Page 20

A lex banished the thought from his mind.

He inhaled deeply, the cool night air filling his lungs and calming his racing heart, directing all his thoughts to Sera. She wasn’t merely lovely; she was radiant—a vision that made the air in his lungs hitch and stumble, refusing to move under the weight of his awe. And she was all his.

For the whole night.

His gaze traced her body, the gentle curve of her shoulders, the delicate line of her collarbone vanishing beneath the whisper of lace.

She appeared like a dream barely tethered to the mortal world, and he, a man made of earth and gravity, felt powerless in her presence.

Something within him shifted, tipped, as if the steady ground he’d always known had been stolen away by the soft gleam of her bare skin and the way she looked at him—shy yet burning. The moment felt almost surreal.

He couldn’t speak, didn’t trust himself to do so.

The words tangled in his throat, replaced by a tightness that bloomed and spread through his chest, across his ribs.

He had to leave for London tomorrow, and she had her own journey to begin.

It felt like an ending, yet he yearned for it to mark the start of something more.

She was everything he had ever wanted, and the thought of saying goodbye, even if only temporarily, tore at his soul.

He couldn’t accept the word final.

Right now, I’m here.

Yet, Alex could focus solely on Sera, every detail of her filling his memory.

He gathered her closer onto his lap. She burrowed in without hesitation.

The intimacy was intoxicating. What had this woman done to him?

It seemed unfathomable that he could feel so much for someone he knew so little about.

But it was the little he did know that mattered.

The quiet of the alcove felt impossibly loud, every rustle of fabric and breath between them charged with a heavy, delicious tension.

Alex traced the curve of Sera’s cheek with his thumb, his hand trembling slightly as if her skin might vanish beneath his touch.

Her gaze met his, wide and earnest, but beneath her shimmering beauty, there was a slight hesitation—a flicker of worry he couldn’t ignore.

“You are so dangerous, you know.” Her voice, her laugh, her words chased away so many things that troubled him.

“ You are dangerous,” she countered. “Everything about you.”

He gave her a slow, teasing smile. “Only to you.”

“Only in a good way, I hope,” she whispered, playfully.

Alex tilted his head, his forehead brushing hers.

“The very best way,” he promised. And in that moment, with her smile so close he could feel it and her breath mingling with his, every risk, every potential consequence faded into the background.

All that mattered was her—wild, radiant Sera, the one thing in his life he hadn’t been prepared for but couldn’t imagine giving up.

But the edges of the forbidden still nipped at him, sharp and exhilarating.

He knew the barriers he was breaking, the invisible rules he dared defy, yet he wouldn’t stop.

Instead, Alex traced the arch of her back, his touch light but lingering, and Sera leaned in closer, her fingers curling into his shirt.

“This is the most freedom I’ve ever tasted.”

“Freedom,” he murmured, smiling, happy, “still has its own constraints. It’s a complicated set of luxuries.”

“Perhaps. I still want to be free, like the seagulls,” she said, her eyes locking with his.

Alex searched her expression. The flicker of the picnic candles battled against the encroaching darkness, their soft amber light dancing over the rough stone walls of the alcove.

The air was thick with salt and the lingering scent of crushed lavender from Sera’s hair, blending with the sweet, smoky aroma of melting wax as the flames burned lower.

Each breath, each touch, each second felt stolen, stretched taut between them as though the stars above had slowed time itself, wrapping the moment in eternity.

“And what would you do if you were that free? Free like a seagull?”

“For one,” she wiggled, “free to sit on your lap like this. And for the second…” She trailed off, falling silent for a moment as if weighing her thoughts. Then, without warning, she leaned in and pressed her lips to his.

The kiss was bold, decisive—a clear answer to his question, spoken not with words but with the press of her lips against his.

This was what she would do.

Kiss him. Touch him. Claim him.

Everything else fell away. What remained was the wild desire to stay right here, in this fleeting, stolen piece of forever.

His hands moved to cradle her face, his fingers tracing her jaw. He could feel the rapid beat of her heart under his touch, mirroring his own. She pulled away, and he rested his forehead against hers, catching his breath.

“I don’t want this to end,” he murmured, his voice raw with emotion.

“You said that already.” She smiled. “But neither do I,” she replied, her eyes shining. “I want more of this. So much more of you.”

“You can have all of me.” Alex shifted her body and pushed her into the blanket beneath her, hovering over her.

He leaned in, capturing her lips in another kiss, this one more urgent, more demanding.

His hands roamed over her body, memorizing every curve, every dip of her form.

She responded in kind, her fingers threading through his hair, pulling him closer.

Too many clothes.

“I want you.”

She suddenly laughed, eyes sparkling. “Take me.”

Her words made him rock hard. Alex could feel every breath, every heartbeat, every shiver that ran through Sera’s body. It was as if the world had narrowed down to just the two of them, and nothing, no one else existed.

The air between them buzzed with a tension so thick it felt tangible, like a silk thread binding Alex to her.

Slowly, deliberately, he reached for the ties of her dress, his fingers brushing the fine fabric as he peeled it away.

Each inch revealed beneath the dim glow of candlelight was like a revelation, her skin so fair it gleamed with an otherworldly beauty.

He leaned in, his lips seeking the warmth of her shoulder, trailing kisses down the curve of her collarbone with a tenderness that made her shiver.

The sound of her quickened breath filled the otherwise silent alcove, and he grinned against her skin.

“More,” she murmured, her voice soft but edged with longing as she sank into his touch. “I want to see and touch you, too.”

The words sparked something electric in him.

He rose to his knees, brushed some sand off his breeches.

His movements seemed predatory yet restrained, and in one quick motion he stripped off his shirt and tossed it aside.

Her breath hitched as her eyes roamed over the sharp planes of his torso, each muscle carved with an artistry that seemed almost unfair.

The shadow-play of candlelight against his skin was both mesmerizing and maddening, but it was his gaze—the smoldering in his eyes—that unraveled her, leaving her cheeks flushed and her heart hammering as though he had touched her without lifting a hand.

“Is this what you were looking for?” he teased, his voice a low growl that made her swallow hard.

“Yes,” she whispered, with no hesitation.

Her hands were on him instantly, her fingertips trailing up the hard planes of his chest, exploring the ridges and valleys of his build as if committing him to memory.

Every brush of her fingers sent jolts of fire through his body. Her touch—it was intoxicating.

But Alex wasn’t one to be completely undone just yet. His lips curved into a wicked smile. Speaking of touches… “I want to take you out of this dress,” he said, his voice rough yet steady, revealing the need coiling tightly inside him.

She tilted her head back and grinned up at him with a spark in her gaze. “Your wish… your task,” she teased.

Alex chuckled, shaking his head. “My beauty. My love.”

She was going to be the end of him.

*

My beauty. My love.

Their eyes met and Sera’s throat constricted. All of this was irrevocable, and she had put her heart and future in the hands of this man she knew so little about. Her mind was somewhat alarmed, but every fiber of her body and soul wanted to be his. It couldn’t be wrong; it just mustn’t be wrong.

“Make me all yours.” The challenge, if it was one, only spurred him on. The intricate workings of her dress were no match for his deft hands as he stripped her of it in a matter of moments. He dispensed with the fabric, letting it pool to the floor like draped moonlight, and then he froze.

The world around her dissolved into shadow and candlelight, the quiet crash of waves beyond barely registering as she drank in the sight of him.

His body was a masterpiece, every curve of muscle and line of strength illuminated in flickering amber hues.

Sera’s breath caught, her pulse quickening as her fingers traced over the planes of his chest, the warmth of his skin beneath her touch sending a delicious shiver spiraling through her.

He looked impossibly strong, yet the way he gazed at her—like she was something fragile, precious—made her heart ache as much as her body burned.