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“I’m not lying.” Soulara pulled back slightly, curling her fingers around Autumn’s cheek and looking directly into her beautiful eyes. “I’ve never lied to you.”

Autumn relaxed. She pressed her head against Soulara’s shoulder, tightening her grasp around Soulara’s back. “You can’t come see me again. They’ll kill you, too.”

“I won’t take you back if they’re going to kill you.”

“You won’t have a choice.” Autumn pulled away, making eye contact. “They’ll find me, and they’ll kill me. They know I’ve been helping you. They know I’m a traitor.”

Soulara’s heart clenched tightly.

“They know,” Autumn whispered.

Nodding, Soulara kissed the side of Autumn’s head. She closed her eyes and breathed in Autumn’s scent. This could very well be their last moment together, and Soulara wasn’t going to let it go without knowing for sure. Once more, she kissed Autumn’s lips sweetly.

“I love you,” Soulara said.

“Don’t love me. Please don’t love me.”

Soulara brushed her fingers over Soulara’s cheeks over and over again. She held still in the moment, keeping them calm and together. She could wait for as long as this took. Because she wasn’t leaving without a resolution.

“Look at me,” Soulara begged.

Autumn shook her head, clenching her eyes shut like she was a small child.

Soulara’s lips quirked upward. “Please.”

It took more time than she wanted, but Autumn did finally open her eyes and look at Soulara. “What?”

“You don’t get to choose if I love you or not.” Soulara put her thumb on Autumn’s lips. “And I do love you. All of you. And I know and understand how complicated this is, that we have no idea what tomorrow will hold. But today…” Soulara swallowed, needing to make sure that her words were clear. “Today I love you. Tomorrow, dead or alive, I will love you. In the afterlife, I will love you.”

“Fuck,” Autumn muttered. She surged forward, pushing their mouths together in a heated kiss.

Soulara stumbled back a step, barely catching herself.

They breathed heavily, tongues pushing hard against each other, teeth accidentally scraping. Everything in this moment was hot, desperate. Soulara wrapped her hand around the back of Autumn’s neck and held her tightly. She wasn’t going to let go.

Autumn skimmed her hand across Soulara’s breast, palming and massaging it. Everything was going so fast. It was making Soulara’s head spin. She reached for Autumn’s hand and pushed it down, between her legs. Autumn gasped.

“Yes,” Autumn whined. “Me too.”

Soulara moved her hands to Autumn’s waist, fumbling with her coverings and the contraptions that kept everything together. She tugged and pulled, but she couldn’t figure it out. Autumn laughed wildly, shooing away Soulara’s hands for her own. She pulled the pieces apart and pushed her soaking wet coverings to her hips.

“Fuck wet clothes,” Autumn mumbled, cursing again when the cloth stuck to her skin. “Just ignore them.”

How was Soulara supposed to ignore them? She ran her fingers over Autumn’s body, the hardness of her nipples under the wet coverings. They poked through, looking most enticing. She bent her head, covering one with her mouth and flicking her tongue over it. Autumn moaned, digging her fingers into Soulara’s hair and holding Soulara’s head to her chest.

“Don’t slow this down. We don’t have time.” Desperation clung to Autumn’s words.

Soulara straightened her back, canting her head to the side as a light hit her eyes. Autumn was right. They didn’t have time to waste. They had so much more they needed to talk about. She pushed her hand against the wet fabric and managed to wiggle her fingers underneath and against Autumn’s hot, wet, already pulsing body. Soulara hissed.

She leaned in and whispered into Autumn’s ear, “I love you so much.”

Autumn whined in the back of her throat, tilting her face up to the sky. Her eyelids fluttered shut. Soulara pumped her fingers in and out. Autumn reached down, sliding her hand back between Soulara’s legs and mimicking Soulara’s touch.

“Together?” Soulara asked.

“Seems to be the way we do things.” Autumn gave her a wicked gleam. “Isn’t it?”

“Yeah.” Soulara wrapped her arm around Autumn’s hips, keeping them in place as the waves rushed against the backs of her thighs. She didn’t want to lose her footing and have them topple over into the water. They needed to stay right where they were.