Chapter 1064
The sun rose slow and golden, slipping between leaves like honey poured from the sky. The morning was warm, soft, and thick with the smell of blooming flowers and earth. In that velvety light, Rose stepped barefoot into the clearing, her loose white tunic dancing gently around her thighs. The breeze kissed her skin, and her dark hair spilled wild over her shoulders as she stretched her arms toward the sky with a low, satisfied sigh. Jude had woken alone, again, but he didn’t feel abandoned. He felt curious, aroused by the scent lingering on his skin, the taste of her still on his tongue from the night before. She had vanished sometime during the night, lips pressed to his neck, whispering something he couldn’t remember but still felt deep in his bones.
The others were already stirring. The fire crackled with the familiar pop of breakfast preparation, and Susan was slicing fruit while Emma boiled water by the pot. Grace sat near the logs combing her hair, and Stella walked lazily back from the forest trail with a basket of mushrooms. It should’ve been an ordinary morning. It wasn’t.
When Rose appeared, everything shifted.
She moved toward the others like a breeze through silk, light, fluid, without effort. She stopped behind Zoey and brushed her hair aside, pressing a gentle kiss to her shoulder. Zoey leaned back into her, eyes closing, breath hitching as Rose whispered something inaudible against her ear. Then she moved on. Her fingers lingered on Natalie’s waist, sliding around her from behind as she helped mix herbs for tea. Their bodies pressed together, and Natalie didn’t flinch. Instead, she let out a low, amused hum.
"I like this new energy," she said, teasing.
Rose grinned. "There’s nothing new about it."
Layla was by the waterline, sleeves rolled up, skin sun-kissed and damp from the river. Rose walked straight to her. Layla turned just in time to meet her lips. It wasn’t rushed. It wasn’t shy. Their mouths came together in a kiss that made the air thick around them. Jude, watching from a few steps away, felt something coil tightly in his stomach.
Layla dropped the fruit she was washing, and it splashed into the shallow stream, forgotten. She gripped Rose’s hips, pulling her closer, the kiss deepening as their bodies locked in rhythm. Rose’s fingers laced into Layla’s damp hair. Layla moaned softly into her mouth. The sound caught Stella’s attention, then Grace’s. Then all of them.
No one interrupted.
No one looked away.
Layla gasped when Rose’s lips left hers, trailing kisses down her neck, across her collarbone, and up again. Their mouths met again, and this time, Layla pressed Rose up against a tree, hands sliding under the hem of her tunic. The others watched in silence, eyes wide, breath caught in their throats.