“There is nothing to forgive.” The truth of this, the level of its meaning fueled additional fire in her eyes. She could see the pasts that claimed him, the many lives he lived to stand with her today. She knew the same battles happened in her eyes, but she let few people close enough to notice. Samuel was closer to her than she could have planned, in so many confounding ways. “You have done nothing I have not welcomed, nothing I regret.”
She spoke quickly, words clipped precisely, but she still doubted he registered her words. He’d been so still, so frozen in her hands and now he moved with a pace that startled her. If their first kiss him introduced doubt to her understanding of human intimacy; this was cataclysmic.
The decisions she made now seemed to be made on a tightrope. Anything she did or said could cause harm to them both and there would be no forgetting this pivot between them. Themis hadn’t found words to match his confession and had spent the better part of a season trying to ignore the changing way she thought of Samuel. She lacked words, but preferred action, matching his urgency, her own sense of dread awaiting her.
She allowed him to guide her for a moment, elated by the feel of her body like this. She allowed him to engulf her, a moment to conduct her as he pleased, but she couldn’t remain passive. She released his face, and her hands flew to his hips. She tugged at him, wanting him away from the table, wanting to know just how well they fit against each other before they had the sense to ensure it didn’t happen again. She kissed him reverently, enthusiastically. She would crush any doubt he had of her willingness in this. This was unwise, and she would savor every second of it.
She spoke quickly, words clipped precisely, but she still doubted he registered her words. He’d been so still, so frozen in her hands and now he moved with a pace that startled her. If their first kiss him introduced doubt to her understanding of human intimacy; this was cataclysmic.
The decisions she made now seemed to be made on a tightrope. Anything she did or said could cause harm to them both and there would be no forgetting this pivot between them. Themis hadn’t found words to match his confession and had spent the better part of a season trying to ignore the changing way she thought of Samuel. She lacked words, but preferred action, matching his urgency, her own sense of dread awaiting her.
She allowed him to guide her for a moment, elated by the feel of her body like this. She allowed him to engulf her, a moment to conduct her as he pleased, but she couldn’t remain passive. She released his face, and her hands flew to his hips. She tugged at him, wanting him away from the table, wanting to know just how well they fit against each other before they had the sense to ensure it didn’t happen again. She kissed him reverently, enthusiastically. She would crush any doubt he had of her willingness in this. This was unwise, and she would savor every second of it.
![[Image: Bka0H0x.jpeg]](https://i.imgur.com/Bka0H0x.jpeg)