“Yes.” She paused. “You’re surprised.”

“It was far from my thoughts,” he admitted.

She laughed quietly. “Did I actually manage to get your full attention for once?”

He pulled her closer. As he kissed her again, her mouth opened. She mouthed his lips gently, sending shivers of pleasure down his spine. He spread his fingers out over her back, feeling the deliciously neat curve of her spine. As she nibbled at his lower lip he ran a finger down the seam of her clothes, where her vest allowed the membrane of her wings to escape. He felt her stiffen in surprise, then relax and lean against him, her breasts firm and warm against his chest.

This is just too good, he thought wryly. Sliding his hands under the vest, he sighed as he felt the bare, silky skin of her back. He felt her hands follow the same course under his clothes, running from the base of his neck down to—he chuckled in surprise as she squeezed his buttocks. But as he moved to do the same, she pulled away. The sound of their breathing was loud. She drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly.

“We have to go back.”

He looked away, disappointed but knowing she was right. His cousins, annoyed at losing their quarry in the forest, would return to their parents and report what they’d seen. They didn’t see everything, he thought smugly.

“Promise me we’ll do this again,” he said, the words coming out before he could consider them.

She chuckled. “Only if you promise me you’ll show the Speakers the harness.”

He let out a long breath, then nodded. “I promise.”

“That…?”

“I’ll show the Speakers the harness.”

“At the next Gathering?”

“Yes. Unless a better opportunity comes.”

“I suppose that’s reasonable,” she said.

They stood in silence for several heartbeats. He found himself remembering the feel of her skin under his hands. He longed to touch her again.

She sighed. “Do you think you could find your way back on your own?”

“No.”

She laughed. “Liar. Of course you can. I think it would be better if we returned from different directions. I’m going to go around the other side of the Open.”

“That’s a long way. Would it be that bad if people saw us together?”

“My father doesn’t want me to marry outside the tribe.” She paused. “Not that I’m asking you to marry me. But he doesn’t like me talking to you.”

He stared at her and felt the night turn sour.

She stepped close. “Don’t worry,” she said lightly. “I’ll change his mind.” She leaned forward and kissed him firmly. Then she slipped out of his grasp. He caught the flash of her teeth in the light from the bower before she turned and hurried away.