about these bears that live in the Nalka mountains of the Fae Kingdom. They are smaller, have black and white striped fur, and live in packs,” I reply, laying my card on top and looking at Flynn. “I would like to be one of them.”
“Why?” He eyes me curiously, and I wonder if it was a silly thing to say.
“Because they stay together as a family. Even when they get old and can’t move around as much, they don’t leave anyone behind,” I answer, watching as Flynn lays a card down and picks one up from the deck. “No one is ever alone.” I stare at my cards, planning my next move when I realize that Flynn hasn’t responded. I peek up at him, noticing the slight frown of his lips.
“Are you okay?” I quickly replay our conversation in my mind in case I’ve said something offensive.
Flynn clears his throat but doesn’t speak for what feels like an eternity before giving me an appeasing smile and murmuring quietly, “That’s a great choice.” We resume our game in easy silence until we reach the end of the deck, each of us holding one final card. “How about a little wager?”
I look him over where he sits: feet flat on the ground and knees spread, elbows resting on top and hand dangling in between holding his card. He looks more well-rested and relaxed today, with a kind of ease that comes so naturally to him.
“What are you thinking?”
