TimeBound (Time Tells #1) (COMPLETED)

Chapter Twenty Seven

The next morning, I decide that taking a pick to the ice around my husband's heart had gotten me thus far. Now, I was going to melt it. I wait for the exact second I know my husband steps out of his room.

And I step out at the same moment.

He pauses in the act of pulling on his jacket on as he sees me walk up to him. I catch my fingers on the lapels of his jacket and tug it over his shoulders. I run my palms down the sides of the jacket to smoothen it out where it lay over his shirt.

I lift my hands to curl around the collar of his jacket and iron the folds down with my fingers so that they're crisp and flat. I then, lift my arms and rest them over his shoulders and raising onto my toes, lean into him. I let my eyes close and press my lips to his.

He remains stiff under my caress, but he doesn't push me away. And I don't let his lack of response deter me.

When his lips remain unmoving under mine, I kiss along the top edge—that beautiful cupid's bow that had caught my eye from the second I had met him—then both corners of his lips and trail my lips over one side of his jaw.

Then, I lower myself to the ground, my arms cupping the nape of his neck. I remain pressed against him and smile up at him.

"Good morning baby." I whisper and because I can, I lift onto my toes again and brush my lips against his once more.

When I lean back I see his lashes lift.
His gaze meet mine, glowing but not swirling.

I smile up at him as if he had kissed me back and wasn't standing stiff as a board in my arms. I think he realises that without a response, I wasn't going to remove the fingers I had playing along the heat at his nape...or step away.

"Good morning, Alanna." He says.

I smile sweetly and step away, trailing my fingers down his chest as I lean away. His eyes narrow infinitesimally as if he saw my intentions clear as day. I just turn to start towards the revolving door and head towards the kitchen where I hear Hrei already at work.

I feel the heavy weight of my husband's gaze at my back, but pretend to remain unmoved by it as I enter the kitchen with a bright smile the Hrei returns. I quickly make a cup of coffee for me and my husband.

When I take the cups over to the breakfast counter, I place mine down first, then drop my free hand on his shoulder as I place his in front of him. I may also have leaned into him a little.

I sit down beside him, engaging in easy conversation with Hrei. She offers me some tips and tricks in cooking that I catalogue in my mind and decide to write down as I'm bound to forget. When I sense my husband has finished his coffee, I turn at the same moment that shadows swirl around the cup, wash and replace it.

When he stands, his eyes are on me. Wary.

I stand too.

I catch his jaw in my fingers and raise onto my toes once more and press a hard kiss to his lips.

"Have a good day baby." I murmur, then pull away and drop back down onto my seat and continue my conversation with Hrei where I had left it.

Hrei almost takes a whole four seconds to recover from what she had just seen and turns away with a secretive smile before answering my question. I don't look to see the look on my husband's face for the few seconds that he remains stock still where I had left him.

He leaves then and only after the door closes—something I catch sight in my peripheral—do I let out a small breath. I realise my relief was because I had prepared myself to be rejected by a step back or a head turn or by his hand pushing me away.