24. Clay
Chapter 24
Clay
Fiona snores like a pig snuffling for truffles. Am I going to make fun of her for it when she wakes? Endlessly. Is it the cutest thing on the planet? Without a doubt.
I can’t wipe the smile off my face as I watch her sleep, standing over her with two bottles of water. She passed out in the minute it took me to retrieve them, and pride swells in my chest. That was all me. I exhausted her with endless pleasure. I flip the bottles in the air and catch them, humming a tune to myself as I head to the bathroom to clean up the mess we left.
Small wisps of energy still circle the room, and I eye the shower bench fondly, remembering the sounds of mindless pleasure that echoed on the tile as I pushed her past her limits. I don’t know how I did it, to be honest. It’s like my powers, in whatever weird way they’re able to discern emotion, recognize how special she is to me and they won’t hurt her.
I’ve never felt more powerful, more centered, more in control than in that moment when she surrendered to me. God, it was exquisite. The way her perky tits bounced and her sweet, sweet—
“Clay?” Her voice carries with a hint of concern, and I jog to the doorway, leaning against it in all my naked glory. I’m half hard again just at the sight of her laying naked in the bed.
“Yes, Flowers?”
She lets out a sigh and cracks a grin. “So it wasn’t a hallucination?”
I crawl towards her on the bed, taking her face in my hands and kissing her until we’re both breathless. “Nope.” I pop the ‘p’ and she laughs. “You just took a little power nap. It’s only been about twenty minutes.”
She runs her fingers through her hair, her cheeks flushing. “God, I probably look like a hot mess.”
“You absolutely do. It’s sexy as fuck.”
She grins.
“You also snore like a little piggy.”
Her grin drops.
I put my hands up in surrender. “What? It’s cute.”
“I do not snore.”
“Okay.” I bite my lip.
She glares at me, and I can’t contain my laughter. She smacks my arm and I catch her wrist, bringing her palm to my mouth, where I plant a kiss.
“Is now a good time to admit your death glares and eye rolls make my dick hard?”
“Nevermind, you were right. I hate you.”
I laugh and pull her against me, ignoring her half-hearted protests. “An hour ago, you were screaming my name and threatening bodily harm if I stopped.”
“Doesn’t mean I don’t hate you.”
I kiss the tip of her nose. “Don’t even get me started on what your little nose scrunch does to me. It’s like a hit of dopamine.”
She flattens her lips, and I grin at her, waiting her out. Her laughter bubbles over. “You’re incorrigible.”
“Only on my best days,” I flash her my easy grin and she melts in my arms.
“So this must be the best day ever,” she says with a little sassy smirk.
I squint one eye shut. “Top three at least.”
“How did you do that thing? With your powers?”
I lean against the headboard and she settles between my outstretched legs, drawing little circles on my forearm as I try not to be too obvious about sniffing her hair.
“I’m not sure.”
She heaves a sigh.
“I hate to be that girl, but we should talk about what happens next.”
I take a deeper sniff. “Buzzkill.”
“We can’t stay here forever, as much as I want to. Have you heard anything from Raven?”
I sigh. “No. Not yet, but you’re right. It’s coming. Whatever happens, we’re in this together. I’m not leaving your side.”
“You said Infinitum could turn us against each other.”
I squeeze her tight. “They could.”
“Maybe we should come up with a safe word so we know we’re on each other’s side.”
“Safe words won’t work. Once we say it out loud, it becomes a memory.”
“What can’t they change? There has to be a loophole.”
“If you find one, you better let me know.”
She chews on her inner lip like she does when she’s working through a problem, and I love her for it.
“That static energy when you’re around. What’s that about?” she asks.
I chuckle. “That’s me not being able to control myself around you.”
She frowns, turning in my arms to face me. “But I felt it the moment I walked in the room when we first met.”
I grin. “That tracks.”
She plants a soft kiss on my lips. “I couldn’t focus that whole day. Even when you were being a dick, I couldn’t stop thinking about you.”
I wink at her and she slaps my chest.
“So your powers are linked to your emotions?”
“I’d say they’re fueled by them.”
“Infinitum can’t touch that, right?”
Paul’s golden eyes right before he snapped my neck flash in my memory. “They can take over our bodies, but that takes years of manipulation. They didn’t get that far with me.”
“Can you tell when I’m lying?”
I snort. “If I could, we wouldn’t be here.”
“Have you ever tried?”
“No.”
“Then let’s try. I’ll give you two truths and a lie and you tell me which one is the lie based on what your powers are telling you.”
She sits with her legs crossed and chews on her inner lip. I focus on her patterns, getting lost in the loops and swirls.
“I’ve never been to Paris.” Her patterns remain the same.
“I’ll put steak sauce on almost anything.” Still no change.
“Never tell Paul. You’ll break his heart,” I say.
She smirks. “I’ll forgive my father someday.” The flowers move, jumping around like they’re glitching, but there’s no pattern to it. It’s random and jarring. My eyes widen.
“You’ve never lied to me before. Have you?”
“I had no reason to.”
I swallow hard, emotions clawing at my soul.
“You went staticy again.”
I take her hand and squeeze as an idea hits me. If she can sense my energy, maybe she can learn something from it too.
“Let’s try it in reverse. See if you can sense anything.”
She nods. “Okay, good idea.”
“I’m the only one on the team who can beat Paul in a fight.” She narrows her gaze, staring at our joined hands.
“The first thing I’m going to do when we beat Infinitum is take a long nap.” She chews on her inner lip.
“You’re the first person I’ve been intimate with since my escape.”
Her eyes widen and she stares at me open-mouthed while my heart pounds in my chest. She recovers, grinning as she pretends to glare at me. “You lie to me a lot.”
I laugh, pulling her against my chest. “I had to.”
“You did two lies and a truth.”
I nod, running my hand through her hair.
“The first one was obvious because there’s no way you could beat Paul.”
I frown, letting her hair drop to her shoulder. “I’ll try not to be offended by that.”
She snorts. “The second one was harder, because you deserve a nice long nap. But what’s the truth?”
“The first thing I’m gonna do when we defeat Infinitum?”
She nods.
“I’ll take you to Paris for an entire month.”
“I’m going to hold you to that.” Her smile slays me as her patterns shift into pure happiness.
“What was that light coming off of you in the lake? It had such intricate, beautiful designs.”
“That’s uh…” I clear my throat, but she squeezes my hand, encouraging me to explain. I heave a sigh. “My powers allow me to see different energies as patterns. Everything and everyone has their own unique signature, like snowflakes, but there are some similarities. What you saw was the visual representation of my energies.”
“Is that how you see the world?”
“I can turn it on and off.”
“How was I able to see it?”
“My powers turned them into visible light. I’d never seen them before. It never crossed my mind to look at my own.”
“Is that why you ran off?”
I squeeze her tighter. “No. I ran off because they were identical to yours.”
She frowns. “What does that mean?”
“I’m not one hundred percent sure,” I say, shifting underneath her.
I drop my gaze and she lifts my chin up. “What are you sure about?”
“I’m sure that I care about you a great deal, and that tonight has been the happiest of my life.”
She graces me with a gorgeous smile, and then she kisses me. I sink into her, soaking in her sass, her kindness, her willingness to trust me despite everything we’ve been through. I still can’t bring myself to say it out loud, but for better or worse, I trust her too.
“Clayton. Fox. You better give my bra back or I’m going to strangle you with it.”
I jog through the forest, slow enough so she still sees me ahead. I glance back and laugh as she chases after me, her hands clinging to her naked breasts.
Fuck, she is gorgeous.
Her blonde hair glows in the sunlight spearing through the trees, the purple hue underneath making her seem like a sexy wood elf.
“You can’t strangle me if you can’t catch me, and guess what? You’ll only catch me if I let you.”
“We need to set some ground rules. This is so not fair,” she calls after me.
I speed ahead and circle around behind her. She grumbles under her breath. “Stupid sexy super soldier thinks he’s funny.”
“I know I’m funny,” I say, and she screams and spins, bringing her fists up to fight and exposing her luscious breasts. I salivate at the sight and push her up against the nearest tree, protecting her naked back with her bra.
She gasps as I pull her nipple into my mouth and lets out a sexy moan. “Clay. Not here,” she breathes, but doesn’t move to stop me. We’ve been playing this cat-and-mouse game all morning, and I can’t get enough of it. I’ve learned over the past few days that getting her flushed and exasperated always leads to sexy times.
I shove my hand into her leggings, my fingers meeting soft, warm wetness, and I groan against her skin.
“Already wet for me, Flowers.”
She frowns, but I see the surrender in her eyes. “Make it quick. It’s freezing out here.”
“As you command, my lady,” I say and she hums in approval.
“Now that’s more like it.”
Her smug grin turns to surprise as I spin her around and yank her leggings to her ankles. I press her shoulders down until she’s bent over, exposing me to paradise. I’m already rock hard, so a quick spit and a few strokes and I’m sliding inside her tight, warm cunt.
“Damn. Flowers. It gets better every time.”
“Shut up and fuck me,” she says with a sassy glare over her shoulder, and I pound into her with a grin that slides off my face as I focus on bringing her pleasure. We’ve fucked so much the past few days, I already know the perfect angle. It only takes a few moments for her to come, and I don’t even have to use my powers.
I slow to a stop once her pussy grip loosens around me and kiss her shoulder. She drops to her knees, spinning so fast my cock is in her mouth before I realize what’s happening. She devours me, taking me all the way in the back of her throat, and I brace myself against the tree as I whimper. I’m at her mercy, and she takes full advantage.
“Fuck, Fiona. You look so pretty with your lips wrapped around me.”
She grips the base of my cock and squeezes. She groans, sending tiny shock waves of pleasure through my groin and my eyes roll back. It only takes a few pumps before she sucks the life out of me and I watch her swallow every drop in disbelief.
I lean over, cradling her face in my hands as she grins up at me like she’s just won some glorious victory. I’ll lose that battle every damn time.
“Do you have any idea how perfect you are?”
Her grin falters, and her eyes water. I lift her under her shoulders and hold her against me. “What is it? Did I say something wrong?”
She shakes her head, forcing a laugh as she wipes away her tears. “No. No. You’re perfect Clay. I’m just not used to being treated so well.”
Damn. If that doesn’t spear right through my heart. I lift her chin and stare into her beautiful eyes. “You’re the cleverest, strongest, and most annoying woman I’ve ever known.”
She chuckles.
“If anything, I’m the one who should be on his knees for you.”
“But I enjoy being on my knees for you.”
I smile, rubbing my thumb over her bottom lip. “And I’m the luckiest bastard in the world for it.”
She lets out a half laugh, half sob, and I hug her again. “You better cover those beautiful titties. Wouldn't want the wood elves to get a free show.”
She snorts a laugh and yanks her bra from my grasp. I frown once they're covered, and she takes my hand. "Come on, lightning boy, let's go make some lunch. I'm starving."
I grin. "But you just ate."
Her eyes sparkle as she smirks and steps into my embrace, trailing a finger over my pectoral muscle. "I can't help it. You make me ravenous."
I grab her under her thighs and speed us to the bunker. We don't make it to the kitchen for several more hours.
Fiona looks up from her romance novel as I depart the bathroom and smiles at me like I’m her favorite person on the planet. The feeling is one hundred percent mutual.
“Has Count Drake admitted his feelings yet?” I ask.
Her face lights up even more and she drops the book to her lap. “Do you read romance novels?”
I smirk as I fill the kettle to make a cup of Sylvie’s elixir. “I’ve read that one. Once he admits his feelings, it’s a one way ticket to pound town.” She cackles as I thrust my hips and wiggle my eyebrows.
“Oh yeah? When does Lady Aster admit her feelings for the Count?”
I cross my arms and lean against the counter. “When she can no longer deny her attraction.” I flex my pecs, one at a time, so they jiggle and she flings her head back with more laughter. I speed to her, capturing the unforgettable sound in my mouth, and she returns the kiss with fervor.
“So you’re saying I should have admitted my feelings last week?” she asks.
“Duh. Way to drag it out. The anticipation is killing me.” I hop over the back of the couch and tuck her feet into my lap. She drops her head to the side as I massage the arch of her foot.
“You could admit yours first.”
“And give you the satisfaction? I don’t think so.”
She fails at suppressing a smile.
“You don’t have to admit anything. I can see it plain as day.”
She frowns. “And what do you see?”
I smirk. “You’re head over heels in love with me.”
“You’re not as charming as you think you are.”
“Sure I am.” I lean over and kiss her forehead, before hopping up to turn the whistling kettle off. She follows me to the kitchen and I sense her mood shift. She crosses her arms while she watches me mix our drinks and I set our mugs on the table and pull her into me.
“How do you know?” she whispers.
It’s a fair question, considering our pasts.
I search her face as I struggle to find the words to explain, and she sighs. “What if this is just lust and proximity? What if everything changes once it’s time to leave the bunker?”
“Easy. We can stay here forever.”
She laughs and shakes her head. “I’m serious, Clay. What if it’s all an illusion?”
Her words hit close to home and I sigh. “Charlie says that the feelings I had for Candace were real. That it was an illusion doesn’t negate my feelings.”
“So you’ve been in love before?”
I shake my head. “That’s the thing. Those feelings I had, real or not, were nothing like this.” I take her hand and squeeze. “This is real, Fiona. You and me. I’ve felt it from the moment we met, and it’s why I was so scared. But whatever happens to us, we’re going to have this time down here where nothing else in the world matters but each other. If we can remember that, we can get through anything.”
“What if they make me forget? What if–” I place my finger over her mouth and replace it with my lips.
“They could do horrible things to us. Even try to make us kill each other.” My eyes water and I take a minute to push the terrifying thought away. “But if we deny our joy and happiness because we’re scared they will take it away, they’ve already won.”
She takes my hand and brings it to cup her face. “Promise me you’ll never leave me.”
“I’ll promise to try really fucking hard to stay by your side.”
Her lip quivers. “I love you, Clay.”
Something deep in my chest releases, and it’s like I can breathe again.
“I know.”
I press my lips to hers and all the pieces of my tattered soul knit back together.