Page 50 of The Discovered
He lurched forward, grabbing me at my torso. I laughed in surprise, water splashing up out of the tub and splattering onto the tile below. I let him spin me around so that my back was to him. His arms snaked around my body in a tight grip.
“So defiant,” he growled near my ear.
“But you already knew that,” I said, breathless. “If compliant is what you want, then I’m not the one for you,” I joked, but as soon as it left my mouth, I regretted my phrasing.
Daelon took a breath. “You’rewhat I want.”
The room was too silent for a moment as the energy shifted into something more serious. I swallowed. I wanted a lot of things, and Daelon was definitely one of them. He also felt like something that I needed. He was my protector and guide. I knew that despite it all, he was devoted to me. I wished I could just let go completely, and tell him everything he wanted to hear, but something in my gut held me back.
I could at least ignore that nagging feeling for now. “I’m scared how much I care for you.” It was the most honest thing I could say.
“I’m scared, too,” he whispered, tickling my ear.
I remembered what one of the energy vampires said to us in the clearing. He had asked if I belonged to Daelon.
“I just can’t let go completely,” I said, quieter now.
“I know. I wish things were different.” He intertwined his fingers with mine, then raised them to his lips. He kissed my knuckles lightly. “I can wait. Until after you know everything about me.”
“You think that will change my mind,” I said, more as a statement than a question.
Daelon stilled. “I don’t know. I don’t know how this will all play out.” He paused. “I just need you to know that whatever happens, I am and always will be on your side. That will never change.”
I frowned, frustrated at all of the vague foreshadowing. “I know, Daelon. I’ve felt it.” What could I possibly find out that would change that? Energy couldn’t lie.
He relaxed. “Good.”
We sat there for a while longer, Daelon silently trailing soft touches along my skin and delivering kisses to my hair, my neck, and then my lips. I lost myself in him, pushing aside everything else until all that was left was my body and his.
After we left the bath, he lifted me into his arms and carried me to his bed. His commands started to feel like gospel, and his touch like worship.
“Hold still,” he whispered, and I stilled.
He gazed down at my body, placing his palm on my chest where my heart was. I wanted to reach for his hand, but I kept my arms above my head. Something passed from his palm to me, another feeling that he wanted so desperately for me to know he felt.
This energy was more complex. There was an underlying darkness that was constantly being resisted and eluded. It seemed to be a glimpse into how much Daelon strained each day to protect me. There was so much torment here, like every breath was an act of resistance. I saw a flash of myself from his eyes as I lay in the bathtub, and I felt Daelon yearn to tell me something but being almost physically unable. It felt torturous.
I grimaced, gazing into Daelon’s stony, dark eyes. He moved his palm from my chest to my cheek, and a more pleasurable energy enveloped me. I held my breath, searching his eyes. It was a feeling neither of us could say aloud. It was too risky, too vulnerable, too soon…
As quickly as this flash of energy breached my detection it disappeared, making me wonder if I had even felt it at all. All I knew was that he hopelessly adored me, his feelings genuine and pure, just as mine were for him. What we felt ran deeper than either of us understood, and definitely deeper than what either of us could own up to.
Daelon balanced just above me, melding his lips with mine. I quelled the urge to reach for him again. I hungrily moved my lips against his, and he tugged on my bottom lip with his teeth. His fingers trailed along my torso as he kissed me, and when they reached between my thighs, I lifted my hips slightly to meet him.
He swatted my inner thigh, and I gasped at the slight sting.
Lifting off my lips, he narrowed his eyes. “What did I say about moving?”
“Not to?” I laughed at the sudden surge of adrenaline.
“I know you can follow directions, baby,” he whispered, and in a quick movement he slipped his fingers inside of me.
I moaned against his mouth as pleasure rippled through my whole body. He moved his fingers expertly, rendering me incapable of a single intelligible thought. Trying not to move was beginning to feel impossible. I looked up at Daelon in a silent beg but was only met with a small smile and eyes that swam with dominance and control.
“Please,” I begged.
“Please what?”
He suddenly upped the intensity, and I nearly cried out. “Daelon,” I breathed.
