I haven't for a long time." Ayanna went still. "What do you see?" Luke swallowed hard. "I see a woman who scares the hell out of me." "Why?" she asked, looking up at him. "Because I want you," he said, "more than I should, more than is safe." Ayanna's breath hitched. She didn't pull away.
"I want to trust you," She whispered, "but I am afraid." "Of what?" "Of betraying them." She said, gesturing to the camp below. "Every story I know ends with the white man taking what he wants and leaving ash behind. If I let you in, if I let myself want this, and you leave, "I'm not going anywhere." Luke said. He shifted his hand under the blanket, his fingers brushing hers. Her skin was cold, but her palm was warm.
She didn't withdraw. She turned her hand over, interlacing her fingers with his. The grip was tight, desperate. The air between them seemed to charge with electricity, mirroring the storm outside. The physical contact was a shock, grounding and terrifying all at once.
Ayanna looked at his mouth. Then she looked into his eyes. She was trembling, not from the cold now. Luke leaned in slowly. He gave her every second to stop him.
He gave her a dozen chances to turn away. She didn't. She lifted her chin, her eyes closing. When their lips met, it wasn't smooth. It was a collision.
It was hesitant, clumsy with cold lips and chattering teeth, but then the heat took over. Ayanna made a small sound in her throat and gripped the front of his wet shirt, pulling him closer. Luke wrapped his arm around her, holding her as if the wind might snatch her away. The kiss deepened, becoming fierce and hungry. It was the release of months of fear, anger, and proximity.
It was a claiming. For a minute, the storm didn't exist. There was only the taste of rain on her skin, the roughness of his unshaven cheek, the desperate beating life of two people finding sanctuary in each other. Then, Ayanna gasped and pulled back. She pressed her hands against his chest, pushed him away gently but firmly.
Her chest was heaving. Her eyes were wide with shock. "No." She whispered. Luke froze. He didn't try to pull her back.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have "No." She said again, shaking her head. "Not like this. Not in secret." She took a ragged breath, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. "I will not be a stolen thing.
Luke, I will not be a woman you take in the dark and hide in the daylight. If this if we are to be" She couldn't finish the sentence. "I understand." Luke said, his voice rough. "It cannot happen again." She said, her voice gaining strength. "Not until my father sees.