Sunrise Kisses (The Kisses 8)

“I like seeing the world come up new.” He nodded, his eyes going to the horizon and waiting there for something to happen. “The light washes everything and gives a fresh start. It's the end of the dark.” He dropped his eyes back from the horizon to look at me. “It's the one time of day that I feel like anything is possible.”

I smiled, reaching up to touch his cheek. He had a light stubble, but I didn't mind. I wondered how he didn't see how much he made possible every day. He had accomplished so much. He had come from a bad situation and made the impossible happen. It made my heart ache that he still felt he needed the sunrise to banish the dark.

My fingers touched the scar running down his face, grazing the raised skin. He froze and I tried to pull away, but instead he captured my hand in his and pressed my palm to his cheek.

“You haven't asked about them,” he said quietly, his gray eyes serious and full of shadow.

I looked down, trying to avoid his eyes and instead seeing the lines of past pain hiding under his shirt collar. “I didn't want to be rude,” I mumbled. I figured they were something in his past that he didn't want to talk about, especially not to some random girl.

“Ask,” he commanded. I looked up, unsure if he meant it. The sky was turning a pale violet behind him, but his eyes were clear and he still had my palm pressed to his cheek.

I swallowed hard. “How did you get them? What happened?”

“The car accident that killed my parents—I was in the backseat.” His eyes never wavered from mine, though they did take on a distance. “None of us were wearing our seat belts and we all flew through the windshield.”

His words were even but his voice wasn't, as if he had rehearsed its telling a million times but this was the first time he had ever actually said it aloud. He released my hand, shifting his body so that he could pull his shirt off. Jagged lines marred his smooth skin, highlighting just where the broken glass of the windshield had ripped his small body to pieces.

I stared for a moment, trying to take in the pain. The scars were old now, but they held an ache that would never go away. They were a constant reminder of what had happened. Of his loss. I tentatively touched one, right above his heart. He didn't shy away and I looked up.

His jaw was tight, in fact every muscle in his body was tight. Vulnerability shone in his eyes as he gazed back at me. He was trusting me not to hurt him.

The first glimmer of sunlight burst over the horizon, casting him in a warm golden glow. His skin, scars and perfection, lit up in the most beautiful shades of the sunrise.

My fingers traced the darkened skin of a scar up his chest, up to his cheek. Our eyes met and I knew my world was about to spin out of control in the most amazing way. My chest tightened with anticipation and breathing no longer seemed important.

His hand was on the back of my neck with his fingers tangling in my hair. He pulled me toward him, pausing just a breath away. Our lips hovered apart for an infinity, sharing a breath in the moment, knowing that we could never go back to the way we were after this.

I closed the last centimeter, pressing my lips into his. His lips were so soft against mine that I forgot entirely what I was doing.

He pulled back, a smile crossing his handsome face before pulling me into him. It was a no-holds-barred, rock-my-world kiss that left me unable to do anything but kiss him back. Our tongues tangled and merged, as the tide surged against us.

Our lips parted, our foreheads still pressed together as we panted for air. His heart pounded against my shaking palm, his heartbeat flowing through my fingertips and mingling with my own frantic pulse. He was steady while I trembled, still recovering from his kiss.

The sun finished escaping her watery bed, shining brightly and filling the sky with color and heat. Waves lapped at our feet as he pulled me further into his lap to kiss me again I wanted to kiss him for eternity with just the sun and the waves as the world.

“You are so beautiful,” he murmured reverently, taking a strand of hair and tucking it carefully behind my ear.

“So are you,” I replied, blushing. I wished my words were better, but they were still true. His chest was hot and smooth against my bare arms as he pulled me

into yet another mind-shattering kiss.

“Charlotte is going to wonder where we are,” I said with a giggle as the sun continued her climb.

“Let her worry for a moment,” Bastian whispered, his lips going to my throat. I moaned softly as he nipped the delicate flesh. I was turning into a puddle of want in his lap and I wanted so much more than just kisses on my throat.

I then let out the biggest yawn in the history of mankind.

Bastian chuckled. “And now I've kept you out all night.”

“Worth it,” I informed him with a smile. I would have gladly spent a year awake for his kiss. For this moment, I would have done anything.

His face split into that heart-shatteringly beautiful smile. It was even better than the first one. Happiness made his eyes shine in the morning light, sparkling with gray and blue hues of joy. I nearly died a little.

“Let's get you home,” he said softly, disentangling his body from mine. I loved the way he said home. As if it were ours. As if we belonged together there.

He rose smoothly to his feet and then helped me to mine. He picked up his fallen shirt and shook the sand out of it before draping it over my shoulders and leaving his own bare. The sun glistened on the scars, but I could only see beauty in them. He was a survivor.

Walking hand in hand, we made our way back along the shore to the giant mansion. The beach was fairly flat, but now that we were moving and not sitting, exhaustion was stealing over me. I grew more tired with every step, my feet turning to lead as what was left of my energy was quickly drained. I couldn't believe how far I had ran last night, and now I was regretting it. I could see the house looming over the cove, but I was so tired I wasn't sure I would make it that far. I stumbled, my feet catching on the sand and exhaustion, but Bastian caught me.