Thirty-eight

At that moment it wasn’t just my face that was warmer than usual.

With depressing slowness, his leaned towards me. I shivered and I heard his sharp intake of breath. His breath was uneven, his heart racing. I could hear it bang against the cage of his chest.

“Don’t!” I warned him, slightly dazed, out of breath as though I’d been running a marathon. I was still though, I couldn’t move – still trapped by his burning gaze. It made my bones melt. I was light-hearted.

“I wasn’t going to kiss you again, Beth.” He was amused by my terror.

I sighed in relief. “Good.” I whispered. “I wouldn’t have survived this time.”

He grinned. “Don’t worry. I just want to do this…” and then his nose skimmed along the length of my face, my lips, my eyes. He stopped only when our noses were touching.

“See, not so bad.” He sighed.

“That’s easy for you to say.” I said breathlessly.

“Not with you so close to me.” He argued.

I don't know how long we sat without moving. Breathing into each other, our heartbeats dancing to the same song, eyes locked together.

And then, too soon, he moved back releasing my face but not my eyes. Whenever I looked into his eyes it was like watching the night sky or the beautiful sun rise or the still waters of the ocean in the twilight.

“The pain wasn’t that bad.” He said.

“I barely noticed for I was touching you, something I’d wanted to do since the very first time I laid my eyes on you.”

"Ah.” He sighed. “I’ve been practising.” He joked; referring to the incidents that I’d accidently touched him.

I laughed. “I can tell.”

“You need to practice too.” He winked and then he was leaning towards me again, his eyes closed. I was so still that breathing ceased. He laughed. “I was kidding.” He said.

I sighed nervously. “You want me to have a heart attack?”

He frowned. “That would be too unpleasant.”

I rolled my eyes.

He was silent for a long moment. His eyes were staring off in a distance, his expression unreadable.

“What are you thinking?” I asked when I couldn’t bear the silence much longer.

“You have to go.”

“Don’t remind me.” I groaned. “How late is it?”

“It’s after six.” He sighed. “Your mother is up already.”

“Oh snacks.”

“Shall we?” he asked, and then he was on his feet in one blinding fast movement. He offered me his hand.

I took it nervously. My heart missed a beat when my skin brushed against his. I wasn’t used to the contact. I wasn’t used to having him so close to me. My heart did that irritating overdrive thing again. I groaned.

His mouth twitched up into that crooked smile I loved so much. I was so helplessly in love with him.

"No school for us today." I said warily, taking his hand.

He smiled, wider than I'd ever seen. "What do you have in mind princess?"

“Let’s start with breakfast and then we’ll take it from there.”

He laughed. “Breakfast sounds like fun.”

“I’m not sure beacon and eggs are on your menu.”

He startled me when he suddenly wrapped his arms around my waist, we were a foot apart. I’d never seen him so free before. “Seeing as I don’t get hungry for that kind of food…” his voice lowered, darkened. “The only thing I crave is right here.” His eyes were burning.

“Are you flirting with me, Mr. Carter?”

He grinned but his eyes never lost their intensity. “And what if I am?”

“It’s very inappropriate for a demon to seduce a human… that is… if he’s not planning on killing her.” I said smiling up at him.

“In case, you haven’t noticed I make my own rules, Miss White.”

“Mm,”

And then he kissed the side of my neck.

“And I see I’m playing by your rules.” I mumbled.

“You have no choice in the matter.”

I frowned. “Is it?”

“You’d do anything I asked off you.”

“I would.”

And then he was breezing through the town. We were travelling among the clouds this time. The fog made it impossible for me to see where we were or how high up from the ground we were. I closed my eyes really tight and held on to him.