In the stars, I feel his love, his light... and it makes me complete.
Chapter Five
Aiden
Istretch out my arm to pull Ella closer, but her side of the bed is empty. The sheets are cool. The room is quiet. There's no sound coming from the bathroom either.
I lean up on my elbows and let my eyes adjust to the darkness. Reaching for my phone on the bedside table, I check the time.
Five thirty.
The sun will rise in an hour. I bet Ella couldn't sleep and went down to the beach.
I swing my legs over the side of the bed, searching for my clothes on the floor. Finding only my shorts, I pull them on. Ella must be wearing my shirt. The thought pleases me.
My woman... my shirt on her... my scent clinging to her skin - it satisfies something primal inside me.
I take a fresh shirt from the walk-in closet and pull it on as I make my way to the terrace door. The breeze moves the curtains gently and caresses my skin the moment I step outside.
The rays of the moon guide my steps down to the beach. I spot Ella right away; her silhouette standing out against her flat surroundings.
As I draw closer, I notice she's pulled her legs up close to her body, her arms hugging them while my shirt covers her skin like a tent. She must be cold.
I make a detour via the daybed and pick up a blanket that's tucked away in a drawer underneath. I drape it around her shoulders as soon as I reach her. She looks up at me, and even in the dim light I can make out the deep blue of her eyes. They never fail to mesmerize me.
"I wondered when you'd wake up. Twilight must be close."
"It is," I reply, sitting down behind her and pulling her against my body. "But today I wouldn't have minded staying in bed a bit longer."
My arms and legs encase her body to warm her up, and I rest my head on her shoulder.
"Why didn't you?"
I chuckle. "You know the answer to that, lucida."
She smirks. "Because I wasn't in it?"
"Precisely."
We sit in comfortable silence for a few minutes, watching the waves roll in. It's then I pick up on a sense of melancholy seeming to weigh Ella down. It makes me frown.
"Why couldn't you sleep? You're never up at this hour. You're not getting cold feet, are you?" I tease.
"About marrying you?"
"Hmm."
"Never," she chuckles, turning in the cocoon I created around her.
She takes my face into her hands, her fingers caressing my cheeks. Her eyes find mine, and the love I see there is unmistakable.
"I love you with everything I am. I can't wait to be your wife and for you to be my husband."
She seals that statement with a kiss. It's soulful and rich. Rich with the promise of a happy life together.
"Are you doubting me because of where we are? Because this used to be Tiero's turf?"
Do I?
