Chapter 12 – Vivian
I t was like walking through the most delicious forest. A heavenly, earthy smell enveloped me. I sighed deeply, content to linger in the dreamless state. But my body had other ideas. One by one, my senses slowly turned on. I noticed two things right away. The first, and most vocal, was that I had to pee.
The second was a heavy weight across my torso. The band was comforting. The solid presence promised protection. I snuggled under its hold. Even the screams of my bladder couldn’t pull me from this wonderful place.
The heaviness resting on me tightened reflexively, drawing me back into a mass of hardness. It was so warm . Whatever manner of creature lay next to me, it inhaled. There was a rough growl that sounded more beast than man.
A soft sigh escaped my lips. This was nice. I could stay in the fairytale dream a little longer.
This beast wouldn’t eat me. I was safe so long as I stayed in his arms. My back rubbed long and slow against the monster. Like a cat stretching, I enjoyed the feel of the hardness behind me.
Heat coiled deep inside. Whatever manner of creature it was, it felt so damn good to wake up next to another being. The fantasy lasted a moment longer.
But the moment my brain joined the conversation, it asked a very pointed question to my groggy senses. Whose arm is that?
Although my eyes were closed, I frowned. Did it matter? I was tucked into a strong, comforting presence.
“If you don’t stop that wriggling, I’m not going to answer for what I’m about to do.” The sound was a deep masculine timbre.
It sent a pulse of need from my core to the tips of my fingers.
Turning toward his presence, I cracked my eyes open to see glacial eyes stare back at me. A shiver raced down my spine. But it wasn’t from the cold. Pinned under its weight, I burned.
“ You! ” I seethed.
I shot from under his hold.
Luka let me go.
“What the hell are you doing?” I gasped, sitting up and taking the covers with me.
Bathed in the dim light, Luka lay there naked. That body that I’d enjoyed watching during our night swim was now on full display. There were no questions left to the imagination.
He’s huge! Heat pulsed between my legs.
“Why are you naked?! What are you doing?”
My captor grunted. “Sleeping. Until you decided to writhe all over me.”
“What are you doing in my bed?” Shrill seemed to be my only volume.
Those muscles stretched, long and lean. He was perfectly built, not too bulky, but chiseled and defined. “I wasn’t sleeping on the couch, and —” his voice rose over my protest “—we didn’t start snuggling. You curled into me sometime around two a.m. Haven’t left my side since.”
Those light blue eyes flashed.
I let out a rough breath. “I did not initiate snuggling with my kidnapper.”
“That’s really not the accurate term,” he yawned, pulling his arms over his head once more.
White-hot anger spiked in my veins. I snatched a pillow and brought it down with every ounce of brutal force I could muster.
Luka grabbed the pillow and wrenched it from my hands.
I had the other already. I drove it onto his head, struggling and trying with all my might to suffocate him. It was futile; I knew that. It didn’t stop me from trying.
Instead of ripping my hands away, Luka snatched my waist.
One moment, I was bent over him. The next, I was moving through the air. My back smacked against the bed.
“Don’t start a pillow fight unless you’re sure you can win, darlin,” he purred.
The low, sensual sound of his voice skated over my skin.
That heat low in my belly blazed. It took all my control not to wrap my legs around him and squeeze.
“You’re a monster!” Air left my lungs, full of indignation and wrath.
“Now that is a title I’ll gladly wear.” The corners of his mouth curved, a feline grin making his face nothing short of beautiful.
I dropped my gaze, refusing to enjoy the sight above me.
Only…that was a mistake.
Those broad shoulders flexed. My gaze trailed over the expanse, unable to resist the temptation. His pecs were carved, and below? The bubbles of abs peeped before our bodies touched. Did he have to look so good?
And that rock-hard erection? It was pressed against my thigh. He was so close to my aching, needy pussy. Just scoot over a few more inches!
I couldn’t believe what I wanted. This demigod would be one hell of a good time.
Me, on the other hand…. There was no way I wasn’t a train wreck. After the kidnapping, the swim in the swamp, and the hours in the car, I felt like I could sleep a thousand more years. What was more, I distinctly remembered through the fog of the migraine that he’d bathed me—and I refused to think of what he’d seen. Instead, I focused on my hair. I went to bed with wet, uncombed hair. My curls were a blessing but could curse me just as easily.
“What’s running through your mind, little one?” he urged in a low, lazy tone. “Your cheeks are bright.”
I snapped my gaze to his. There was an intensity there that I wasn’t prepared to see. He looked at me as though he’d seen the most incredible thing. Chills broke out over my body.
No one had ever looked at me like that before.
It was as though he saw me . Not the means to an end that my presence could provide.
I was seconds from bringing him closer. Extinguishing all distance. What would that mouth feel against mine? How would his touch feel? Would it scorch my body in the best ways?
And that thick present. One little rock of my hips, and he would slide where I needed him….
Jeeze.
I had it bad for my kidnapper.
“Get off me, I have to go to the bathroom,” I said, hating the breathlessness in my voice.
The corner of his mouth quirked up. My stomach did a little flip, but I refused to show it. There was no way I would allow myself to be attracted to my kidnapper, let alone clue him in on that!
“Say please, baby.” His voice was rough and gravelly. It brushed over my skin like sandpaper, doing things to my insides that I refused to name.
“You’ve got to be kidding me!” I jerked against his hold.
Luka chuckled darkly. “Test me, and see just how serious I am.”
Heaven help me, I wanted to. The piece of my soul that refused to back down, refused to give in to bullies, wanted to take this as far as it would go. If neither of us yielded, so be it. My insanity knew no bounds, and I would take him off the cliff with me.
But…bodily functions did not care about the moral high ground.
“Please get off me, I have to go to the bathroom,” I said through clenched teeth.
The twinkle in his eyes that I’d seemingly caved had my fists curling into balls. It would feel so good to slug him. Right there, in the jaw.
This isn’t over, mister.