Alright, so it was brought to my attention after reading all of your FABULOUS reviews that I changed tenses between the chapters. I did sort of notice this but I was too lazy to go back and fix it (sorry! It is summer; I'm too lazy for a lot of stuff). Yes, that's the reason. Sad, I know. But most of you didn't seem to mind anyways, so it doesn't especially bother me. I guess I'm just going to make it a habit to write in the same tense from now on (Maybe. You never know when I might get a whim).

And I pre-apologize for any grammatical or spelling errors I make! I'm sure there was some I missed… Sorry!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Not even this computer

Chapter 3

I remember when I told myself that my heart had never beat louder then when I was stealing away from Spence earlier than night. Well…I lied.

Never once on the way to his campsite did he stop whispering to me or kissing my ear. Now, I was in a better mind and caught snatches of words that I understood. "Beautiful… Like fire… Soft… Forever." I wasn't sure how to connect these words in my head but all of them were achingly romantic. I'd never really thought of him as a hopeless romantic who would whisk me away in the dead of night.

Silly me.

I could see a flickering fire now. It was decent sized, enough to warm two people. His grip on my elbow tightened and he led me around so that we were between his tent and the fire. The tent's door flap was help open by a string tied to the side pole, the inside swallowed by darkness. As I gazed into that endless dark, I wondered exactly what I was getting myself into. Clearly there was more going on tonight than I had led myself to believe; that is, if I ever believed it at all.

"Wait here," urged Kartik and he released me, disappearing inside the abyss. I felt suddenly very alone without him right at my side and desperately wanted him to come back. I turned and faced the dancing fire, watching the hypnotizing flames rise up and break off then rise up again. I nearly jumped when Kartik returned, pressing his hand against my back and chuckling into my ear. "Are we a little tense, Gemma?"

His hand was at my neck again, rubbing and melting all my apprehension away. I felt my shoulders slump and I leaned forward a bit, sighing softly and shaking my head. "Come," he murmured into my ear and he guided me to sit with him on the ground. I wondered for a moment where all my fight had gone; why wasn't I resisting him? Everything told me I should. I should at least say something quick witted to let him know that I'll do what he asked but with reluctance.

I just didn't feel like lying to him.

I sat as he bid me to. I leaned into him as he wanted. I did everything without hesitation and this willingness to please him, to do as he asked scared the bloody hell out of me. His arm rested firmly around my waist, holding me close to his left side. My eyes stared blankly ahead, not seeing and only feeling what his words were doing to me; what his entire being was doing to me.

"You're quiet, Gemma," he stated. I felt his nose nuzzle below my ear and I shivered.

"Yes," I said dumbly. I didn't know exactly how I was to respond to that so I figured it would be best to just agree with him. In fact, I was rather surprised when he didn't press it further. Perhaps he was fully aware of what he was doing to me. Perhaps he'd planned it out all this way for some reason or another. This concept angered me a little but then another entered my mind. Perhaps I was just looking for reasons to get away. Maybe I was afraid to have him make me feel so good.

His hand moved at my waist, pulling me closer still so that his palm was over my stomach. His mouth was close to my cheek and I could feel the brush of his lips as he spoke, "Gemma… What is your heart's desire?"

My mind almost didn't dare to think it. I…

His right hand moved to my shoulder and tugged at my blue cloak, exposing just a bit of my shoulder. My cheeks flushed and I closed my eyes, concentrating on breathing evenly and not gasping.

I want…

His lips were warm on my shoulder. He kissed into the crook of my neck, never rough and always gentle. My concentration was fully gone by now and I gulped in air, feeling the corset around my abdomen becoming tighter by the second. I feared that it would cut me in two.

Kartik, I want…

I felt his soft skin under my hand and became conscious of the fact that I was caressing his cheek. I looked down as he looked up and our eyes locked for one electrifying moment. He straightened so that he was once again taller than me and I saw the mixed emotions in his eyes again.

I just want you to…

His hand was on my cheek and he tilted my head back with ease. I closed my eyes, cutting off the sight of his face looming near though the image never actually left me. His fingers stroked my cheek and my temple, down to my neck and into my hair. Something hot and soft pressed against my mouth and I could feel myself melting with the heat. The kiss quickly escalated to something more than a kiss. It was passionate, it had fire and I was drawn into it, unable to pull myself away.

Kartik…

My cloak fell away but I didn't feel the cold. His hands moved up and down my arms and I found myself leaning more into him. His tongue slipped into my mouth timidly as if almost frightened that I would chase it back out again. I didn't take long to respond this time and quickly flicked my own tongue up to touch his, feeling a jolt course through my body at the touch.

All I've ever wanted…

I felt my dress start to pull away from my body, the dress I had never changed out of before coming here. Something inside of me, just below my skin screamed at me to stop him before it went too far. But there was something else, a voice much deeper within me that told me this was right.

When you touch me this way…

My dress was around my waist, leaving the top part of my body in just my corset and under bodice. I felt him fumbling with the strings of my corset and I heard myself whimper, dying to get out of this constricting prison. With a gasp, I pulled away from his mouth and took in several gulps of air, glad to be released. His mouth found mine again and we shared a different sort of kiss. This was needier, more urgent.

I just want to hear you say it…

He leaned into me harder as to lower me to the ground. I was hardly conscious of the fact that I was laying down. I was, however, completely aware of the weight on top of me, crushing me in the most amazing way. His hot breath spoke heavily into my mouth, "What does your heart desire, Gemma?"

Tell me, Kartik…

He pushed away my dress and pulled off my corset, leaving me in my thin cotton camisole. His lips left my own and he tilted my head back again so that he could run his lips all over my throat. He moved to the side a little and I felt his tongue pressing against a point in my neck where both of us could feel how hard my heart was beating. This seamed to spur him on for he then moved to my neck, kissing and nipping at my skin, no doubt leaving behind little marks.

Say it…

Lips on the far edge of my shoulder, moving down and across my collarbone. I closed my eyes and reveled in this feeling that I'd never felt before. There was something inside of me begging to be released and he was the key. My heart's desire…

Tell me that you love me…

Kartik's mouth left my collarbone and moved to my jaw, whispering short phrases in languages I didn't know. He reached that pleasurable place near my ear and kissed there then moved to nibble on my ear lobe. He said something into my ear that I did not understand but recognized it as English. "Hm?"

He laughed and I felt him shake his head. I could feel his smiling lips against the curve of my jaw before he pulled away. Gazing at me in such a way that took my breath away, I felt I would drown in his dark eyes. He whispered clearly, "I love you, Gemma Doyle."

Before I had time to respond, he leaned into me and kissed my lips again. I was becoming somewhat conscious of the fact that my arms wrapped around his neck and pulled him closer, entering a place where time, pain, danger and the Realms didn't-

Wait.

Hold on.

Did he say he loved me?

He was pushing the fabric of my camisole off of my shoulder and he left a trail of kisses all along the length of it, moving until his head was turned to kiss the inside of my elbow. I couldn't help giggling and shifting and he smiled. It was such a rendering smile, so happy to hear me laugh, that I could feel my heart swelling at the sight of it. "I love you," he said again, as if I didn't hear it the first time.

He loved me. And it was then, in that moment of finally hearing him say it that it dawned on me. I almost laughed at my own stupidity.

I loved him too.

Plain and simple.

Love is a funny thing. It feels kind of like a captive animal. When it's discovered and set free, it flies away, high above the earth. Our hearts were split open and love flooded the earth leaving us no choice but the fly.

And we did.

AN: Ok, I know what my faithful readers are thinking. I'm a complete and total ass because I left them hanging for over a year (SO SORRY!!) and then I go and don't even make a 4th chapter. But after putting off the last chapter and going back and reading the first 3, I realized there is no possible way that I could live up to what I've already written. I honestly didn't have another choice but to just end it here unless you wanted a disappointing chapter.

I hope this will make due! Thank you sooo much for reading my story and I hope you liked it even though it's an awful place to stop.

Love you all!

--allure000