54. Unspoken Thoughts and The Feelings In-between
54. Unspoken Thoughts and The Feelings In-between
Esmarie Seraphine Vale
Ciro's eyes widened slightly as our words intertwined, forming a symphony of our unspoken thoughts and the emotions in between. My throat quickly became parched as the tension in the room escalated, nearly overwhelming to a degree.
He remained on his knees at my feet, one large hand supporting himself on the mattress near my bandaged leg, the other placed on his thigh. The image of him kneeling in front of me was etched deep within my brain. I was certain I could relive this moment in my dreams vividly with striking detail.
The proud and powerful King of the Eastern continent was kneeling before an ordinary human. I instinctively reached for him, unable to bear the sight any longer, unable to bear how the butterflies that had stirred in my lower abdomen from the warmth of his fingers as he took care of my wound now felt unsettling.
This was wrong.
My fingers wrapped around the sturdy muscle of his forearm. "C-Ciro, can you please stand up?" I faltered, pulling gently, unable to hide the anxiety in my voice. My fingertips pressed into his skin as I attempted to lift him, but he didn't budge, muscles rigid under my touch as he stared up at me. "You are… you are the king… You shouldn't be—"
He blinked, as though he was just understanding what I was trying to tell him.
"Okay," he whispered, voice rough. With fluid movement, he stood up and then sat down on the bed next to me, so close that the warmth of his body chased away the residual cold from my skin. The mattress dipped beneath his weight, and as he shifted, his thigh brushed against mine. The mere innocent touch ignited sensations that danced along my nerves.
I gulped, suddenly conscious of every bit of space or absence of it between us.
"I'm sorry," I blurted once more, the phrases spilling out before I could prevent them. I could no longer endure the heavy silence between us. "For the Yerterium. For running away with Fenrick. I should have listened to your warnings. I was just so stupid and terrified, I—"
"Esmarie." His voice pierced my chaotic thoughts, calm and unwavering. He turned completely towards me, one large hand rising to support my cheek, thumb caressing the side of my lips. His touch was delicate, so soft it stole away the rest of my words. "All of this is not your fault."
"No, but it is, Ciro," I shook my head, tears burning hot within my eyelids. "I... I drugged you—"
"You were left with no other options, Esmarie." His eyes glanced down at my bandaged leg before rising back up, eyes burning into mine, intense with remorse. "I provided you with nothing. I concealed the truth about the bond, my emotions, and everything else. I was afraid of losing you before I truly had you, so I lied." His thumb followed the shape of my lower lip, trembling against my skin. "I told you that you were a burden, that you were insignificant, labeling our kiss as a mistake." His voice faltered on the final word. "I acted like a coward."
The admission lingered between us like a delicate picture in glass. My gaze scanned his features, heart pounding uselessly in my chest.
"I'm sorry, Esmarie," he murmured, his voice strained. "I believed I wasn't good enough for someone like you. I felt unworthy, but after almost losing you…" His hand moved from my cheek to the back of my neck, fingers gently brushing against the delicate skin. "I can't run from this any longer. I can't run from our bond."
I was unsure of what to say, didn’t even grasp what I felt at that moment, but I couldn't ignore the fact that I couldn't resist leaning into his touch. My forehead leaned against his, our breaths intertwining as I began to speak.
"I was really afraid," I confessed, my voice shaking. "In the woods, when Fenrick—I believed you wouldn't search for me, thought I'd never lay my eyes on you again—"
"I will never leave you behind, Esmarie." His other arm wrapped around my waist, pulling me closer until I was partially in his lap, my wounded leg gently held between his thighs. His lips grazed my temple, then the edge of my eyelids where a stray tear had fallen. "I swear it."
The space between us was nothing more than a hair's breadth, feeling the rhythmic beat of his heart pulsing under my hand as it lay on his chest. I raised my face, our noses touching, breaths intertwined. His eyes darted across my face like he was memorizing every inch of me hungrily, pulsing with a question that I already had an answer to.
"Yes," I whispered.
He did not hesitate. His lips met mine gently at first, a nervous contact that still wanted my approval. I melted into him instantly, lips parting as he intensified the kiss with a soft growl. It wasn't like the desperate heat from when I had kissed him trying to sedate him or when he forcefully pressed his lips to mine to prevent me from rejecting him.
This was slow and intentional, almost like a vow. His tongue grazed the edge of my lips before slipping into my mouth. A whimper escaped me at the sudden burst of sensation, fingers gripping the material of his tunic.
One of his hands glided along my spine, holding me close; the other cradled my jaw, his thumb tracing the rapid beat at my neck. Every cell in my body surrendered to him.
I was unaware of where he stopped and I began; all I knew was that I had never felt more alive than I did now. The warmth of his hands as they traveled along my side, as if committing every contour of my body to memory, sparked a flame so intense within me that I wrapped my arms around his shoulders, pulling him impossibly closer.
He groaned, low and filled with need, the sound resonating at the back of my throat as he completely lifted me into his lap without pulling away, fingers digging into my skin from the sheer intensity.
The sudden bang of the room door against the wall promptly snapped my brain back to reality as I instinctively shoved him in shock, retreating from him with a speed that could match that of a wild creature.
My heart raced wildly in my chest as I faced the door, only to encounter the shell-shocked looks of both Thorne and Hemne.