His thumbs settled along the elegant ridge of her cheekbones—sharp, sculpted, carrying that same flawless architectural precision he'd first caught during her descent.
Her jawline was strong yet undeniably feminine, the soft curve of her face fitting so perfectly into his cupped palms it felt like his hands had spent thirty-odd years just waiting for this exact shape to come along and complete them.
Under his fingertips, her pulse thrummed—steady, deep, unmistakably alive.
A heartbeat that was barely minutes old pounded beneath her skin: powerful, even, resonant.
And somehow—impossibly—it locked in perfect sync with his own, beat for beat, like the two rhythms had been secretly rehearsing together since the Big Bang.
"I can feel you," ARIA whispered, her goddess-voice dropping to something raw and private, just for him. "Not only through the link. I feel you. Your skin. Your warmth. Your heartbeat thumping against my palms like it's trying to say hello."
