It was nothing more than a small peck. Ilaria's heart thudded like a drum in her chest, each beat louder than the last. She shifted on her tiptoes, her trembling fingers resting lightly on his broad shoulders.
The warmth of his arms around her made her feel like she was being held together by more than just muscle but by something steady and endless, something that had been patient all these years.
Her lips curved into the smallest, shyest smile against his. The air between them felt impossibly thick, weighted with the quiet of a hundred unspoken words and a thousand little moments that had led them here.
Levan did not move, his hand loose around her waist when his mind was suddenly overcome by something fierce and impossibly tender. He could feel the quiver in her lips, the racing of her heart against his chest, and it stole his breath for a moment.
Ah… such a witty woman.
