Captivated by a Highlander

Chapter 15 - Whispers

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I laid on the sand now, breathing a bit heavily as I watched the sky. The clouds moved slowly, like time was letting me enjoy this moment. And believe me, I was grateful for it.

Sand was stuck in my hair as I dug my feet into the shore. It wasn't all too warm, but the sunshine was enough to warm my skin. I closed my eyes and enjoyed the cool air that washed over me, but I could help myself. I glanced to my left.

Kain was laying on the sand beside me. His tan skin glimmered in the sunlight, the water droplets like crystals on his skin. His eyes and mouth were closed, but I could see the faint flair of his nostrils as he took in deep breaths. His turquoise eyes were hidden from me, but his mane of dark hair, the color of blackberries combined with the midnight sky, wasn't. Like mine, it was laced with sand. It was a bit longer than when we first met, and now it fell to the bottom of his neck, but not quite to his shoulders. His jawline was sharp, his eyebrows would make any girl back in Florida jealous, and everything got better from there.

I hadn't dared to study Kain like this before. But now, in this situation, I couldn't help myself.

My eyes move downward. His neck was muscular and flowed straight into his clavicle. The depression made his shoulders and neck seem like they were carved from stone. His chest was toned. His skin was bronzed, kissed by the sunlight. Every muscle in his torso and abdomen was strong with tetanus. The definition made him look like he was an Ancient Greek statue.

I moved up slowly so that I wouldn't disturb Kain as I sat up. Very shyly I reached my hand out and ghosted my fingers over his chest. His eyes didn't open, but I saw the slightest change in his expression. His eyebrows raised a hair, and the masseter muscles in his jaw and the temporalis muscles lateral to his forehead contracted slightly before they relaxed again. He laid as still as stone on the sand. I glanced down at my hand. My fingers moved up slowly as I traced my thumb over his clavicle and my fingertips grazed over the muscles in his neck. His nostril flairs began to move a bit faster. He was breathing more now, but he was trying not to move. I could see small twitches in his arms as he resisted movement. By the time my fingers had woven in his hair, he opened his eyes.

His eyes were always the source of my captivation. They were a brilliant blue, like cut and polished turquoise gemstones that reflected light like a kaleidoscope. His expression was completely blank, but his eyes, no matter how much they reflected, grew deeper and drew me in closer. My hair tickled his cheek and when he reached up he brushed it behind my ear, our faces were merely inches apart.

Kain was the one to lean up and kiss me this time. And, God, it was heavenly. My eyes slipped closed just as I felt a pang in my chest.

These lips were nothing like those of Logan's. His lips were rough and scarred from being busted open multiple times over. Logan's had been supple and smooth with no blemish. Kain tasted like the ale he so often drank, but in this moment, I could taste the remains of the apples we had consumed on the way to this lake. Logan's had always tasted like peppermint Chapstick. And no matter how much I had adored that peppermint taste on my lips, or the softness, nothing could compare to this.

Kain's hand moved through my drying curls and pressed gently on the back of my head. He was drawing me in closer and closer, until I was laying on his chest. These passionate movements were making my heart race. We could have kissed for seconds, minutes, hours, and I wouldn't have cared. So long as he kept holding me like this, I didn't want him to let me go

However, I could only take so much. When I found a chance, I moved our lips apart. I was breathing heavily from the lack of oxygen. My eyes fluttered open and I gazed down at him. His eyes were just barely open, but I could see the love smoldering in his gaze. Very carefully I lifted myself from his chest and moved up behind him, picked up his head, and rested it in my lap as I began to carefully pick the sand out of his hair. His eyes closed and the corners of his lips pulled up into a vague smile. I couldn't help but smile back as my fingers worked at the sand.