Page 147 of Eternal
Soft.So soft. So real.
And then, the thought crashes over me like a wave, threatening to drown me: What if she’s not here tomorrow? What if I have to let her go?
The simple thought of it makes my stomach churn. I don't know what the hell it is about her, but it's too much and the idea of losing her makes me want to throw up. The craving to keep pretending, to keep feeling like this, makes me sick because I know it won’t last.
But for now, I can't let go. For now, I want her to stay. To let me pretend I’m not the monster I know I am. I want to be Damir withher. And that, that feeling... is more dangerous than anything I’ve ever faced.
“Your skin is so...delicate,” I whisper. I don't even know why I'm saying this.
Her breath catches, and I can’t help but smile at the way she responds to my presence so subtly, but it’s there. She shivers slightly under my touch, her body reacting without her even meaning to.
“Do you always get this...relaxedwhen someone touches you, partner?” I tease, my fingers moving lower along her spine.
She lets out a soft gasp, her body stiffening for a moment before melting under my hands again. “No one touches me,” she says, her voice a little breathless,
I laugh low, pressing my lips to the side of her neck in a soft breath, feeling the warmth of her skin beneath my mouth. “Perfect,” I murmured against her skin.
When I pull away, I catch her eyes in the reflection of the glass in front of us, a blue one in the hallway. There’s something there,softness, a vulnerability she’s trying to hide, but it’s all there, in the way she looks at me, in the way her breath quickens as my hands work.
My fingers find the knot in her shoulders, and I press into it with a gentle but firm pressure. “You don’t know how bad I’ve wanted to do this again, spending some time with you here,” I admit, my voice low, my fingers gliding over her skin like they belong there.
She makes a sound, half a sigh, half a moan, and I can’t stop the smile that spreads across my face. “What was that? You like this?” and she nods right away.
“Partner,” I murmur, my voice soft as my fingers move lower, gently caressing her back. “You really don’t make it easy to keep my hands to myself.”
She sucks in a breath, her body tightening slightly when I leave her shoulders to finish the braid.
“You’re not making it easy on me either,” she says softly, a breathless hint of a laugh in her voice. I feel her shoulders relaxwhen I put the braid aside and continue to move my hands over her.
When my fingers slide a little farther down, she shudders, her back arching slightly. Her lips part a bit, and for a moment, she doesn’t say anything, she lets me work, her body relaxing under my hands, her head tipping slightly back as I continue, fingers gliding down her spine with slow strokes. Soft caresses.
“My back’s been killing me lately,” she admits, her voice quieter now. “You’re... really good at this.”
She’s killing me.
“I’m glad to be of service,” I reply, proud that I’m useful here. “But just so you know, I might keep doing this until you can’t move.”
She laughs softly, and I want to fight it, push her away before I get too deep, but I can’t, my gaze locks on her, the way she turns her head for me to see that vulnerable softness in her eyes.
And God, it's dangerous, so damn dangerous.
“I’ll add it to the kink list,” she says. “Massages until I turn to mush.”
I lean in, lips brushing her shoulder, to let her feel the need I’m holding back. It’s a soft touch, but it lingers like I’m tasting something forbidden, something I want more of. I feel the rush of wanting to pull her closer, to feel that soft skin against mine, but I stay controlled, for now.
I let my lips hover above her skin, my breath brushing over her neck. “Keep teasing me like that, and I might start getting wrong ideas,” I murmur, the words low, almost too quiet.
Her eyes lock with mine, a smirk playing on her lips. “If you do, you’ll have to deal with them...alone. With your hand.”
My throat goes dry, and my mind fucking snaps. I can’t stop the image of her, of those lips, of the way she’s standing there, teasing me like she’s the one in control. And for a split second,I think about it. About what it would be like to have her, right here, right now, feeling her under my touch.
Maybe I am already dealing with it, but not in the way she means.
I drag in a breath, my chest tight, my hands itching to reach out, to pull her closer, to show her how far this could go. But I keep my voice calm. “If I’m dealing with it... trust me, it won’t be with my hand.”
I watch her reaction closely, the challenge in her eyes, knowing she has no fucking idea what I’d do to her if I had the chance.
“Thank you for the dinner,” I murmur, my voice sincere, even if that sincerity feels like it’s eating me alive. “And for letting me play with your hair. I think I might start doing this more.”
