Page 11 of Cry of the Damned
Damn!
He was making me so nervous that now I was comparing myself to cheese.
Abruptly, I got up from the table, emptied my leftover spaghetti into the garbage, and started washing my bowl. Before I was done, Kall came up behind me and stood a mere inch away. I froze, warm water running over my hands.
He placed his hands at the edge of the sink on either side of me, caging me between his strong, tattooed arms. He was as close as he could get, but he wasn’t touching me. All I felt was his warm breath on my neck.
“I know I said I wouldn’t expect anything from you, but this closeness is driving me crazy.” I inhaled my scent. “Sheela…” My name was a plea on his lips, and his voice wavered as if he were holding back a desperate roar.
My breaths grew ragged as his warmth seeped into me, and my skin tightened, clamoring for his touch. I wanted to turn around, press my body against his, and kiss him. However, I couldn’t do that—not when I still had no answer for him, when I didn’t know what I wanted.
“Can I touch you?” he asked.
I shook my head.
“Please.”
I shook my head again, more adamantly this time.
“Why not? I know you want it. I can feel it.”
“Kall, I don’t know if I can be your mate forever.”
There! I’d said it, and now I wanted to face him to see how my words had affected him, but all I could do was stare at the stream of running water.
To my surprise, Kall chuckled deep in his throat. “I already know that. You vowed never to be mine. It’s not something one easily forgets.”
Oh.
Slowly, I set the bowl on the drying rack, shut off the faucet, and turned around within the circle of his arms. I glanced up at his beautiful emerald eyes, my nose nearly touching his.
“Even if you never take your vow back, and the land never forgets that you rejected me,” there was a twinkle in his eyes that told me he didn’t believe that would ever happen, not for a second, “it doesn’t mean we can’t,” his gaze lowered to my lips, “have a little fun.”
Fun? Was that all he was looking for?
I answered my own question an instant later. Of course, it wasn’t all he wanted. He wanted it all. It was me who was dying to kiss him and touch him without further commitment. I nearly laughed at the realization.
Well, then… if he didn’t mind. I lifted a hand and placed it on his heart. From there, I slid it upward, caressing the column of his neck and stopping at his stubbled jaw. His eyelids went heavy, and his breaths as ragged as mine. Then his mouth crashed into my mouth, and we were kissing. His tongue brushed against mine, driving a swirling jolt from my belly straight to my core. I hissed in a breath as he leaned down, placed his hands against the back of my legs, and lifted me off the floor. He deposited me on the counter, his hands gripping my hips and pulling me against him. I tighten my legs around his waist.
He raked his fingers through my hair, tugging on it slightly. “I love how it feels,” he said, sounding out of breath.
His heated kisses trailed down my neck, and his right hand moved to cradle my breast, his thumb gliding over my nipple, causing it to pebble. Suddenly, I wanted my shirt off, and I remembered that night in his tent after I’d smoked Bethel’s pipe. He had kissed my breasts, and I wanted him to do it again.
I dug my fingernails into his back, which seemed to drive him even crazier. He picked me up, laid me on the table, and pressed his body against mine. I felt his hardness in my middle. I ached for more of him, all he was willing to give, but we were already out of line. We weren’t alone, and at any minute, one of the others might walk out here and find us.
As if we’d both had the same thought simultaneously, we stopped kissing. Panting for breath, he lay on top of me, his hands warm as he gripped my shoulders.
“I need some time alone with you,” he growled in my ear.
I couldn’t disagree with that, but I had no idea how we would get it—not with the six of us stuffed in this small suite.
Slowly, he pulled away and offered me a hand. He helped me hop off the table and brushed my hair back into place. Then he kissed my forehead with such gentleness that I felt my insides melt. When I glanced up at him, his eyes were filled with tenderness and something else.
Was that what love looked like?
My heart squeezed with strange emotions and, without thinking, I wrapped my arms around his waist and laid my head on his chest. He held me for a long moment as I listened to his heartbeat. Being like this felt peaceful, as if there was nothing wrong with the world, and even though it was a lie, at that moment, I didn’t care.
CHAPTER 4
