Frost (Bxb)

Chapter Thirty-Eight

I woke up, completely encased in a blanket of warmth. I sighed contently, pressing my face into the warmth under me, tightening my hold on the man that held my heart, my one and only. I could faintly feel my legs entangled with his, our bodies pressed together like a puzzle, as if we were truly meant to complete each other. I was too comfortable to move, even when I felt Joseph shift and pull me closer to him, his lips resting against the top of my head.

"Morning, Ash."

I smiled sleepily, refusing to open my tired eyes. "Morning, Jo." I mumbled against his skin, my fingers tracing invisible shapes on his hip bone, making him sigh contently and hug me tighter.

"How are you feeling?" He asked, his voice a deep, sexy rumble.

"Fine. Actually...more than fine. I feel better than I have in a long time." I finally opened my eyes, staring into Joseph's beautiful chocolate orbs, which were more orange than brown in the sunlight that was shining through the floor to ceiling windows. He looked utterly at peace and it pulled at my heartstrings to see him so content.

He rubbed at my lower back, his eyes twinkling as he stared at me. "I meant how do you feel, here? No pain at all? I didn't hurt you, did I?"

I shook my head, scooting closer to him. "No. You made me feel alive, Jo. In all honesty, all I feel is a slight tingle in my backside, but other than that, I'm quite fine."

"Good. I'm glad I didn't hurt you. So," he yawned loudly, pressing the back of his hand to his mouth, making the blanket slip down a bit, showing off his tanned chest. "what's the plan for today?"

I shrugged, scrunching up my nose. "Must we leave bed? I'd rather stay here and sleep my problems away."

"That's not healthy, you know."

"Ugh, fine. We can either go back to the celebration, or see how the two lovebirds are doing."

I watched Joseph's brows dip down in confusion. "Lovebirds?"

I smirked, turning onto my side to face him more properly. "Yeah, Del and Jox. You see the way they've been hanging out lately? Del doesn't hang out. He's more of a..."visit for five minutes, make sure you're alive", type of guy. The fact that he's stayed this long on Glacion, hanging out with Jox, no less, is astonishing. And quite adorable, if you ask me."

Joseph moaned sleepily and nuzzled his head against my neck, making his messy, curly hair tickle my skin. "Whatever the case, I'm glad that Jerk Mc'Nugget got him some booty. Maybe that's why he's so jerky all the time."

I shrugged. "Maybe. Maybe not. Who knows with him." I yawned and sat up, stretching my arms over my head before I turned and glanced down at Joseph, who was staring appreciatively at my bare chest. I whacked his arm, making his eyes dart towards mine, before a lazy smirk formed on his lips. I grinned back, rolling my eyes as I stood up and went to my closet in search of something to wear. Upon passing the mirror, I paused, going back to it to see that I had dark marks all over my neck. I frowned, poking one of them. When I felt no pain, I shrugged and walked into my closet, pulling down a couple of things to put on. When I walked out, Joseph was still in the bed, laying on his back with one arm over his eyes, the other over his exposed stomach.

He seems to have gone back to sleep, I mused with a small smile, putting on my clothes. When I was done, I quickly pulled my hair back with a hairband, before I walked over to Joseph's sleeping form and pressed a chaste kiss onto his forehead, pulling the covers over him.

I then walked out into my main hall, stretching my arms over my head before I caught sight of Jox, who, admittedly, looked rather exhausted. Worried, I rushed over to him. Instead of letting my worry show, however, I opted for a sly smile as I slid in next to him, making him glance at me curiously with tired blue eyes. "So....what's the four-one-one?"

Jox's brows dipped together. "The what?"

"You know...the four-one-one? The gossip on the train? Details that must be told to my curious self?" At his blank stare, I sighed and rolled my eyes. "What happened between you and Delkele? I'm curious to know what happened after Jo and I left the Celebration."

Jox aah'd when he finally got it, shrugging as he glanced down to his feet. "Well, we went on a couple of rides, which Delkele was freaking out over. Then we got a couple of things to eat. We began talking and..."

"And?"

Color dashed across Jox's cheeks. "I...may have...you know...kissed him."

"What?!" I screeched, a grin on my face as I turned my body towards him. "You really kissed him? What he do? Did he kiss back? Did he confess his undying love to you? You must give me details!!!"

When Jox frowned, my smile slipped, until it became nonexistent as a frown took its place. "At first, he began kissing back, but then when we pulled away, he had this...this terrified look on his face. And then he ran off. I haven't seen him since."

"Oh, Jox," I pulled the taller man into my arms, hugging him. "Maybe he was...shy. Maybe he was in shock. Who knows? It could be a number of things. So don't worry about it too hard, ok? And maybe give him a little bit of space. Del isn't known to show his emotions very well."

Jox glanced at me with those baby blues, a frown on his thin lips. "Are you sure? I don't want to give my heart to someone who doesn't even want it in the first place."

I gave him a sideways grin, my brows high on my head. "Trust me in this, ok? I know Delkele. He usually doesn't hang around people he doesn't like. And even Jo has noticed that he hangs around you a lot."

Jox returned my smile with a small one of his own, a small bit of color dashed across his pale cheeks. "I do hope you're right."

I grinned, winking at him before I stood up, patting him on the shoulder. I said nothing more to him and gave Cuban the order to prepare breakfast for Joseph and I. I then attended the meetings scheduled today, despite the Celebration still going on. I made sure that the expansion of Volcion's fashion industry was going well, new buildings being scheduled to be built by the end of the year. I made sure I had absolutely everything done before I made my way back to Joseph, who was now working out in my room when I walked in.

He was in the process of doing push ups, wearing nothing but sweatpants as he exercised. He didn't seem to notice me, since he hadn't even spared me a glance when I walked in, his chocolate eyes glazed over in utter concentration. I admired him silently, enjoying the way the sweat made his tanned skin shine, a few beads dripping down to the floor below. His curly hair was damp, sticking to the sides of his face, a face so boyishly handsome, with full lips that begged to be kissed, surrounded by the course hair of his stubble. He was definitely a fine specimen, even I would admit that.

He was also the one who thawed my heart, made me see that maybe love wasn't so bad. That maybe I could find my own happiness in the end. I knew there was a small chance that I could end up like my parents, that certain events that could happen, would inevitably lead to our demise. But, the chances of that were slim, and even I knew that. I guess I was just too afraid of the possibilities.

Yet here I was, finally experiencing the embracing hug of love. I found that I wasn't afraid, I wasn't worried. I was...happy. I was happier than I had been in a long while. And I embraced that. Would embrace it in the future years to come. Who knew what the future would bring? No one knew, and maybe that was for the best. It would teach me to live more in the moment, and live my life how I was meant to live it.

If it was with Joseph...I would happily live my life in the unknown.

Because love...was definitely worth it.