The Queen's Sunrise | Starkys Series #2

Forty Five

"You can cook, paint, sing and gives massages? Is there nothing you can't do?" Genesis asks.

"I'm afraid not." Ezra says matter of factly, his lavender oil coated hands roamed the small back of his mate. Genesis sighed in content as she pressed the right side of her cheek into the softness of the pillow. She was utterly naked before her mate, making her occasionally flush when he felt his lingering stare every where he lay his hands.

"Lucky me." Genesis teased, smiling to herself. " I have all these great qualities of yours in the palm of my hands."

"That's ironic." Ezra says lowly, kneading her left side. She winced in pain, the sore muscles slowly fading away. It had been a few days after they had reconciled and Ezra had made sure to feed her to fatten her thin body, massage and tend to her as she slowly recovered from her injuries.

"How so?" Genesis asks, furrowing her brows.

"Because in this moment." He says slowly, his hands travel towards her arse before he cupped both cheeks and squeezed slightly. A gasp emits from her mouth, causing her to flush from the temples of her neck all the way to the base of her spine. "I have all these great qualities in the palm of my hands."

"This is supposed to be a soothing experience." Genesis grumbled, her whole body heating up as her mate's hand rubbed her arse in small lazy circles. The small sting of pain began to dissolve.

"But, this is soothing." Ezra says, amusement in his tone. He pulled her closer to him at the edge of the bed, leaning closer as he placed a kiss on her shoulder. She could feel him smirk against her skin.

She playfully rolled her golden eyes.

Silence enveloped the room as Genesis smiled softly.

"I missed you mo grá." Ezra says softly. "And I'm not just talking about your great qualities."

Genesis chuckled softly.

"I missed you too. More than you can imagine." Genesis whispers. "I felt nothing but emptiness without you. It was hard to breathe without you. All I could do was hold unto the hope and love I had for you in my slowly beating heart."

His hands gently massage the inside of her thighs, making her subconsciously arch towards his touch. His loving, tentative and soothing touch.

"I've missed the way you laugh at my boring jokes. The way you smile at me and try to stay up with me at night even when I don't sleep. Miss the way you paint cutlery with me while I paint. The way you make me my favorite goat's head soup whenever I've had a bad day doing my respective duties. I missed the way you show me time and time again how much my every touch affects you. I've missed my best friend." Ezra says, kissing the curvature between her back and arse.

Genesis eyes burned.

So much meaning behind those words. So much weight and significance.

Genesis and Ezra could not understand at the time, but when Hibicus had taken advantage of her, he had infiltrated his way into their mating bond. Had confused Genesis to think that she even had the slightest bit of feelings for him. Had her thinking about him even if she didn't want to. Had her thinking that she could have romantic feelings for him despite the assault he gave her. It was why Ezra had thought the she was in love with Hibicus, that she had given a piece of her heart to another man.

Genesis' love for her mate was stronger than the infiltration. She had proven it by not compromising their sacred bond by trying to spare Hibicus the grace of her love.