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“Lots of wildlife. I’ll spare you the details.” I brush her lip with my finger.
She licks her lips, and I lose my train of thought.
One side of her mouth hitches up. “You want to kiss me again, don’t you?”
I shift my gaze to her eyes.
“What I want doesn’t matter.”
“Yes, it does.” She moves closer, her breasts pressing into my chest, and sweeps my hair from my face.
“I won’t do this to you.” It might kill me, but I won’t.
“Do what?”
“Indulge in you, only to leave you.”
“Because we’re on different paths?”
I just stare in her eyes.
“I don’t regret kissing you,” she murmurs. “But I will regret not living in this beautiful moment, even if it’s all we’ll ever have.” She brushes her lips over mine. Once, twice…
She doesn’t get a third time because I devour her. A hint of salt mixes with her delicious taste. This time from tears, unlike at the beach when it was from the ocean breeze. I slide my hands into her hair and cup the back of her neck, drawing her closer to me.
She moans.
In all my life, I can’t remember a more beautiful sound. I don’t know what this is. Attraction? Yes. But it’s more. The beginning of something great that can never be. I thought I had great with Sera. I thought the world of her. I thought I’d never feel as strongly for anyone else. I realize now what we had was one-sided. I wanted Sera to be a part of my world, but I never wanted to be a part of hers. I thought what I had and could give her—a life without the demands and the control of her parents—was best. When in reality, I was trying to control her in a different way. I never asked her what she wanted. I assumed I knew, and I was wrong because I never thought she’d dump me or marry the man her parents chose for her husband.
I would never try to force Nova into a situation that wasn’t of her choosing. I know her well enough to know a mountain life isn’t for her. I want her to be happy, as much as I want her.
If she can handle this moment, I’ll give it to her and myself, especially when everything about being with her feels right.