Page 43 of Beast and Remedy (The Last of the Heirs #2)

Still, during that time, I wished we could have been friends. We went seven years without talking to one another, and then we reunited, and everything changed.

Then another seven years separated us, and it broke me.

Beau stares as if he, too, is reliving the past.

“Vivienne,” he utters with such reverence, such adoration.

I hate when people use my full name, but when he uses it, Sweet Makers, it feeds the fire of my soul.

“Beau .”

A force stronger than my own magic pulls me upright, rushing for him, unable to stop from crumpling.

He opens his arms, and I crash into him. The scent of pine and citrus hit my nostrils as we fall.

I yelp, holding Beau as he lands on his back, taking the brunt of the impact.

A loud oof escapes him, followed by a low groan. His grip on me remains even after we have met the ground.

Worry overcomes me. I hold my breath to listen for his, fearful I’ve hurt or suffocated him.

I try moving, and he squeezes me, drowning my ears with his voice lowering into a sultry demand. “Don’t.”

“Don’t what?”

“Don’t move.” He adjusts his hold so his arms snake around me more.

I shiver as Beau draws a long breath.

“I really like where you are right now.” He leans into the crook of my neck, kissing my collarbone.

Fuck.

I bite back a moan, trying to remind him of our current state. “Beau, we can’t be—”

“Mmmm,” he hums against my throat. “I love hearing my name on your lips.”

His hardness presses against me, and I groan.

“ Beau .” My voice shakes, my own arousal surging forth, missing him. Needing him.

His hand drifts down to cup my backside as he drags his lips up my neck, breathing near my ear. “I miss you.”

He nibbles my earlobe, and I moan, grinding into him and reveling in the friction our clothing provides. I miss him too, and he knows it.

Our kiss in Torgem wasn’t anywhere close to enough. I wanted it then, and I want it now. Desperately .

I bite my lip hard, suppressing my moans as he kisses my cheek.

“I miss you so fucking much,” he repeats with urgency.

“I miss talking to you, being near you, reading with you.” He squeezes my ass, and my heartbeat quickens at his emanating need.

“And I miss kissing you, tasting you…” He rolls his hips, the movement rubbing along my center as his voice dips. “Being inside you.”

I gasp.

“I’ve waited seven agonizing years. Let me back in,” he pleads. “Let me fulfill every promise and pleasure in every letter I’ve written to you.”

I love it when he loses control. When he takes possession of my body and drives endless amounts of euphoria from me.

It’s fucking Salvation.

But it’s fucking torture to remind him, to be the one putting this distance between us, to be the one stopping this.

“As much as I want to, we can’t.”

I haven’t even told him what I agreed to do after finding a remedy and saving Marian. All the more reason to stop before we both are forced to let the other go.

“We can,” he whispers and kisses my neck again. “Just like before.”

I take in his lust-filled honey eyes. Temptation itches everywhere we touch. I try to give a logical reason, but the urge draws forth a thought.

“But—”

He steals my breath and crashes his lips against mine, and I melt into it. Beau doesn’t deepen the kiss but rather pulls away slowly, studying me as I finish my sentence.

“But how would we even—”

“I’ll always find a way to be with you.” He drops a peck to the tip of my nose, drawing a full grin from me.

I could say yes. I could kiss him, and everything would be—no.

Everything would not be okay.

Marian would still be ill, and Beau would still be banished by Papa.

Sighing, I shut down my hope, despite my own dismay. I hate how it’s impossible one moment and then whenever I am in his embrace it all seems possible. Easy. Safe.

Damn my heart.

I lower my gaze, muttering, “We should go back inside.”

Without missing a beat, Beau loosens his hold, respecting my boundaries despite the hardness between his legs. It isn’t until we’re both upright that I notice he is still clutching the letter.

But he doesn’t look at me.

Instead, he watches the ground, and my soul fractures.

I want to talk to him, want to be with him in every way possible, but I have to keep my distance.

I can’t jeopardize my kingdom, and Beau can’t do the same, either.

No matter how badly we both want to.

But the idiot I am ignored that, and this is the consequence. Reliving my heartbreak and soul splitting all over again.

Why can’t you use your brain when it comes to matters of the heart, Vi?

“Why do you carry it with you?” Beau asks after I take the letter and put it in my pack.

My waves blow across my vision, and I tuck a few pieces behind my ears. “I keep it as a reminder.”

Okay, Vi. Not the truth but also not a lie.

“A reminder of what?” He lifts his head, his hair disheveled, and the loss of light is evident behind his eyes.

“It’s—”

My voice cracks.

I can’t tell him why I brought it. It will make me sound like a hypocrite. And somehow, I should make myself look stupid. Anything that might paint me in a bad light could help keep him away.

But I can’t lie about what he and his words do for me.

“It’s a reminder that love is just as profound as logic. Love and logic can be powerful motivators. And I will need all the motivation I can muster if I am going to save my sister and my kingdom.”

Beau’s features soften. He steps forward and takes my hand, lifting it to rest across his chest.

His calloused thumb rubs my skin in sweet, tantalizing circles. “I am honored my words can be a part of that for you.” He kisses my forehead.

Heat blooms from where his lips leave a trace, and my heart skips as the warmth from his kiss travels down to my core.

Desire, love, and longing make me wish for more as he takes my chin, tilting it to take him in fully.

“But should you ever want more than words, come and find me.” Beau lowers his hand, but he stays close, and the temptation to kiss him again remains even as he continues.

“Because that letter and the hundreds of others we have exchanged remind me of what it is like to love someone and have them return it. And despite the odds of pretending, hiding, and being in two different worlds, what I feel— we feel—is real. Is still real. I will always fight for our chance because you and our love are worth fighting for.”

Beau retreats with a smile, taking my soul with him.