Zhar sensed I was awake and lifted his head, and his eyes glowed in the red lighting along the base of the wall. A moment later, he let out a low whine, and I strained to hear what he'd tuned in to. I'd locked the elevator and wasn't concerned, as I was on the top floor and there was zero way anyone could break in through the elevator doors. They only opened if you had the right card.
"No!" Kenna shot straight up in bed, and both dogs leapt to their feet. She sucked in a breath.
I gave a command for the boys to stand down. They listened, but both kept their eyes on her. Kenna looked around then slowly turned to see me awake. It was dark, but I could sense her fear.
"Sorry," she whispered as she rubbed her head like it hurt.
"I was awake, anyway." I turned the low lighting up a bit so she could take in her surroundings.
"Maybe it's best if I go."
"No." I yawned uninterested in the idea.
"And if I wanted to?" She raised her chin, and I saw a tiny spark in her eye. I missed that spark.
"I'd chain you to the bed."
"Right." I reached over and pulled a chain from the bedpost and let the cuff dangle from it. "Why does that bring me comfort?" She rubbed her arms uneasily, and I could tell it wasn't from the idea of being bound but from what was weighing on her. She slowly lowered herself to the pillow.
"Reach out and feel the back of the nightstand." I felt her reach over, and when she did, I rolled over and put my hand over hers. "Feel that buckle?"
"Yeah." Her glossy eyes blinked up at me. I could see the nightmare still cling to her mind.
"Unsnap, pull down, and it's ready to fire." She nodded. I moved her hand up and under the headboard. "That's a Talon knife, sharp as hell. Just pull forward and it will release." She nodded again, and I stared down at her worried expression. "You're safe."
"Okay." She nodded a bunch of times, then I ran my hand down her extended arm, across her collarbone, and up her neck. I brushed her jawbone, and her gaze dropped to my lips. I pushed my interest into her hip.
I leaned down and caught her mouth with mine. It was a slow kiss, just lips at first, then my tongue danced with hers. Her hand moved up my side and into my hair while my hand was under her chin gently holding her in place. It felt different. She tasted just as she smelled, fresh but fruity, and it was fucking with my head. My normal instinct was to ravish, to consume, flood her body with pleasure and take whatever I wanted at the same time. But I felt an unusual need to be careful. Her body still needed time to heal, and her head was in a bad place. I couldn't shake the feeling of being split down the center. I pulled back and studied her. Her confusion on what just happened mirrored my own.
"You should sleep," I said quietly.
"Yeah, I guess we should." She waited for me to roll back, then she pulled the covers up to her chin. When my head hit the pillow, I came nose to nose with Leal.
"Jesus!" I mouthed then glared at him. He stared just as hard back. I swore he cocked a brow at me. I wondered what went through his brain in that moment. "Go." I pointed. He waited for a beat then did what he was told. His typical huff as he plunked back down in his bed was louder than usual.
No comments:
Post a Comment