Marcus felt the subtle give of her body as he drew her closer. Anya was trembling, not in resistance but in the fragile tension of someone standing on the edge of something long desired and deeply feared. She turned her head just slightly, meaning only to glance back at him, and found his face so near that their breaths mingled in the open sky.
Before her thoughts could catch up, his lips were on hers.
The kiss was sudden and fierce, carrying the weight of years behind it. It stole the breath from her lungs and the strength from her knees. For a heartbeat she could only cling to him, her mind blank, her senses overtaken by the warmth of his mouth claiming hers.
"Marcus…"
