A few more tears rolled from her lids at the prospect of their death, and this time he kissed them away. “We have a lot to accomplish in a small amount of time, my love, and it may be the only time we have left on earth, so I have a favor to ask, and if I have to, I'll beg on my hands and knees to make it so.”
Like he would have to. “What is it you want?”
“You,” he answered. Then he kissed her nose, cheeks, eyelids, and lips. “Every free moment we get, I want you in my arms. I want us to hold and love each other like there's no tomorrow, and I want to treasure each moment like it's our last. If we have to die, I want to die knowing I held the most amazing woman in the world the way she deserved to be held, that I showed her how much I love and need her, and that I’m happier than I’ve ever been when I’m with her. I want to spend the rest of our lives, no matter how short they may be, showing you these things while touching your soul and letting you touch mine.” He kissed away more tears then found her eyes again. “Will you please let me do that, Layla? It's all I want. It's all I need to make everything worth it. If you’ll give me this, I’ll fight every day for the rest of my life.”
His sweet and sincere request grabbed her heartstrings and yanked, leaving her a vulnerable ball of raging emotions. Tears burst forth as sobs exploded from her chest, and she burrowed into him, her body quaking as love and sadness grasped it and fiercely shook. Her fingers clawed at him, attempting to pull him closer, unconcerned with anything besides his feel and his flesh and the man beneath its surface. She wanted to melt into him. She wanted to be a part of him. She wanted to be securely nestled within him, right next to his heart.
She flattened her palms on his pecs, her cheek pressed against his neck, her lips perched on his shoulder. Then she mentally urged his soul to touch her, attempting to draw his love and devotion and strength and sincerity to the surface of his skin. She just wanted to feel it.
He gasped, jolting as her magic clutched his insides and pulled. Then he exhaled hugely when the force reached the surface of his skin and collided with hers. The atmosphere flashed, and the air filled with heat, a peaceful cocoon delivering magical morphine straight into her pores. This was exactly what she wanted… what she needed. It felt like every wonderful thing he'd ever said to her and done for her had been woven into a blanket that was now wrapped around her body, delivering much needed love, security and hope. It felt like she was nestled in his soul, right next to his heart, right where she wanted to be.
She sighed his name. Then she selfishly held onto the feeling for over a minute before letting the tangible emotions slip back into his body.
“How did you do that?” he breathlessly asked.
“I shouldn't have, Quin. I'm sorry. Did I hurt you?”
“No,” he assured, pulling her face from his neck. “How did you do that?”
“I don't know. I just did.”
“Do you know what that was?”
She bit her lip then guiltily whispered. “Your soul?” As she said the words aloud, the absurdity and presumptuousness of her actions sank in, and she panicked. “I'm so sorry, Quin. I should never mess with things like that…”
He put a finger to her lips and stopped her babbling. “It was my soul,” he whispered, scanning the air around him. Then he returned his gaze to hers. “And do you know what I saw?”
“You saw something?”
“Yes,” he confirmed, a grin stretching between deep dimples. “I saw my aura.”
“You what?” she asked, looking at the bright haze around him. “You saw your aura?”
He took her cheeks and gave her a happy kiss. “Yes, my perfect, beautiful, amazing angel, I saw my aura.”
The magic left Layla feeling sedate, and his joy was contagious, so her smile came naturally. “I told you it's magnificent.”
“It is magnificent. And do you know why?”
“Why?”
“Because of you. Once I realized what I was looking at, I saw you. You're all over my aura, and you make it shine beautifully.”
“It's your heart and soul, Quin, not mine.”
“You're wrong. They are yours. I just saw visual proof of that.”
Her throat tightened as her heart swelled. “If you keep saying things like that, you're going to make me lose it again. I can’t seem to control my emotions.”
“Stop trying. I want to see them. I want to see everything about you. Remember? Live every second like it's our last. That's what I want.”
She slid her hand from his chest to his cheek. “That's what I want, too, Quin. No more wasted moments.”