Winter Hearts

Punishment

"And then you kiss me. Then you bite me. And then you blush." He took a breath, searching her face for clues. "Do I scare you?"

She shook her head.

"You want to punish me for something, is that it?" he seemed to be smirking at her.

She hesitated to answer, which he caught. He seemed surprised.

"You think I deserve it?"

"Yes," she finally breathed. She saw that his surprise was genuine, though he seemed to be trying to decide whether she was joking, or flirting.

"You do? For what?"

She sighed, wishing she didn't have to articulate what she felt inside: hot, bothered, turned on but close to frustration. Close to asking him to come home with her.

"Well, midnight seemed to come early tonight because you turned into a pumpkin real quick." She looked up at him petulantly.

He laughed then, loud and hearty, surprising her this time. Because he was still holding her tight to him, she could feel his laughter resonating deep in his chest, and felt his arms tighten as he looked up to the sky. Although he was laughing, she could feel that tension creeping back into his voice, as if he was at the edge of despair. She tightened her grip on his arms.

"Yes, I did," he smiled down at her, the crinkles at the edges of his eyes changing his demeanour entirely. He was no longer the hot, sexy man with the wolfish gaze, but rather, boyish. Playful.

His laughter died down as he looked at her, dwindling into a soft smile.

"But it wasn't because of you," he said, sombrely.

"But something happened, didn't it? Something changed?" She watched him turn his face away towards the sea, nodding slightly. A small frown worried his face, and she reached up to touch his cheek. He turned his face toward her, into her hand, and looked into her eyes with a soft, plaintive gaze.

Oh. Oh my, she thought, feeling like her heart had dropped away. That's a look.

As he stared into her eyes, he planted a soft kiss on the inside of her hand, and he reached up to press her hand against his mouth, then to bring it down and hold it against his chest.

"We should go on that walk. We have to talk."

Siana felt a sudden fear. This wasn't about his moodiness anymore. Something important had happened that had affected him, and it was something that he felt obliged to tell her. Which meant that even though she didn't cause the change in him, it involved her somehow.

He bent his head, still clutching her hand at his heart, and for a moment, she thought he looked like he was saying a prayer. Then he slowly raised his head, bringing his mouth to hers for the softest, slowest of kisses.

It was different this time. Tender, giving. When he pulled back, his eyes remained closed as he took a slow, deep breath.

When he opened them, he looked at her with something like sadness, or sorrow. Siana realised with a shock, that he looked like a man about to say goodbye.

"What is it? You're really scaring me now," she asked.

He let her hand go, and reached up to brush the hair out of his eyes.

"Let's walk."

He stepped out of their embrace, taking her hand and leading her along the shore towards the centre of town. They walked slowly, listening to the crunch of the pebbles beneath their feet.