She pressed the play button and turned to face him fully, settling her free hand on his shoulder. He put his arm around her, settling his hand at the small of her back. She looked up, met his eyes, and smiled again.
The lightly crackling static from the tape player gave way to the lively opening notes of Für Elise—a song which itself had not emerged until some decades after its composer’s death. But it was lively and upbeat, and Merrick led Adalynn into a spinning, waltz-like dance that sped and slowed in time with the music.
Her smile grew with each step, her eyes sparkled with excitement, and she laughed as the ballroom whirled around them. He couldn’t help but laugh, too; her joy was infectious. She followed his steps expertly, as though anticipating his every move. Merrick’s heart sped, and the heat in his veins intensified.
They stopped with the music, which ended only a few short minutes after it had begun. Though the next song began, they remained still, panting softly.
“I would swear you’re from another time,” Adalynn said.
“Though I don’t appreciate you implying I’m an old man, it often feels that way,” he replied.
She chuckled. “That’s not what I was implying.” She lifted her hand from his shoulder to touch his hair, brushing it aside from his forehead. “You don’t look old at all.”
Tingles pulsed across his skin, and he nearly shut his eyes against the bliss of that simple touch. It meant more than should’ve been possible; it meant she was growing comfortable with him.
“And you look…beautiful,” he said. He lifted her hand to his lips and brushed a kiss over her knuckles.
Her breath hitched and her eyes dipped to his mouth. Desire flared in the depths of her eyes, and it sparked an answering desire in his core—sparked it in his soul. His magic swelled, bolstering the heat in his veins as it flowed along his arms to gather in his fingertips as though it were desperate for her, desperate for a connection beyond anything he’d ever known.
She eased toward him, her lips parting, and Merrick tightened his grip on her, pulling her pelvis against his.
It was, apparently, too much, too quickly.
She drew back, her wide eyes snapping to his. “I…I should check on Danny. Make sure he’s behaving.”
Her body tensed as she prepared to pull away from him, and it triggered something else atop his need—that same possessiveness he’d felt at the idea of other men lusting after her. This time, these moments, belonged to Merrick and Adalynn, and he wasn’t willing to give them up. Not when they were finite. Not when they could end forever in an instant. It was an instinctual drive, still fresh, still new, and one that was proving difficult to ignore.
“Do you fear me?” he asked.
“I…” Her cheeks flushed and she shook her head. “No.”
“Then why are you trying to flee?”
“I-I’m not. I just… I’m not scared of you, Merrick. I’m…scared of what you make me feel.”
“If it’s anything like what you make me feel, Adalynn, there is nothing to fear.” He turned her hand over and kissed her palm, trailing his mouth first to the tips of her fingers and then to her inner wrist.
She shivered, her breath quickening. Her pulse raced beneath his lips.
Never in a thousand years had he wanted a woman as much as he wanted Adalynn. Never had he burned so hot, never had his thoughts been so clouded by desire. There shouldn’t have been any connection between them, especially considering how little time she had left. It could only lead to complications, to unwanted, unwarranted pain.
Even if she only had a few weeks of life remaining, Merrick had eternity to carry the pain of her loss. Why torture himself like that? Why allow this to go any further?
Because I want her. She has consumed my mind during every minute since her arrival. So, I will take from her all I can while she is here—and give to her as much as I am able.
"Adalynn," he said, his voice rough and silky all at once, his eyelids heavy.
Her eyes met his for a split second before she caught his face between her hands, pulled him down, and pressed her mouth to his.
Merrick’s eyelids drifted shut as her warmth and softness enveloped him, and the energy that seemed ever-present when they touched flooded him. He lifted his hands, slipped his fingers into her hair, and leaned over her, deepening the kiss, deepening the overwhelming sensations it produced. He’d shared kisses with other women, but this was something entirely new. Something entirely different. His mana song interwove with hers and resonated in his heart, spreading throughout his body and into hers.
A delirious thought flitted through his mind—this is not a kiss, it is destiny.
* * *
Delicious heat spiraled through Adalynn, coiling tight in her core. She opened her mouth eagerly and kissed him in full, savoring every detail of this moment—the firmness of his mouth, the soft bristles of his short beard tickling her palms, the solidness of his jaw, the tingling sting on her scalp caused by his grip on her hair; every stroke, nip, and lick of his lips, teeth, and tongue.
He took her mouth with an intensity that left her weak and trembling with need.
But there was something more, something powerful that swept through her and filled her with longing, with anticipation, with an unfulfilled need—like a song without an end. It coaxed her closer, enticed her, sang to her, and she reached for it willingly.
The connection was instantaneous. Adalynn shivered with delight. The sensation rushed through her like a sweeping orchestral crescendo, gaining in power until it suffused every inch of her body. She was aware of nothing except Merrick.
He groaned, tightening his hold on her hair with one hand while the other moved down her back. His fingers spread over the gentle curve of her lower spine, and he drew her against him, pressing her belly to the hard evidence of his want.
Adalynn moaned and slipped her arms around his neck, holding onto him as though he was all that kept her grounded, all that kept her from falling. But she was falling—into his kiss, his taste, his scent, his touch. Her body felt as though it were no longer hers.
With only a kiss, Merrick was consuming her.
Her body burned as lust surged through her. Her breasts were heavy, her nipples tight and aching, and her clothes felt too hot and restrictive, abrading her sensitive skin. All she wanted in that moment was to tear them off and feel his hands on her naked flesh. She was caught in a maelstrom of sensation, and she wanted to be lost in it forever.
Except…she didn’t have forever. She had months, maybe only weeks.
What am I doing?
Dropping her arms, she flattened her palms against his chest and pushed away from him, breaking the kiss. Merrick’s hold on her tightened for an instant, but he released her, allowing Adalynn to open some space between them. As soon as their connection was severed, as soon as those thrilling sensations halted and the strange energy he exuded no longer radiated directly into her, Adalynn felt…bereft. Like she was missing a part of herself.
“We shouldn’t have done that,” she said, panting softly as she reached up and touched her mouth. Her swollen lips tingled; it felt like he’d branded them with his searing kiss.
His tongue slipped out to slowly trail over his lips. “Why?”
Oh God, why is that one of the sexiest things I’ve ever seen?