Chapter 85: Morning Heat
Dawn seeped through the broken slats of the window like molten gold poured into cracks of old frost, brushing pale warmth across concrete and skin alike. Dust hung in the air in lazy spirals, the silence so complete it felt suspended in breath. The world was still. Watching. Waiting.
Aria stirred before she fully woke. Her limbs twitched with lingering echoes of a dream — soft edges, breathless sensations. The kind of dream that left no plot, only the heavy warmth of desire coiled in her body like a secret. Her face was buried against something — not a pillow, not fabric. Cool and firm. Smooth. Unyielding.
Breath rose and fell beneath her cheek. Steady. Not hers.
Her lashes fluttered. Her nose brushed skin.
Skin.
Her fingers were the first to understand, splayed against a bare abdomen that felt impossibly toned. The coolness wasn't unpleasant — it was inviting. Tantalizing. A strange cold that pulled her closer instead of pushing her away.
Her heart skipped.
It was Selene.
The realization hit like a dropped stone. Her entire body froze — except for the traitorous warmth pooling low in her belly. She was curled into Selene's side. Her thigh nestled shamelessly between the other woman's legs. Her hand — oh God — her hand was spread across Selene's stomach, resting just under the hem of the dark tank top that had ridden up during sleep.
Aria's throat dried instantly. She tried to pull back, slowly, hoping not to wake her. But the faint shift dragged her fingertips across hard muscle, tracing an accidental path down ridged abs.
She shivered.
The sensation shot straight through her, pooling heat between her legs.
Selene stirred beneath her. A breath escaped her lips — soft, amused, and entirely awake.
"Morning," Selene murmured, voice rasped and silky - soft. "Comfortable?"
Aria flinched like she'd been shocked. She wrenched her hand back, hitting her hip with the suddenness. "I — I didn't mean — I wasn't —!"
"To grope me in my sleep?" Selene offered, utterly unbothered, her voice laced with amusement.
Aria made a horrified sound, burying her face in her hands. "No! I didn't — I wasn't trying to —!"
Selene shifted, propping herself up on one elbow, her face too calm. Her pale green eyes shimmered like frost kissed by flame. "It's alright, Aria. You were adorable. Clinging like an overheated kitten." Her gaze swept lazily down to Aria's chest, now heaving in embarrassment. "Though you clearly missed the warm spots."
"I wasn't looking for warm spots!" Aria's voice cracked, her cheeks crimson. "I — I didn't even realize I'd fallen asleep there!"
Selene hummed thoughtfully. "Interesting," she murmured. "Considering how tightly you wrapped around me."
"I wasn't wrapped — I just —!"
Selene tilted her head. "Do you usually wrap your thighs around people in your sleep?"
Aria groaned, collapsing sideways into her arms like she could disappear into the floor. "Can I die now?"
"No," Selene said cheerfully. "Then I'd be lonely."
Aria peeked out from behind her hands. Selene's lips were curved in a lazy smirk, but her gaze held something more dangerous — something quiet and watching. Like she was waiting for Aria to unravel.
And Aria was dangerously close.
"You should know," Selene said after a pause, her voice dipping low, "there's nothing warm about me."
The words slipped into Aria's spine like ice water. But instead of pulling away, she shivered in place.
And she remembered.
She remembered the way Selene's skin had felt. The way her breath ghosted cold against Aria's temple in the night. She remembered how it made her ache. How she hadn't wanted to let go. How her body had chased that cold with shameful desperation.
"I wasn't clinging," Aria whispered.
Selene stretched, catlike and slow, the movement sending the blanket slipping further down her body. Aria caught a glimpse of sharp hip bones, a sliver of pale skin, and more of those damnable abs.
She looked away too late.
"Right," Selene drawled. "You just like tracing my abs in your sleep. Very innocent."
"I didn't trace anything!" Aria protested, her voice high and desperate. "I was — dreaming! Or something! I didn't know what I was touching!"
Selene's eyes glittered. "But you liked it."
"I —!" Aria choked. She had no defense. The memory was still warm in her palm. "You're unfair."
Selene chuckled, low and indulgent. "You could touch them again," she said, leaning closer. Her voice dropped into a whisper, brushing against Aria's neck like a kiss. "If you ask nicely."
Aria's breath caught. Her heart stuttered.
She didn't ask. She couldn't.
She was burning.
Selene didn't press. She leaned back, that amused calm never faltering. The air between them thickened, tight and hot, saturated with everything they weren't saying. Every brush of skin had become an invitation. Every breath, a temptation.
"I think I'm just cold," Aria mumbled, wrapping her arms around herself as she stood. Her legs felt shaky, her thighs too aware of every shift in fabric. Her panties were damp, and she didn't know when that had started. "That's all."
Selene's smile was sharp. "Strange," she murmured. "You were burning last night."
Aria's hands trembled.
She didn't understand what was happening to her. Her body felt foreign. Too hot. Too sensitive. Every brush of air over her skin left goosebumps. Every glance from Selene made her stomach twist and her thighs clench.
And Selene knew. Selene always knew.
She fled toward her bag, grabbing a sweater with too much haste. Her fingers fumbled the sleeves. Her heart still hadn't slowed. She turned her back to dress, praying for some semblance of dignity.
Selene watched her from the floor, silent, unmoving. Like a statue of winter carved to admire.
"You always this flustered after a little cuddle?" Selene asked idly.
Aria's breath hitched. "It wasn't a cuddle," she said through gritted teeth. "You were freezing."
"You didn't seem to mind," Selene said, standing with her usual fluid grace. "In fact, you seemed very… attached."
Aria grabbed her canteen and gulped down lukewarm water just to give her mouth something to do besides scream.
Selene approached slowly. Deliberately. Her bare feet made no sound against the cracked floor.
"Did I feel good?" she asked softly.
Aria turned red from scalp to chest.
Selene reached out, brushing her knuckles along the back of Aria's wrist. Her touch was cool. Reverent.
"Do you crave warmth," she whispered, "or do you crave me?"
Aria didn't answer. She couldn't.
Because her thighs had just squeezed together again. Because her nipples ached beneath the fabric of her bra. Because her breath came shallow and her thoughts were nothing but fragments of dreams where Selene touched her again and again —
"I should go check the perimeter," she said too quickly, stepping back.
Selene caught her hand.
Just for a second.
"I'm not here to keep you warm, little flame," she said, her voice like ice on a matchstick. "I'm here to make you burn."
Aria trembled. Her lashes fluttered. Her body wanted to lean into that hand, that voice, that promise.
Selene let her go.
They spent the next half - hour pretending to be normal.
Pretending they weren't changed.
They sat on the floor, shoulder to shoulder, sipping weak tea from dented tin cups. The silence stretched again, but it was different now. Thicker. Breathing.
Aria's hand trembled against the cup. Her gaze lingered too long on Selene's lips. Her thoughts wandered.
To abs beneath her hand.
To whispered promises.
To what burning might feel like — if she let it happen.
Selene didn't push.
She didn't need to.
She simply smiled into her tea.
And waited for the flame to come to her.