Hawwa waited nervously near the outer perimeter of the square acre size hedge maze located on the edge of the palace garden. She fidgeted, twisting her fingers around each other. She stood in a hedge archway looking out on a hidden courtyard. A large round fountain stood in the center of the space with tiled benches flanking each side. The moon shone down illuminating the water as it sprinkled out into the tiled mosaic pool. She bit her lip and decided that she should only wait five minutes more for him. She looked up at the moon who would be the only witness to tonight’s meeting, if there was going to be a meeting. He was late and she was beginning to wonder if he would come. Just as her imagination began to run away from her, the sound of someone clearing their throat echoed from behind her. She instinctively turned and saw a man slip from the shadows.
The moon reflected off of the white’s of Alanzo’s eyes as he smiled softly at her. She fidgeted, nerves suddenly clenching her vocal cords. All she could do was look back at him. She was mildly aware of her breath filling and escaping her lungs as she gulped at the night air sending her thin gossamer veil billowing in front of her face. He cleared his throat again, the smile fading from his lips as the silence hung between them like a dead weight.
When he spoke it was in a whisper, “The note was so vague. Part of me wasn’t sure that you were the one I would meet here.” He stepped towards her slowly testing her response to his proximity.
The break in the silence allowed her to finally regain control of her own voice and she said, “Who else would be here?”
“I was half afraid it was that big black body guard of yours.” He said with a chuckle.
Hawwa laughed with him as the image came to her mind. When the laugh subsided she stepped forward working to fill the gap between them as well. She looked up into his eyes and with a breath reached up and removed her veil that covered her face. He sucked in a breath as he finally looked upon her face.
“You are more beautiful than I imagined.” He raised a hand to her face but stopped short of touching her, his fingers hovering over her skin. Feeling his hesitation she moved her face into his palm and closed her eyes at the touch of his skin. He immediately brought his other hand up to cup her face and moved a thumb over her lips. She felt the slight tremor in his hands and opened her eyes and looked up into his hazel ones. They were knit together in an expression of confusion. “This is crazy. If we’re caught…” He said, letting the thought hang in the air unsaid but understood.
She responded her voice firm, “I didn’t want to live another day without knowing. This has been all I could think of since the moment I met you. I know it’s…” She trailed off as he pressed against her slightly bringing his face inches from her own. Her mouth seemed to salivate as his lips hovered above her own and she swallowed back the liquid in her mouth before continuing. “…so stupid.”
She felt his breath on her face as he spoke. “At least we’re on the same page.” He closed the gap and their lips met and her heart leapt in her chest. They stood there for a long moment his bottom lip cradled between hers and she brought her own hands unconsciously up to wrap around his neck and his slid to her waist. He finally moved his lips against hers, softly massaging them. When the kiss ended he placed his forehead against hers and exhaled shakily. She had never kissed a man before this moment and only her father and the eunuchs had ever looked upon her face. She felt naked in front of this man that she barely knew, and she liked it.
Hawwa pulled back from him slightly and bit her lip, as her nerves slowly morphed into excitement. She looked to the ground for a moment before looking back up at him through her eyelashes as thoughts of their naked bodies pressed together flooded her mind. Her need of him solidified in her mind but instead of crippling her it empowered her. She had a goal; to be with this man, and not in the short-term since. He seemed to ketch the look and his eyes turned dark and needy. His breath came fast as he leaned down to claim her mouth but she had already slipped from his arms and she sauntered into the courtyard looking over her shoulder at him.
He grunted in a dismayed fashion and was pulled in her wake out into the open moonlight of the courtyard. She raised her hand to the tinkling water of the fountain and let the water seep through her fingers as she waited for him to join her. The back of his hand ghosted against her as he stepped up behind her. She spoke letting him continue to move his hand over her. “You used a quote today. There is an old saying here. ‘Little and lasting is better than much and passing.’ How long are you going to stay in my fair city before moving on to some other far flung location?”
Alanzo’s hand stilled as he understood what exactly she was asking him. He said before answering. “I should have left three days ago. I have been telling myself for days now that I should just leave, that there is nothing of permanence here for me, and yet I cannot leave. If I stayed until everything I have was sold off in the bazaar, there would still come a day when my funds would run dry and I would have to beg and barter passage back to Venice… and yet I linger. I linger on some far flung hope that there is something to stay for… Is there something to stay for?”
She smiled at the moon kissed water that filled her palm and responded, “Yes, there is something to stay for. I cannot promise you that a day when you have to barter your way back to Venice will not come, but if you’re willing to stay, I promise to give you a reason to.”
His hands moved to her neck and he moved her long black hair to the side and she felt his lips on her neck. She exhaled softly at the warmth in his lips her legs going slightly weak under her. She leaned slightly back into his body as his lips tasted her skin. Her heart began to race again and she decided that perhaps that was enough scheming for now. She swiveled in his arms until she was facing him. She moved the back of her hand over the wire hair of his chin and sighed before saying, “…so stupid.”
“I never claimed to be smart” he said with an ironic smirk and he leaned down to kiss her his mouth slanting hard against her own. She opened her mouth sliding her tongue against his as he gripped at her possessively. She decided that, if only for this moment, he did own her. 689Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8tNpv8q1jI
