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Chapter Forty-Nine

Lilianna

We stood watching the fireflies dance for what felt like hours, though it could have only been minutes. Time seemed to stretch and compress in this enchanted space, measured only by the synchronized blinking of tiny lights and the steady rhythm of Miles's heartbeat beneath my ear.

"We should head back to camp," Miles murmured eventually, his voice barely disturbing the quiet around us. "The temperature drops quickly out here at night."

I nodded, reluctant to leave this magical moment but feeling the night's chill already seeping through my sweater.

Miles wrapped his arm around my shoulders as we made our way back through the trees, the beam of his flashlight cutting a path through the darkness.

The warmth of his body against mine kept the evening cold at bay, and I found myself leaning into him more with each step.

The campfire was still burning when we returned, though the flames had died down to glowing embers that painted everything in amber light.

Miles added another log, coaxing the flames back to life with practiced movements.

The renewed fire cast dancing shadows across our campsite, making the tent glow like a lantern against the dark woods.

"Are you getting cold?" Miles asked, noticing the way I'd wrapped my arms around myself.

"A little," I admitted, though it wasn't entirely the temperature making me shiver. Being alone with him in this intimate setting, surrounded by nothing but wilderness and starlight, was affecting me in ways I hadn't anticipated.

Miles disappeared into the tent for a moment, returning with a thick wool blanket that he draped around my shoulders. The fabric was soft and warm, carrying the faint scent of cedar and something uniquely him.

"Better?" he asked, settling beside me on the log bench.

"Much," I said, though when he sat close enough that our thighs touched through the blanket, warmth spread through me that had nothing to do with the wool.

"Miles," I said softly, turning to face him in the firelight. The flames cast his features in gold and shadow, making his green eyes appear almost luminous. "Thank you for today. For all of this. I've never felt so... free."

His hand found mine beneath the blanket, fingers intertwining with gentle certainty. "You don't have to thank me for letting you be yourself, Lili. That's what you deserve every day."

The way he said my name, soft and reverent in the night air, made something deep inside me flutter and settle at the same time.

I studied his face in the firelight, memorizing the gentle curve of his mouth, the way his hair fell across his forehead, the patient kindness that seemed to emanate from him like warmth.

"I keep thinking about what you said earlier," I murmured, my thumb tracing across his knuckles. "About some things just clicking into place. I never believed in that before—the idea that people could just... fit together perfectly without working at it."

Miles's eyes softened, his free hand coming up to brush a strand of hair from my face. "And now?"

"Now I think maybe I was wrong about a lot of things," I admitted, leaning into his touch. "My parents always made love seem like a business arrangement. Something to be negotiated and managed, not felt."

"That's not love," Miles said, his voice carrying a quiet intensity that made my heart race.

"What they had was a contract. Love is..

. this." He gestured between us, his fingers still threading in my hair.

"It's wanting to share your most sacred spaces with someone.

It's feeling like you can breathe easier when they're beside you.

It's finding peace in silence and joy in simple moments like watching fireflies dance. "

His words settled into my chest like warmth spreading through cold water.

I shifted closer on the log, the blanket slipping from one shoulder as I turned to face him more fully.

The firelight flickered across his face, and I could see my own reflection in his eyes—soft and unguarded in a way that would have terrified me weeks ago.

"I love you," I said again, the words coming easier this time. "I love the way you see the world, the way you make me feel safe enough to see it too."

Miles's breath caught, his hand tightening slightly in my hair. "Lili," he whispered, my name a prayer on his lips. "I love you too. More than I have words for."

The space between us seemed to shrink without either of us moving, charged with something electric and inevitable.

The fire crackled beside us, sending sparks dancing toward the star-filled sky, but all I could focus on was the way Miles was looking at me—like I was something precious he'd been searching for his entire life.

"Miles," I breathed, my free hand coming up to rest against his chest. I could feel his heart hammering beneath my palm, matching the rapid rhythm of my own. "Earlier you said we should wait until tonight..."

His pupils dilated, and I watched him swallow hard. "I did say that," he murmured, his voice rough with barely contained desire. "But I wanted you to be sure. Really sure."

"I am sure," I whispered, my fingers curling into the fabric of his shirt. "I do know what I want….and I want you.”

Miles groaned softly, his forehead dropping to rest against mine as he struggled for control. “You know how to test my control. I want to take you right here and make you scream my name.”

The raw honesty in his voice sent heat spiraling through me, pooling low in my belly.

I'd never heard Miles speak with such unguarded desire, and the effect was intoxicating.

My breath hitched as his words painted vivid images in my mind—images that should have frightened me but instead made me ache with want.

"Then do it," I whispered, surprising myself with my boldness.

Miles's control snapped. His mouth crashed against mine with desperate hunger, the careful restraint he'd maintained all day finally crumbling.

This kiss was different from his earlier gentle explorations—it was claiming, possessive, filled with the kind of need that made my toes curl and my heart race.

His hands tangled in my hair as he deepened the kiss, his tongue sweeping into my mouth with confident strokes that made me moan against his lips.

The blanket slipped completely from my shoulders as Miles pulled me onto his lap, my legs straddling his thighs as his hands moved to grip my waist. The position brought us impossibly closer, and I gasped at the sensation of his hardness pressing against me through our clothes.

"Is this okay?" he murmured against my throat, his lips leaving a trail of fire across my sensitive skin.

"More than okay," I breathed, arching into his touch as his hands slipped beneath my sweater, calloused palms warm against my bare waist. The contrast between the cool night air on my face and the heat of his touch made every sensation more intense, more immediate.

Miles took his time exploring, his fingers tracing the curve of my spine, the dip of my waist, the edge of my ribs.

Each touch was reverent yet hungry, as if he couldn't quite believe I was real beneath his hands.

His lips found my collarbone, teeth grazing the sensitive skin there before soothing it with his tongue.

I shivered, my hands threading through his hair to hold him closer.

"You're so beautiful," Miles murmured against my skin, his voice thick with desire. "So perfect."

His words emboldened me. I tugged at the hem of his shirt, wanting to feel more of him.

Miles pulled back just enough to help me, lifting his arms as I pulled the fabric over his head.

The firelight danced across his exposed chest, highlighting the defined muscles and casting shadows in the valleys between them.

I ran my hands over his shoulders, down his chest, marveling at the way his breath hitched when my fingers traced the line of dark hair that disappeared beneath his waistband.

"Your turn," he said softly, his hands finding the edge of my sweater.

I nodded, my heart racing as he slowly lifted the soft fabric over my head, his movements careful.

The cool night air kissed my skin, making me shiver despite the warmth radiating from the fire and from Miles's body beneath mine.

His eyes roamed over me with such appreciation that I felt beautiful rather than exposed.

"Perfect," he breathed, his hands cupping my face as he pulled me down for another kiss. This one was slower, deeper, filled with promises and unspoken emotions that made my chest tight with feeling.

Miles's hands moved to my back, fingers tracing the line of my spine as he kissed along my jaw, down my throat.

Every touch sent electricity through me, awakening parts of myself I'd never fully explored.

When his lips found the sensitive spot where my neck met my shoulder, I gasped, my body arching against him instinctively.

"I want to devour you here right under the stars and firelight dancing on your skin.” He muttered, a low frow building up in his chest. I shuddered at his words, my body responding with a need I'd never experienced before.

The wildness of our surroundings seemed to seep into us, stripping away any remaining hesitation.

"Yes," I breathed, my fingers tangling in his hair as his mouth explored the sensitive curve of my neck. "Please, Miles."

His hands moved to the clasp of my bra, pausing there as his eyes met mine in silent question. I nodded, and with deft fingers, he released the clasp. The garment fell away, leaving me bare to the night air and his heated gaze.

"God, Lili," he murmured, his voice rough with desire. "You're incredible."