Beneath the Crimson Sky

Chapter 20

The air in the camp had never felt heavier. Every breath Sofia took seemed to thicken with the weight of everything she hadn’t said, everything she hadn’t done. The war outside raged on, but the real battle for her was unfolding within. Every moment spent with James felt like a lingering ghost of the past, and every time Marco came close to her, the pull between them seemed to ignite a fire she could no longer suppress.

She stood outside her tent that evening, the cool breeze carrying the scent of rain in the air. Her thoughts were consumed by the two men who had claimed her heart, each in his own way. James, the man who had once been everything to her, now seemed a shadow of the person she had fallen for. And Marco... Marco was the storm, the chaos, the thrill that she had tried to resist but couldn’t.

As the sun dipped below the horizon, casting long shadows over the camp, she saw him—Marco—walking toward her. His dark eyes were locked on hers, his gaze intense and predatory, and she felt her pulse quicken in response. He was always like this, always knowing how to draw her in, to make her feel seen, to make her feel alive.

“I’ve been looking for you,” he said, his voice low and rich with an edge of command.

Sofia swallowed, her breath catching in her throat. “I didn’t realize I was so hard to find.”

Marco’s lips quirked into a smile, but there was something darker behind it. “You’re not hard to find. You just avoid me. Avoid what’s between us.”

Sofia’s heart raced as he stepped closer, his presence engulfing her. She felt the heat of his body, the magnetism of his touch, even though he hadn’t yet laid a finger on her. He was too close, yet she couldn’t move. She didn’t want to move.

“I’m not avoiding you,” she whispered, though the lie was painfully obvious, even to herself. “I just... I don’t know what to do anymore, Marco.”

“You don’t have to know, Sofia,” he said, his voice dropping lower, huskier. “You just have to feel. Feel what’s happening right now. Feel what I’m doing to you.”

Her breath hitched, her body betraying her with every word, every inch he closed between them. She wanted to resist, wanted to tell him to stop, but deep down, she didn’t want him to. She wanted to give in, to let him take control. To let him show her something she couldn’t have with James anymore.

Marco reached out, his fingers grazing her arm, sending a jolt of electricity through her. She shivered under his touch, and her lips parted in a soft gasp. “You’ve wanted this for so long, Sofia,” he murmured, his breath warm against her ear. “Don’t lie to me. You’ve wanted me.”

“I... I’ve wanted you,” she admitted, her voice trembling with the weight of the truth. “But I can’t do this. Not like this.”

He chuckled softly, the sound dark and knowing. “Why not? What’s stopping you?”

“I’m not the woman you think I am,” she said, her voice barely a whisper. “I can’t just throw everything away.”

“But you already have, haven’t you?” Marco’s fingers trailed down her neck, the light touch making her skin tingle. “You’re already giving yourself to me, Sofia. Just like you gave yourself to James before. You think you’re still holding onto something with him, but I see the truth. You’re here. With me.”

His lips were on hers before she could protest, a kiss that was fierce and demanding. The force of it made her knees weak, but she didn’t pull away. She didn’t want to. His mouth moved over hers with a hunger that mirrored her own, a need that went beyond just desire. This was more than lust; this was something deeper, something more dangerous.

Sofia felt herself being drawn into him, her body responding against her will. His hands were everywhere—pulling her closer, running down her sides, his touch igniting flames in places she hadn’t realized were still burning.

When he finally broke the kiss, both of them breathless, he whispered against her lips, “I want you, Sofia. I’ve wanted you for so long. Let me show you what it means to truly be with someone who understands you.”

Sofia closed her eyes, struggling to regain control of herself, of her thoughts. But it was so hard to think when all she could feel was the heat of Marco’s body against hers, the undeniable pull of him that made everything else seem insignificant.

“I don’t know if I can do this,” she whispered, but even as she said the words, she felt the truth slipping through her, like sand between her fingers. She couldn’t resist him. She didn’t want to resist him.

“Shh,” Marco whispered, his lips brushing against her neck as his hands slid beneath her shirt, his fingers teasing the skin of her back. “Don’t think. Just let go.”

And for once, Sofia did just that. She let go.

Marco’s lips moved down her throat, leaving a trail of burning kisses in their wake. His hands slid lower, inching toward the curve of her hips, pulling her closer, until she could feel the evidence of his desire pressed against her.

She moaned softly, her body responding instinctively, and Marco’s low laugh sent a thrill through her. He was unrelenting, his touch both tender and demanding as he explored every inch of her. He was a force of nature, impossible to ignore, impossible to escape.

With a quick, practiced movement, Marco lifted her up and carried her to the edge of her tent, gently laying her down on the soft bedroll beneath her. Sofia’s heart pounded as he hovered over her, his eyes dark and filled with desire.

“Tell me you want this,” he said, his voice thick with urgency. “Tell me you want me, Sofia.”

She didn’t have to think about it. The words came easily now, as if they had been waiting to escape her all along.

“I want you,” she gasped, pulling him closer, her hands threading through his hair. “I want you, Marco. All of you.”

His lips crashed against hers once more, and this time, there was no hesitation. No uncertainty. Only the undeniable connection between them—the hunger, the desire, the need.

And as their bodies finally came together, Sofia felt the last of her reservations dissolve. She didn’t care about the war outside. She didn’t care about James or anyone else. In this moment, there was only Marco. Only the heat of his touch, the wildness of their passion, and the overwhelming realization that she had chosen. She had chosen him.