The City of Crows by Bethany Lovejoy (novels in english .txt) 📗

we would be together. “Okay,” he agreed, though his voice was uncertain, not trusting that I would not do anything else. Warmth, the blessed warmth of his soft lips bestowing a grateful kiss to the crown of my head. I could tell that he wanted nothing more than that day, that promise of simplicity.

And I desperately wanted it too.

“I love you, Lyra,” he said, unaware of how cherished those words were. I loved him too, wholly and completely. Far too much for my own good. I loved him enough that I knew, as soon as he looked away, as soon as he was out of sight, I would send those fateful words to Rowan, and I would prepare to sign my soul away. A demon had sent this man to tempt me, and he had been successful.

21

One Last Day

A clattering awoke me the following morning, the sound of plastic hitting hardened wood coaxed a groan out of my body. Immediately, I flipped to the offending sound, finding a wall of skin in the way. My arms wrapped greedily around it, pulling the half sitting form back against me and away from the offending object, a sigh escaping my lungs as I buried my face in his back. Initially, he stiffened at the contact, but then he shifted in my arms, turning around to face me, his body pulling me into his chest tightly, head resting softly on top of mine.

“Mhm,” I responded, gratefully settling in against him, his heart beating softly underneath my cheek. “Morning,” I was still not used to the act of waking up beside someone, not after so long. Leo’s arms, though unyielding and solid, were a welcome addition to my morning routine. I kissed the bare skin underneath me, enjoying the way that his chest felt underneath my head.

“Good morning, Lyra,” Leo’s voice responded, his fingers running through my hair, careful not to pull at any knots that might come up. “It’s noon, you’ve woken up quite early,” he joked, a half-hearted, mock sense of pride in his words.

“I was promised a day,” I beamed into his chest, “so I came to collect it.”

“By spending half of it in bed?”

“With you,” I clarified, attempting to push away from his chest so that I could see his face. His unmoving arms stood in the way, locking me into place against him even as I huffed and tried to pull out.

“If that’s all you wanted, we could double down. I could spend the whole day with you in bed instead,” he chuckled, his leg draping over mine, the cotton of his boxer shorts brushing against my inner thigh.

My toes curled, the offer seemed tempting, but not tempting enough. “No, I’m going to cash it in in other ways,” I said, the idea of sleeping the whole day away seemed almost sad. “I want to spend time with you; cook, draw, and watch movies. The things that normal couples do, just for one day.”

“Ah, normal couples,” Leo breathed, pulling away from me so that I could see the smirk playing upon his features. “So, the things that people do when they aren’t a cursed man and a young witch?” I couldn’t help it, not upon seeing the twinkle in his eyes at; I grinned too, my hands pressing against his shoulders to push him back even more, so that I could take in the expression on his features.

Soft lips collided with mine, forcing my eyes shut as I enjoyed the moment. Leo, Leo, Leo; that was all that was on my mind, all I could think about since the very start. “You taste like mint,” I told him as he pulled away, my finger gliding across his jaw.

“Would you believe that I’ve had multiple mornings today?” Leo asked, his hands drifting down my skin until they cradled my hips.

“You should have woken me up.”

“I tried,” he smiled wryly. “At one point I even promised food, home-cooked food, but you didn’t budge.”

“Is that offer still on the table?” I asked with a stretch, reaching over to the table beside me to check my phone for the time. Strangely, I found it empty; I looked over to Leo’s side of the bed, the one nearest the entrance, and saw my white phone sitting there unplugged. I must have forgotten about it the night before, waiting for Rowan’s response.

“Of course,” Leo said, distracting me, his arms bringing me back into the bed as he shifted over me, his body on top of mine as he pressed a gentle kiss to the side of my neck. “Couldn’t have you cook; I’ve theorized that Lydia didn’t have the time to teach you to make much else other than boxed macaroni and cheese and lunchables.”

“You might not be wrong about that,” I admitted, shifting beneath him. His body on mine was, disappointingly, only a momentary comfort. Leo rolled off of me, hand brushing aside messy hair as he climbed out of bed with a yawn, revealing the expanse of uncovered skin that had for the most part remained out of view; a distraction if one ever did exist.

Still, as he straightened and began to stride to the kitchen, unaffected even by his frighteningly cold floors; I couldn’t help but roll over, hands reaching for my phone. Expectantly, though I promised myself that I would not make the day about it, I unlocked my phone with a simple star pattern, flicking to Rowan’s message. A reaffirmation, a time and a place, the statement that he thought this was for the best; tomorrow, tomorrow would be the day.

There was so much relief in that, I thought as I looked over to Leo, surprised to find his eyes on me. He stood in the kitchen, a plain white apron pulled over him, a frying pan already beginning to sizzle on the stove. Warmth, never-ending warmth laid behind those eyes. When facing him, I also didn’t notice that my phone sat at ninety-eight percent.

“So, you’re