27. Torus
“Ithink it would be okay to share the bed. After all, there’s plenty of room,” Molly said in an offhand tone—as though it didn’t matter to her where she slept.
Of course, Torus could tell that it did matter to her—very much. He could also tell that she was still disappointed that they couldn’t Bond. She was also wondering if maybe he was just making an excuse because he didn’t want to Bond her to him.
Nothing could be further from the truth—Torus wished he could convince her of that. The closer they got, the more he wanted her. The sweet, curvy little Elite had gotten into his heart somehow and he felt closer to her every minute they spent together.
Part of that was probably the TET link they shared, he thought. It was difficult not to feel close to someone when you could hear their thoughts and feel their emotions. But part of it was what Molly had said—they were compatible. It felt like they belonged together—if only they weren’t so mismatched physically…
“What do you think?” she asked and he realized she was waiting for him to answer.
“Oh, um, certainly.” Torus nodded. “I don’t see any reason why we shouldn’t share the bed.”
The moment he said it, he knew he shouldn’t have. There was a very good reason not to share the bed—namely that he was putting out his Bonding Scent again and Molly was definitely being affected by it. He could hear her thinking how good he smelled every time she was close to him—as well as her thoughts that she wanted to get closer to him—much closer.
Torus wanted to be close to her too—he couldn’t think of anything he wanted more than to hold her small, curvy body close to his and give her pleasure. But he knew if they went too far, it might make the effects of the Bonding Fruit she’d ingested worse. And though she tried to pretend she wasn’t having any effects at all, he thought she was. He could smell her heat and feel her desire through their TET link. So he reluctantly decided that even if they were sharing the bed, they should probably keep their distance from each other.
They had taken turns showering earlier and dressed in their nightclothes. Torus only ever wore sleep trousers to bed and preferred to sleep bare-chested. Molly, he couldn’t help noticing, was wearing a sheer silky nightdress in a shade of green that made her hazel eyes seem almost emerald tonight. He could see the stiff points of her nipples pressing against the thin fabric and he couldn’t help wondering what it would feel like to pull up her nightdress and suck them until she moaned for him…
No, stop it! he told himself as he slid under the covers, making sure to stay on his side of the bed. Stop thinking like that—you’re only going to make things worse.
Molly slid into her side of the bed as well and turned towards him. Torus could hear her wishing that he would come to her…and then wishing she had enough courage to go to him. When he felt her longing and loneliness through their link, it took every ounce of his willpower not to go to her. He wanted so badly to take her in his arms and cuddle her close to his chest…to feel her small, curvy body melting against his…
Somehow, he managed not to do it. Turning on his side, he put his back to her and reached to turn off the lamp.
“Goodnight, sweetheart,” he murmured in the darkness.
He heard a long, sad sigh behind him and her soft voice replied,
“Goodnight.”
And then there was nothing to do but try to sleep.