Cresswell: The Lunar Chronicles

Chapter Eight

Cress, curled up on Scarlet's sofa with a blanket wrapped around her shoulders and playing a game of Mountain Miners, arched her back in a stretch. Scarlet and Wolf had gone to town a few minutes ago and Thorne was in the shower. It felt strange to be alone, and even stranger that that thought didn't make her panic. They'd all be back. And it was almost refreshing to have a few minutes to herself and enjoy the peacefulness of the house.

She stood up and ran her fingers through her hair, glad it was getting longer. As fun as the short hair was, she missed her longer hair. Moving into the kitchen she made herself another plate of leftover breakfast—cinnamon rolls and honeyed ham. As she was coming back into the living room, she turned and saw Thorne coming down the stairs. He was dressed in blue jeans and was pulling a shirt over his wet hair. Stars, he looked amazing.

Cress's face lit up in a smile and she grinned; biting her lip.

Thorne winked at her, crossing the room. He took the plate from her and set it on the table before pulling her against him and sinking down beside her, kissing the side of her face. She threaded her fingers through his soft, damp hair.  It was moments like this that everything seamed totally and completely perfect it didn't seam real.

Cress heaved a sigh; smiling to herself.

"Your hand is cold." Thorne chuckled.

Cress giggled, turning her hand over and pressing her even colder knuckles against his neck. She laughed when he scowled at her. Raising his eyebrows, he grabbed her arms, turning slightly so he had better leverage and pushed her down against the cushioned seat. 

"No!" Cress cried, struggling to escape from him and roll off the sofa. She managed to slip through his grasp, stumbling to her feet and darting away.

Thorne's hand shot out and grabbed her arm. He pulled her against him but she dropped her weight. Cress, laughing, tried again in vain to break free from his grip but he refused to let her go.

"You asked for it."

"No I didn't!" Cress protested, trying to keep more laughter she felt bubbling in her throat at bay as she twisted defensively on the ground while he stood hovering over her. 

"Oh?"

"No."

"Yeah, I don't buy that." He swept her up, easily holding her in his strong arms and kissing her.

The tension in Cress's muscles instantly relaxed. She stopped struggling against his grasp, letting him hold her and trying to resist the urge to squirm. He set her down, wrapping one arm behind her shoulders and kissing her cheek.

His lips grazed her neck and his hand raked through her hair. A laugh bubbled in her throat. He kissed her again, and again, and again. Her heart was racing, pounding against her ribs so hard she was sure he could feel it. She took a deep breath, breathing in his familiar scent of soap and cologne.

The front door opened.

"Oh, for real?"

Thorne immediately released her. Cress's face turned red as she straightened her already straight sweater.

"We can't leave you alone for two minutes?" Scarlet asked.

"Oh get off your high horse." Thorne rolled his eyes, picking up Cress's abandoned breakfast plate and taking a bite of the cinnamon roll. "You're telling me you two have never made out on the Rampion?"

Scarlet put a hand on her hip, shifting the bag she had to her other arm. She started to say something but a grin crept onto her face and she closed her mouth. Cress glanced at Wolf and saw his face flush.

"Yeah, I thought so." Thorne kissed the side of Cress's head and sat back down on the sofa, turning on the net screen.

"Here, Cress." Scarlet handed her a bag. "The net order you placed came in so I picked it up."

"Oh thanks!" Cress took the bag, her face still flushed. She stood up, avoiding Thorne's gaze, as she hurried up to her room. Never had she expected to be excited over new socks and underwear. Dumping them out into a drawer, she sighed happily; neatly arranging the array of colorful socks in little balls. Grabbing the last items from the bag—a pair of jeans that actually fit and a cobalt blue hoodie—she neatly folded them and tucked them aside before skipping back downstairs.

Taking the seat on the sofa beside Thorne, who was watching the net screen, she leaned against him. It was on the tip of her tongue to thank him once again for the money to pay for her things, but he had told her in a playful-yet-serious tone to stop saying thank you so much, adding that he liked taking care of her.

Instead, she wrapped both her arms around one of his and snuggled closer to him. He kissed the top of her head, gently untangling her from him so he could wrap his arms around her. As much as she had been embarrassed at being walked in on by Scarlet and Wolf, she kept replaying the moments leading up to that in her mind. She engraved in her memory the way his hands felt on her face, the way his lips moved against hers... the way he looked at her.

With another happy sighed, she closed her eyes and played their kiss over and over again.

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