Iron Seas 03 - Riveted

true of so many other things, too—including your volcanoes.”
    He dropped a warm kiss to the side of her neck. “Yes, it is.”
    “And also true of the people I love.”
    His teeth scraped her skin, raising gooseflesh the length of her body. Never cold with him, but shivering anyway. “Is that so?”
    “Yes. My mother, for one. As a child I loved her, despite knowing so little about her. But now, knowing everything she has done,how stubborn she can be, how blind, how strong, how clever…knowing her as a woman, I love her so much more. And there is you.” She slid her hand the length of his forearm, laced her fingers through his. “You were a mystery to me at the port, and I wanted to know more about you then. But I didn’t lose interest as I came to know you; you are so much more fascinating to me now. And the more I learn about you, the more I love you. Yet I have barely scratched the surface. When you write in your journal, I cannot wait to know what it is that you’ve been thinking, and I can never guess. When you look at something, I always want to know how you see it. I suspect that when we are gray together, I will still not know all of you. But even if I do, even if the mystery is completely gone, I won’t be any less in love. I think that I’ll be astonished by every small thing that has come together to make you the man you are—and I’ll still feel the wonder and joy of knowing you love me, too.”
    “Annika.” His voice was rough. “You spin my world upside down every single day.”
    “Do you want me to stop?”
    “Never.”
    Smiling, she turned in his arms, looked up into his face—and when she was gray, Annika hoped that David would be the last sight she ever saw, his gaze burning with love. She hoped that the very last thing she ever felt was this wonderful, riveted twist in her gut, and the touch of his warm lips.
    His mouth covered hers. She closed her eyes, opened up to the heat of his kiss.
    And the rest of the world melted away.