I read the back. “The Bone Society?”
Pan looks over at it. “Yes. Purported to be the inventors of time. They are the only clock makers in the Seven Isles.”
“Interesting.”
“Not really.”
“Anything called The Bone Society is interesting. Why that name?”
“I don’t know. I never cared to ask. Time means nothing to me.”
I press the button at the top of the watch and the frontside pops open revealing the clockface inside.
The hands read 7:02.
“Is the time correct?”
“I wouldn’t know.”
“So how would you—”
“Shhh, Darling,” he says and takes the watch and snaps it shut. “Look.”
The first sliver of the sun breaks over the horizon and Peter Pan exhales.
I’ve seen hundreds of sunrises. They’re all remarkable, I’ll give them that, because every one is different.
But I don’t care about this one.
Instead of watching the light, I watch Peter Pan.
The fine lines around his eyes tighten as he squints. His mouth breaks open, his lips wet and then a little wrinkle appears between his brows as he fills up his lungs and holds it in.
His eyes glisten.
“It’s beautiful,” he whispers.
“It is,” I say.
He looks over at me and his gaze sinks to my mouth.
“I missed you,” he admits.
“More than the sun?” I counter.
He laughs and brings my hand to his mouth and gently kisses the backside. “I’ve missed the light and I’ve missed the warmth, but both pale in comparison to you, Darling.”
“You get your shadow back and now you’re a romantic?” I’m teasing him, but hearing the seriousness in his voice is making my stomach swim.
There is no way to tame a man like Peter Pan and yet I feel like I’ve been gifted a part of him that no one else has and that might be the most profound thing I’ve ever possessed when I’ve possessed so little.
“Romantic,” he says with a dismissive air. “In the light, I will treat you like a queen, but in the dark, you will be my whore.”
Heat rises to my cheeks. “I’d like that.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yes. Very much.”
His gaze is turning hungry, his touch on my skin more demanding and I can’t help but react to him because I am always reacting to him.
Doubly so, right now, apparently. Because I can feel his growing desire. It’s not just vibrating on the air, but somehow sinking into my belly and my chest and between my legs.
“I know you’re enjoying your first sunrise in like eons, but how would you feel about returning to the dark for a little while?” I ask.
On a breath, his nostrils flare and then he’s crashing into me, his mouth on mine. His kiss is devouring and his tongue darts out to meet me, then pushes in, tasting all of me.
“To have you without my shadow was a divine treat,” he says against my mouth and then kisses me again, nipping at my bottom lip. “To have you with my shadow might very well undo me.” He pushes me back into the sand and covers my body with his. He’s hard in an instant, digging against me and I realize I’m relieved that he still wants me even though he no longer needs a Darling to save him.
I rip off his shirt and he tears off my dress. I let my hands wander over every hard ridge of his body. He is made of stone, his skin hot as the sun warms us both.
“I want to fuck you while the sun rises,” he says.
“Then what are you waiting for?” I ask a little breathless.
He unzips his pants and I immediately feel the burn of his cock at my opening.
My belly swims as our kiss deepens and he thrusts inside of me.
I gasp.
“Already so wet for me, Darling,” he says, sounding impressed.
He thrusts again and picks up his tempo, fucking me hard into the sand, his cock thick inside of me and then— He stops and pulls out of me, leaving me instantly chilled and hollow.
“What’s wrong?” I ask.
He wraps his arms around me and lifts me into the air.
“Oh my god! Pan!” I tighten my hold around his neck as he flies us back to the house and into the kitchen.
We burst through the doors. He walks me back into the nearest wall and lifts me up, guiding my legs around his hips. He fucks me against the wall, grunting into me with each thrust. Then he carries us away, turns into the next room, bumps into the table and sends a vase toppling to its side. Water spills off the edge.
His mouth finds mine again and our tongues slide over one another, heat and hunger and destruction in one long breath.