Shadowburn (2)

Chapter 2

She'd expected him to be surprised.

What she hadn't expected was the look on his face, like he'd seen a ghost. For a moment she worried, just a brief flash of self-doubt, that she'd made the wrong choice.

But then his arms were around her and his lips were on hers and everything inside her burst into flame, her focus narrowing entirely to him. She was fairly certain it had only been a few days for him, but it had been nearly three weeks for her and she had missed him so much... more than she'd ever imagined she would.

She clung to him like she was never going to let go, and in truth, she didn't want to. The only things that mattered in that moment were his hands on her and his tongue in her mouth and the way he'd said her name, like it was a prayer.

Gods, she'd missed him.

She vaguely registered the fact that they were standing on his porch and his friend was probably still standing there, but she didn't care.

She didn't care if the whole world was watching them.

She felt a faint, familiar sense of dizziness and noticed that the feel of sunlight on her skin was gone. Then there was softness beneath her and Andreas on top of her and she didn't bother to think anymore, because she wanted him and she needed him and she'd missed this, gods she had.

Without even a word or thought of protest, she let him sweep her away.

*****

Sin lay sprawled across Andreas' torso, her chin resting on his chest as she looked at him, looking back at her. His arms were tight around her waist, his hands roaming her back absently, and she smiled, because she was content, to be where she was.

"Hey," she said, softly.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

She frowned at his words, tilting her head. "Tell you what?"

"That you were following me."

She looked at him for a long moment, trying to figure out how to put it into words. Finally she said, "I was afraid you didn't want me to. And that if I said anything about what I had decided, you would try to convince me that I shouldn't. And that would've hurt. So I didn't." She smiled faintly. "Besides, I did tell you that I wasn't going anywhere."

"I'm not that selfless, Djin. I wouldn't have been able to convince you not to come with me if I knew you'd made that decision. I would have thought that I should, but I wouldn't have been able to."

She let out a soft laugh and laid her cheek against his skin. "I didn't want you to think that, either. It's not true. And also... I really needed to sleep. For a very long time." She grinned and kissed his chest.

One of his hands lifted to brush against her head, stroking her hair back. "There should be food right about now, if you are hungry. Kalen isn't a bad cook."

Sin lifted her head to look at him, her stomach rumbling at the mere mention of food. Then she furrowed her brows. "He can cook, too?"

Andreas lifted himself into a sitting position slowly, so that she slid down his chest and was sitting halfway on his lap. "If he has to."

She shook her head in wonder. "What is it with you people? All domestic and pretty and arrogant."

He chuckled. "We were both raised by Emilia Grigoli?"

She smiled, kissing his cheek. "Then you are both very lucky. We need more people like her in the world."

"We were." There was sadness in his eyes, a sadness she recognized. She brushed his hair back with her fingers, and she didn't know what she could say because the words I'm sorry were useless, and she hated them, and they sounded wrong anyway.