Page 19 of Storm of Stars

“Ezra says his talent is putting up with Thorne,” Bex added with a smirk. I nodded in agreement.

“That does take a certain level of skill,” I said with a grin.

“But really, I think he’s a little less focused on planning anything,” Bex continued, rolling her eyes in mock exasperation.

I tilted my head, watching her as she spoke, feeling a pull in my chest that I didn’t want to name. “What about you?” I asked, already knowing the answer, but wanting to hear her say it.

She shrugged nonchalantly. “I don’t really have any talents.”

I couldn’t resist teasing her. “I dunno about that. We all heard Zaffir in the shower the other day. It sounds like you have at least one talent.”

Her skin flushed, the pink spreading across her cheeks in an instant, and I felt a surge of satisfaction from the effect I hadon her. A temptation, raw and unfiltered, rose within me, but I reined it in.

She sighed, rubbing her temples. “Let me rephrase, I have no talents I can show on a stage in front of cameras and a live audience.” We both laughed then.

I fell silent for a moment, watching her carefully, my thoughts spinning. The idea of her voice joining mine in song had lodged itself in my mind, and it wouldn’t leave. “Sing with me,” I said finally, the words tumbling out before I could stop them.

She blinked, clearly taken aback. “What?” she asked, her brow furrowing.

“Sing a duet with me,” I repeated, my heart pounding at the thought. “I’ll teach you the song Pa used to sing to me. We can sing it together. Or we could write something else. I think it’s... something we could do. For the trial.”

I could feel her eyes on me, searching my face, trying to read the sincerity behind my request. The thought of our voices intertwined in harmony, of sharing something so vulnerable and real, made my chest tighten with longing.

Her gaze dropped to her hands, fingers nervously picking at the edge of her sleeve. She sighed, and my heart stuttered in my chest. “I can’t.”

“Why not?” I asked, my voice softer now, coaxing.

“I don’t know how to sing,” she whispered, her voice barely audible.

I blinked, the shock of her words sending a ripple of confusion through me. “You don’t know how?”

She shook her head. “I’ve never tried.”

The weight of her confession settled heavily on me, and I felt a sting of regret, like I’d failed to notice something so important about her until now. “Not once?” I asked, my voice almost a whisper.

She shook her head, the vulnerability in her expression pulling me closer to her than I had been before.

“Then let me teach you,” I offered, my voice soft yet full of intent.

“The trial is tonight, we don’t have time,” she said, shaking her head, but there was a flicker of hesitation in her eyes.

I set the guitar aside, then slowly sank to my knees in front of her. Her gaze followed every movement, her breath catching in her chest as I moved closer.

“Briar, what are you doing?” she asked, her voice a mix of uncertainty and something else I couldn’t quite place.

I met her eyes, my heart pounding in my chest as my fingers hooked in her waistband and pulled her pants down her legs until she was bare to me.

“Maybe you just need a little incentive,” I whispered, my eyes catching on her glistening center. She was already so wet for me. I pressed forward, tossing her legs over my shoulders. She fell back onto the bed, her elbows holding her up.

My breath dusted over her core, but despite how badly I wanted a taste, I didn’t move. “Sing for me, Hollis,” I demanded quietly.

She sighed. “I…can’t…” she replied.

“You can if you want me to taste you,” I challenged tracing a light touch along her inner thighs. She groaned, as her whole body reacted to my touch.

“Briar-” she begged.

“Sing it,” I commanded.