Page 59 of Unbound By Shadows
“Nothing. I came down for a glass of water,” she said. Her fingers curled around the edge of the counter while her feet dangled.
“Why are you sitting up there?” His movements were agitated as he took off his coat.
“Oh, I… I wanted to see the moon. It’s so pretty tonight,” she gestured to the window, realizing how silly she must sound. “What were you doing outside?”
“I was helping Eldridge in the barn. He grew tired, but I stayed to finish a few things.”
“That’s sweet of you.”
He frowned before bending to remove his boots, making her wonder if it would actually kill him to accept a compliment. The muscles in his arms flexed through his tunic while powerful hands pulled at the laces of his boots. His hands were surprisingly nimble for their size. She had seen him crush bones with those hands but also tenderly scratch a kitten behind its ears. Her face grew hot as she wondered if he could be that deliberate with her. What his rough palms would feel like on her skin.
He met her eyes, almost as if he could sense what she was thinking. His gaze flickered to her mouth, her breasts, the junction of her thighs, then down to her bare feet before traveling back up again. Her cotton nightgown felt very thin and insubstantial. She began to twirl a lock of hair between her fingers, and his eyes locked on the action.
Tentatively he said, “The moonlight. It makes you look… nice.”
Her eyebrows lifted. “Thank you.”
He began patting dirt and dust away from his clothes while Selene wondered why she was still hanging around the kitchen. A sensible person would have hopped off the counter and run up to bed by now. Yet the ache in her belly seemed to anchor her to where she sat.
Sam cleared his throat. “Did you get your water? I don’t see a glass.”
Selene felt like an idiot. “Oh, no, I got distracted by the moon. Do you know where Brunie keeps the glasses?”
Sam came toward her with slow, measured steps. Blood throbbed in her veins at the way he was moving, almost like a predator. The top of his tunic was open, revealing a patch of pearlescent skin. Selene swallowed, suddenly very clear on what other women meant when they used the word “mouthwatering” to describe certain men. She reached up to rub her shoulder, hoping the gesture would hide the way her nipples tightened.
Wordlessly, he pulled out a glass from a nearby cupboard and began filling it. The movement caused the side of his body to bump into her knees, and he drew back, almost as if the contact burned. Then he paused before deliberately brushing his hip against her knees and leaning into the touch. She didn’t pull away. Delicious warmth radiated from him, and she caught a hint of the woodsy soap she had picked for him in Padu mixing with the scent of hay. He handed her the glass.
“Thank you,” she said. Her fingers brushed against his, causing little fireworks of pleasure throughout her body. She had intended to sip the water but found herself gulping it.
She expected Sam to huff out of the kitchen at any moment, but he stayed, watching her with hooded eyes. He was unabashedly staring at her mouth as a drop of water clung to her bottom lip. She wiped it away with her tongue and could have sworn she saw him sway on his feet.
She set the glass down. Her head was beginning to swim as if she were buzzed from too much wine. The feel of him pressed against her legs was distracting. What if she changed position and spread her knees apart? Would he come closer? Wedge his body between her thighs and pull her against him?
Shut up, stop this.
The tension of the moment was getting to be unbearable, andshe couldn’t seem to stop herself from breaking it.
“So, uh… did you see the moon when you were outside? You might not be able to see it from where you’re standing. That’s why I climbed up here. I was thinking how funny it is how everyone looks up at the same moon. Not funny, ‘ha ha,’ but funny odd. The moon I grew up seeing is the same one everyone in Aurelia looks at. I guess it’s the same in the other worlds too. Same with the sun. Reassuring in a way, isn’t it? Same moon. Everybody sees it. But not in the Underworld, right?” Nervously, she brushed an errant strand of hair from her eyes.
Sam leaned forward to look out the window.
“No. Its light does not reach the Underworld. I’m glad it gives you comfort.”
She looked at her knees, hoping he didn’t notice the goosebumps scattered across her bare arms. Being at eye level with his body next to hers was… disconcerting. His sheer maleness felt overwhelming. So much power, brutality, and strength, and yet his eyes were haunted. His scarred hands were at his sides, opening and closing as if he were trying to resist touching something. Possibly her.
In a strained voice, he asked, “Do you want more water?”
“No, I’m fine. I should get back to bed,” she said, halfway hoping he would ask her to stay. “It’s late. I couldn’t sleep, but I guess I’m pretty tired now. Oh look, you’ve got a bit of hay in your hair.”
Without thinking, she reached up to touch the errant piece of hay tangled in the hair at the top of his head. As her fingers threaded through the soft thickness, one of his hands gripped the edge of the sink, his knuckles gone white.
As she drew out the hay, her fingers brushed against one of his horns, and he sucked in a breath. His eyes squeezed shut, as if in pain, and quickly, she pulled her hand back into her lap.
“Oh, gosh, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have… Are you okay?” His chest heaved causing Selene to feel mortified by her bold gesture. Touching a demon’s horns must be very taboo, or maybe very painful? “I’m so sorry. Does it… does it hurt to have them touched?”
He opened his eyes. Bright red irises met hers, but they weren’t looking at her with murderous rage like when he attacked that Lycah. Searing desire burned in his gaze, along with a yearning so stark it made her gasp. Before her brain could decide if she should be afraid or aroused, he spoke.
“Do it again.”
