Across the Midnight Sea

Chapter 28: Delivered

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Imre's lips were perfectly demanding, echoing her own need creating a desperate tearing in Adria's chest so she felt like she was being ripped in two.

His mouth slanted over hers, tilting her head, back, taking something of her which she longed to give.

Without thought her hands went up through the bars trying to hold him, wanting to feel close to him. Wishing their hearts could touch.

Her acceptance of the kiss shattered some wall between them and though there were bars separating them there was nothing held back in the kiss.

He changed angles and she followed him, hearing his intake of breath so harsh it was as if he needed the kiss in order to breath. Her own desire seemed to rise up in the wake of his and she responded back, a strange desperation echoing in her chest.

The kiss was everything.

Nothing else mattered.

His fingers shifted and caught a piece of hair and her scalp screamed where it had been stitched.

Adira let out a small cry.

Reality came crashing back down with the pain.

This could never be.

They could never be.

There would be no future kisses, no love. A beautiful agony, horrible for its brevity and torturous in its desire.

Adira wrenched herself away with a sob.

It was cruel, too cruel that she could meet him here on the sea only to have him ripped away from her forever.

"Adira," he said her name quietly.

"I'm sorry," she choked out.

She half ran, half stumbled back to the stairs.

-

Imre did not sleep.

He knew he should try to rest.

He knew in the morning he would regret not at least trying to get some sleep, and still he could not force his mind to quiet enough for any sort of peace.

He had kissed her.

Why? Why had he kissed her?

He knew.

It was her words, the fierce proclamation that while she would respect his request not to but him for herself she would not let him go unremembered.

She would remember him as a person, not as a slave.

It was as a man that he had kissed her and in that kiss he had been free.

A part of him had been surprised that she had chosen to kiss him back. Her whole body had melted into his, and she had pulled him closer as if she too wanted every piece of him.

Imre had never felt a kiss like that before and despite himself he ran his tongue over his lips hoping to catch the faintest taste of her still there.

It was not his first kiss, however it was the first one to rock him to his foundations.

Imre closed his eyes, and guilt wracked him.

What would she think of him kissing a Tamerian woman?