Page 20 of Tempting Shadowed Hearts
My mouth drops to the floor. “I was, uh, admiring the view. And I didn’t know what you were then.”
“Tell yourself whatever you’d like so you can sleep at night.”
I clench my jaw. “I still don’t know you.”
“We have all the time in the world, my little relic. We’re both immortal after all.”
Chapter nine
Ilet Roxi finish her breakfast in peace and wander off to check on her clothes. I’d just thrown them in the dryer before I started on her food, so I’m certain they’re dry now. My walk to the washer and dryer takes me past my bedroom, and I stop at the doorway. Her scent assaults my nostrils, beckoning me to drown myself in it.
Giving in to temptation, I stroll in and bury my face in the sheet she’d wrapped herself in this morning. Her intoxicating scent fills my nostrils, one that reminds me of night-blooming jasmine. But then something more earthy and grounding carries into it, like vetiver. Now, I don’t want to put this sheet down or leave my bedroom. The only thing that would be better is having her arousal coating my tongue or her blood filling my mouth.
Wetness soaks the insides of my thighs, and I throw the sheet down, trying to clear my mind of her. I can’t afford to get lost inthe thoughts of what I want to do to her yet. If I do, I won’t be able to keep myself from losing control.
Stalking into the closet, I shuffle through my clothes, still stuffed in boxes. When I find something comfortable, I throw it on and go to check on Roxi’s clothes. Thankfully, they’re dry, so I take them back to my bed for her when she’s ready.
As I set her clothes down, the sound of a faucet trickles down the hall. I tiptoe out to follow the sound, which leads me toward the kitchen. Over the half wall, I watch as Roxi stands at the sink… washing the dishes?
She’s returned to her human form, her straight black hair thrown over one of her shoulders, cascading toward the water, but she seems unfazed by it. Unlike in her gorgon form, where her skin is ashen and mottled like the stone she can turn others to, her porcelain-like skin glistens, reminding me of a stone that’s been recently polished. Something in me wants to stroke my fingers over it to see how it feels. But as she looks down, her cute, narrow snub nose twitches, almost like she’s going to sneeze. It takes everything in me not to giggle at the sight.
I’m caught off guard by that thought because I can’t remember the last time Igiggled. This woman is a sight to behold. In such a short time, she’s breaking down the walls I’ve built to protect myself from the pain I’ve come to accept when it comes to others.
“Are you just going to stand there and stare at me with that wicked smile on your face, or are you going to get in here and help me clean?” she asks, startling me.
“Hey, I cooked. That means you clean,” I say with a playful lilt in my voice.
“I guess I’d better pick up cooking so you can be the one to clean next time.”
“Next time?” I ask, brow raised. “Does that mean you don’t plan to run off?”
Her cheeks pinken, and she looks back down into the sink. “I don’t have much of a choice, do I?”
“Not really. If you run, Iwillcatch you. And when I do, I’ll do as I please with you.“ As the words leave my lips, the scent of her arousal overwhelms me, and I tsk. “Be careful with that. I’m already having a hard time keeping my hands off you. Your arousal—when I’m too close—will have me losing control in no time. Trust me when I say that’s not something you want right now.”
She bites her lip and attempts to return to washing the dishes. “I can’t help it. I’ve never done anything like this, especially not with a woman, and I’mveryintrigued. What makes it even better is that you can look me in the eye when you do what you want to me. Plus, I have a feeling that you’d respect my wishes if I told you to stop.”
I grin as I stalk toward the half wall. Her eyes return to me, and I look directly into the emerald pools. “You think too highly of me. I don’t know if I’d be able to stop once I get my hands on you.”
“Well, if it makes you feel any better, I don’t think I’d tell you to stop. Even if that’s what I truly wanted. Because I want you so fucking bad that I’d let my body override my brain.”
As I reach the wall, I grab onto the ledge tightly. “And that’s why I’m trying to keep a good hold on my control. If I need to go out and feed just so I don’t lose it around you, I will.”
She drops the dishes into the sink and steps toward the archway, causing my heart to skip a beat. “What if I want you to lose control?”
I feel my pupils constrict, honing in on her like she’s my prey, as my monster starts to take over. My grip tightens on the ledge, crumbling the drywall just to keep myself in place. “If I lose control, I might hurt you, and I won’t let that happen.”
Once she reaches the archway, my eyes drift down her body. She looks perfect in my clothes. The high-rise shorts she chose pull snugly over her large ass, making my mouth water. And the crop top she found cuts off right below her breasts, showing off just a little bit of skin above the waistband on the shorts.
She laughs, a melodic sound, drawing my attention back up to her eyes. “Pain mixes well with pleasure, from what I’ve heard.”
“This pain will have you flirting with death if I can’t control myself enough,” I growl.
“You wouldn’t allow me to die.”
“What makes you so confident of that?” I ask, genuinely curious to hear what she has to say.
“You have yet to understand why I make you feel different, and I know you won’t let me die until you figure it out.”
