Her Savior (Book Two Of The Brave Series)

12-Seal It with A Kiss

12-Seal It with A Kiss

The next morning Aria woke with a stiff neck. She groaned slightly as she pushed herself up, freezing when she heard a grunt beneath her. She looked down to find her hands braced on a large and warm chest. That's when she remembered. She ran from the house in the middle of a storm, found a puppy, brought it back to its owner. That owner was Xepher, a thunderstorm, him helping her. Then they snuggled together watching a terrifying movie. Aria was so lost in her thoughts that she barely heard him speaking.

"Aria." She jumped up and away from him letting out a squeal that sounded more like a whispered scream. Unfortunately, she overshot her jump and fell right off the couch they'd fallen asleep on and fell right onto her bottom. Ouch! She thought to herself as she rubbed her bottom, refusing to look up as her face burned with embarrassment. Xepher's laughter rang out around her making her pause. Goodness, she never loved a sound so much before. She looked up to Xepher, who now leaned up on an elbow to look at her, a twinkle in his eyes.

Mean, she mouthed to him. He paused, seemingly surprised, then smiled widely, nearly blinding her. Good grief, this boy was going to be the death of her.

"Not mean, you did that to yourself Baby Girl." He commented as he sat up. Aria felt a shiver of cold then, realizing she was still in shorts and a t-shirt, and they still didn't have power. Xepher lifted his arms and motioned his hands to himself.

"Come here." He said and she stood, ignoring the ache in her body as she walked over to him. When she reached him, he wrapped his arms around her waist, hugging her and covering her with the blanket. She felt her heart tighten as he held onto her, his head resting against her stomach gently. It was still dark due to the intensity of the storms outside and the lack of light with the power outage and maybe that's what gave Aria the courage to wrap her arms around his shoulders, hugging him tightly to her. He was so warm, so kind, and so caring towards her that her heart swelled as they stood there, holding each other tightly.

The lights flickered then, going on after a couple of tries. Xepher sighed.

"Well damn, guess no more cuddle time." He said as the sound of the heater going on echoed throughout the house. Blushing, Aria back up, and mouthed, restroom? She'd held it in for so long that she was grateful for the power going back on.

The next day came too quickly, the storm slowly calming, though Xepher wished it would continue and keep Aria with him just a bit longer. When the power had come back on, they'd worked together to make breakfast, gotten freshened up and Xepher had taught Aria how to play the battle royal he played on his PS4. She'd caught on rather quickly, surprising him, and for most of the day he sat on his bed and watched her play, smiling every time she wiggled with excitement. The day had flown by far too quickly for his liking and now it was Sunday. She'd have to go home once the roadways were cleared, which wouldn't be very long.

They now sat in the living room, watching an action movie, Blu snuggled into Aria who sat a cushion away from Xepher. He wanted to pull her closer to him, but he thought that might be too aggressive. Aria stood then, causing his eyes to follow her as she left the room. He figured she needed to use the restroom and took this time to think to himself. He'd decided he wanted her, and that he'd be patient, but with each passing moment with her, his patience slipped. Every time she smiled at him, he wanted to pull her to him and kiss her. He wanted to hold her to him and never let her go, especially back home to that monster.

Xepher realized then that she'd been gone for longer than a normal restroom trip. He got up then, Blue following him. He found the restroom door opened and the light off. Confused, he went to the only other room she could be in and paused in the doorway when he found her on the edge of his bed, holding the frame that held a picture of his paternal grandparents in it, a few months before his grandmother passed and a year before his grandpa followed her. She smiled faintly at it and Xepher felt his chest constrict. She reached down and grabbed the necklace that hugged the frame, the same necklace his grandfather had given his wife when they were young. His grandpa his given it to him before he passed, telling him to give it to the woman that would one day be his wife.

Xepher couldn't help but chuckle at the twist of fate. She held the necklace without even realizing it. His chuckle caused her head to shoot up, eyes wide. She quickly put the frame back down on his bedside table. Sorry, she mouthed. He felt a sense of happiness that she was even mouthing words to him, even if not a single sound came out.

"You're fine." He said as he sat beside her, his knees touching hers. He reached over her, leaning in purposefully close, noticing the red in her cheeks deepening. He smiled crookedly at her reaction as he grabbed the necklace off of the frame. He leaned back, looking at it for a moment. It was a pure silver thin chain that held a charm in the shape of a heart, outlined by sapphires, a small silver key hanging in the middle.

"My grandfather gave this to my grandmother when they started dating. She wore it for almost seventy years, aside from the periodic cleaning or when the chain needed to be replaced because of her odd ability to get it hooked on almost anything." He paused, chuckling and noticed Aria smiling softly. He continued.

"She passed away a little bit after this photo was taken, and he didn't last much longer after that." He felt her hand touch his back gently, rubbing it slowly. So sweet.

"He gave this to me and told me to give it to-" He paused, not wanting to scare her, and tweaked his grandfather's words slightly, "He said to give it to someone important to me." He rushed out, feeling his cheeks start to burn. Was he blushing? Again? He shook his head, ignoring it and opened the clasp of the necklace and turned to Aria, leaning in. She seemed frozen as he reached his hands under her hair, his finger grazing her neck. Xepher was hyperaware of their closeness, his body vibrating so hard that his fingers shook, and it took a second to connect the clasps.

When he did, he let out a breath and pulled away from Aria, only to freeze when her hand gripped his. His eyes met hers and he felt that all too familiar ache in his chest he got when he was around her.

Aria couldn't breathe, his words resonating in her mind. Someone important to me. She was important to him? When he pulled away, she panicked, her hand reaching out and gripping his. He'd stopped moving and now their faces were inches apart. She felt the sting of tears in her eyes but ignored it as he looked at her. She pointed to herself in question. How could someone as broken as she be important to someone as kind and sweet as him. She didn't even speak. She was always broken or bruised, and she couldn't even defend herself without nearly breaking down. She was useless.

"Yes, I don't know how, but you've become someone I care most about. I will be there for you as long as you want me to be. I want you Aria. If you'll have me, that is." He said with a smile, his hand coming up the wipe away a stray tear that had escaped. His thumb then came back, touching her trembling lips. Her stomach flipped as his eyes looked down at them, then back to her eyes.

"May I?" He asked gently. Aria couldn't breathe, her ears burning hot, but she wanted this. He was giving her the option, gave her the control to make the decision that she's never been allowed to have control of before. She wanted him. She wanted this kiss more than she's wanted anything ever before. She tried to so hard to speak, her vocal cords struggling. When she finally opened her mouth, a mere whisper came out.

"Yes." It hurt and was nearly inaudible, but she said it. His eyes widened in surprise for a brief moment before his hand slid behind her neck and pulled her to him. Their lips met gently, his kiss soft and patient. Aria's heart pounded in her chest as she shakily lifted her hands, gripping his shirt tightly. He pulled away much too soon for her liking and cursed slightly.

"Damn, I told myself I would be patient, but then I couldn't stop myself. Ah, I'm so-" but he was cut off when Aria leaned up and kissed him once more. This time Xepher responded fervently. His hand slid up to the back of her head, gripping her hair firmly but comfortably and pulled her head back. Aria gasped at the sudden motion and Xepher took the opportunity to slide his tongue across hers. Before she could stop it, a moan slipped past her lips and Xepher's grip tightened, his other arm reaching around her, pulling her to him. They were so caught up in each other that Aria nearly jumped out of her skin at the sound of her ringtone blaring. They pulled away and Aria fumbled with shaking hands to pull the phone from her pocket. Her blood drained at the caller ID.

Daniel.

She looked up to Xepher who glared at the phone, his nostrils flaring angrily. Reluctantly, she swiped the answer call button, putting the phone to her ear.

"Unless you want the boy added to the list, I suggest you leave. Now. I'm outside." He hung up then, leaving Aria barely able to breath. She hesitantly looked up at Xepher, hoping he hadn't heard. By the dark look on his face, she was certain he had.