Chapter 94 The Kiss She Chose
Leitana’s eyes fluttered open, then closed again as sunlight sliced through the half-drawn curtains, sharp against her senses. She blinked once, twice, the blur fading until the first thing she saw was the familiar black silk of Ravial’s blindfold.
A small, sleepy smile curved her lips.
He was already awake, propped on one elbow, watching her with that quiet intensity only he could manage. When her eyes focused fully, he leaned down, pressing a soft, lingering kiss to her right eyelid, then the left.
“Hahaha,” she giggled, the sound light and breathless, cheeks warming instantly.
Ravial lifted slightly, thick, veiny forearms caging her head on either side as he hovered over her, close enough that she felt the heat of him through the thin white dress shirt she wore, his shirt, swallowing her small frame, sleeves rolled up, hem brushing the tops of her thighs.
“Good morning,” he murmured, voice a low, deep rumble that vibrated straight through her.
“Good morning,” she whispered back, voice still hoarse, throat sore from yesterday’s crying and fever. But the rest… she felt… fine.
No shivers. No dizziness. No crushing fatigue.
She tilted her head, surprised. “Mi… mi feel better. Mi no cold no more. No dizzy. Mi feel normal.”
Ravial’s hand came up immediately, palm pressing gently to her forehead, then sliding to her cheek, checking temperature.
“Fever’s down,” he confirmed, thumb brushing the apple of her cheek. “The meds worked.”
Leitana’s eyes widened. Memory rushed back, last night, too weak to swallow the pills, hands shaking so badly she couldn’t hold the water. Ravial had broken the tablets into tiny pieces, dissolved them in a glass, then… lifted the glass to his own lips first, took it into his mouth, leaned down, and fed it to her slowly, mouth to mouth, warm and careful, until she’d swallowed every drop.
Her cheeks flamed bright red at the memory. She looked away quickly, biting her lip.
Ravial noticed.
He caught her jaw gently, turning her face back to his.
“Don’t hide,” he said, voice low, dark, intimate. “You needed me. I gave you what you needed. I’d do it again. Every time.”
He leaned in and kissed her, slow, deep, morning-soft but possessive, tasting good. She melted into it, small hands sliding up to clutch his shoulders.
When he pulled back, she was breathless, cheeks burning hotter.
“Morning breath…” she mumbled, embarrassed, trying to duck her head again.
Ravial’s lips curved—just a tiny, devastating smirk.
“I don’t care,” he said simply, kissing the corner of her mouth. “You taste like mine.”
He helped her sit up slowly, strong hands steadying her waist. The white dress shirt slipped off one shoulder, exposing the delicate curve of her collarbone, the faint marks he’d left there days ago. She looked impossibly small, impossibly sexy, impossibly his.
Leitana smiled shyly, tugging the collar back up. “Tank yu… for yesterday. For holdin’ mi. For… everyting.”
Ravial’s hand slid to the small of her back, thumb stroking. “You’re my wife. I’d burn the world before I let anything take you from me. Yesterday was nothing.”
He stood, pulling her gently to her feet. She wobbled for a second; he caught her instantly, arm banding around her waist.
“Bathroom,” he said, voice leaving no room for argument.
He guided her in, the tiles cold under her bare feet. The bathroom was massive, double vanity, rainfall shower, deep soaking tub but he steered her straight to the sinks.
They brushed their teeth side by side.
Leitana stood on tiptoe to reach the faucet, giggling when foam dripped down her chin. Ravial watched her in the mirror, blindfold hiding his eyes, but the soft tilt of his mouth gave him away.
“Yu brush too hard,” she teased, voice muffled around the toothbrush.
“You brush like a kitten,” he countered, deadpan.
She laughed, bubbles flying.
When they finished, he turned on the shower, testing the temperature with his hand. Steam began to rise, warm and inviting.
Leitana looked at the water, then at him, suddenly shy. “Mi… mi can do it.”
He stepped behind her, fingers already working the buttons on his shirt that she wore. “No,” he said softly. “Let me.”
The shirt slipped off her shoulders, pooling at her feet. He guided her under the spray, warm water cascading over her skin. She sighed, eyes closing in bliss.
Ravial stepped in behind her, still clothed in loose sleep pants, water soaking him instantly. He reached for the body wash, pouring it into his palm, then began washing her, slow, careful, hands gliding over her shoulders, down her back, along her arms.
Leitana shivered not from cold. “Yu spoilin’ mi,” she whispered.
“Good,” he murmured against her ear. “You deserve to be spoiled.”
She turned in his arms, looking up at him through wet lashes. “But… mi wan’ wash yu too.”
He arched a brow.
She pouted. “Fair.”
A long beat.
Then he sighed, the sound almost fond, a quiet rumble that carried a hint of surrender. “Fine,” he muttered, hooking his thumbs into the waistband of his sweatpants. With one smooth, unhurried motion, he shoved them down his hips and stepped out of them, kicking the damp fabric aside without a care. It landed somewhere across the shower space with a soft, wet slap against the tiles, he didn’t even glance at it.
He stepped back just enough for her to reach. She poured soap into her small hands, then pressed them to his chest, sliding over hard muscle, up to his shoulders, down his arms. Her touch was gentle, exploratory, almost worshipful.
“Yu so big,” she murmured, awed, fingers tracing the ridges of his abdomen. “Like mountain.”
Ravial’s breath hitched. “Careful, lamb. You’re playing with fire.”
She smiled, innocent and wicked all at once. “Mi like fire.”
He groaned, low, rough and pulled her flush against him, water sluicing between them.
“Little temptress,” he growled against her mouth.
She giggled, then kissed him, soft, sweet, full of morning light and trust.
Leitana pulled back from the kiss just enough to breathe, her lips tingling, cheeks flushed brighter than the steam around them. Water streamed down her face, catching in her lashes, but she didn’t blink, just stared up at him, wide-eyed and suddenly shy.
It was the first time she’d ever kissed him first.
The realization hit her like a soft wave, and she ducked her head, pressing her forehead to his chest, small hands still splayed over his heart.
Ravial went still.
Completely, utterly still.
For a moment, the only sound was the rainfall shower and their shared breathing.
Then his arms tightened around her, slow, careful, like he was afraid she might vanish if he held too hard. One hand slid up her spine, fingers threading into wet curls at her nape, the other settling low on her back, palm flat and warm against her skin.
He didn’t speak at first.
Just held her.
Then, voice rougher than she’d ever heard it, barely above a whisper:
“You kissed me.”
It wasn’t a question. It was wonder. Awe. Something dangerously close to surprise a man who didn’t know how to feel those things.
Leitana nodded against his chest, too embarrassed to look up. “Mi… mi wan’ to,” she mumbled. “Mi always wan’ to. Jus’… never brave before.”
A low, ragged sound escaped him, half groan, half laugh, pure disbelief.
He tilted her chin up with gentle fingers, forcing her to meet the blindfold that hid whatever storm was raging behind it.
“Do it again,” he said, voice dark velvet. “Now.”
Her heart stuttered.
She rose on tiptoe, hands sliding up to cup his face, wet palms on his sharp jaw and kissed him again.
Slower this time.
Softer.
A tiny, trembling press of lips that said everything she’d never dared speak aloud.
Ravial’s control snapped just a little.
One arm banded around her waist, lifting her clean off the tiles so she was flush against him, legs dangling, bodies pressed together under the warm cascade. His other hand cradled the back of her head, deepening the kiss until it turned hungry, reverent, desperate all at once.
When they finally parted, both breathing hard, foreheads touching, he rasped against her mouth:
“Again.”
She laughed, soft, breathless and kissed him once more.
And once more after that.
Until the water began to cool, and the steam thinned, and the world outside their little cocoon started to exist again.
But for those stolen minutes, there was only them.
No illness.
No ticking clock.
Just a lamb kissing her devil like he was the only thing worth waking up for.
And maybe, just maybe, he was.