Chapter 37 #2
I start at his neck, sudsing behind his ears and under his jaw, down his throat and across his shoulders, washing away all the horror of the last few hours.
He purrs and drops his forehead against mine as I draw my hands down his back, riding over the peaks of his shoulder blades and the tight bands of muscle between them.
“I love you,” he murmurs.
I kiss him, my arms clasped around his neck. “I love you, too.”
Soaping up my hands again, I concentrate on his chest, his brutally, stunningly perfect chest. My fingers glide over his pecs, then start their descent.
On their way down, I count his abs, three …
four… five… When I grasp his hard length, his hands fly from my waist to slap against the shower wall.
He wavers as I stroke him, his head dropping back and moans rumbling in his chest.
With a sudden, sharp growl, he snatches my wrist and kisses me fiercely, backing me up until I nearly crash into the wall. There, he throws up a hand, protecting my head from hitting the hard tiles. I grip his shoulders while he hooks his arms under my thighs and hoists me up in one quick pull.
He slips his fingers between my legs, and with impressive patience and restraint, draws firm circles until I’m trembling and my back arches off the wall.
“Now, Leo. Please.”
He withdraws his hand, leaving me delirious and aching, and brushes his thumb across his fingers. A sound shield.
His eyes trap mine. “Hold on to me.” Offering no warning, no chance to breathe, he nudges my legs open wider and sinks deep inside me.
I stifle a cry as pleasure explodes from my core. My nails dig into his neck.
“A chuisle mo chroí.” The words pour from his throat, as hot and as thick as lava.
One hand on the wall above my head and the other under my hips, he pushes into me, again and again. Overpowered by waves of heat, I fight to open my eyes. I want to see him. Need to see him. This could be our last time.
He watches me, his emotions pulsing with every stroke. Emotions that match mine. Fear, regret, and worry. Determination, devotion, and possession.
My eyes slam shut as he thrusts harder, but no faster, deep and strong, his supporting arm steady. He could hold me like this all night; he’s the master of self-control. I’m the one who’s coming undone. My muscles tighten around him, intensifying the sensations.
I let out a moan.
“Shhh,” he gently warns, but I don’t understand why. I don’t even know where we are. I don’t even care.
I cry out his name as the pleasure peaks, every muscle in my body seizing.
The wave breaks and crashes in a rush of heat, jolting me off the wall.
He growls as he grips me, keeping me steady and holding himself off until I’m no longer bucking.
Then with a low groan he lets go, arms tightening around me and his face buried in my neck.
We cling to each other like someone is trying to tear us apart, neither of us willing to think about what the next few hours might bring. In this shower, we’re clean and warm and safe. And together.
“Nothing can take me away from you,” he whispers against my shoulder. “I promise, I’ll come back.”
I unlock my ankles and hang onto his neck as I set my feet down. “If you don’t, I’ll find you. No matter what realm you’re in.”
Never wanting to be cold and wet again, I hunt down a blow-dryer, but Leo pulls me into his arms before I can switch it on. I smooth his damp hair back from his temples and comb it with my nails over his pointed ears.
He waits until he has my full attention before saying, “Tell me exactly what happened.”
Puzzled, I continue tracing his jaw.
He prompts me, “How did you end up in the river?”
“Oh. One of the ghosts.” I shiver. “He made me throw myself in.”
“Gods.” Leo shakes his head in disbelief. “I didn’t know what happened to you. One minute you were there, and the next you were gone. It wasn’t until you came up for a breath that I realized you were in the water.”
“And you jumped in to get me.”
His arms stretch across my back and his voice comes out gruff. Anguished. “I thought you were drowning.”
“I was,” I admit. “I stayed under too long, digging out the box.”
His brow dips. “How on earth—?”
“I don’t know,” I say. “When I came to in the water, I thought for sure I was going to drown. I mean, it was so cold. But then… but then once I stopped panicking, I just started swimming, like I’d been swimming all my life.
I can’t even explain it. It was like there was this voice telling me what to do. ”
“You could swim even though you were feeling the bracelet?”
I nod, toying with the stubble on his chin. “This might sound crazy, but I could swear the water was protecting me. Like my velvet cloak. The emotions were there, but they couldn’t really get in.”
He’s quiet for a long moment, so long I look up into his eyes. He’s considering me, wearing his putting-the-pieces-together face. A crease forms between his brows, and his teeth gnaw at his lower lip. I reach up and free it. Kiss it.
Three hard raps on the bedroom door have us jumping apart.
“Topaz is back!” Avery calls out.
Both relief and anxiety sweep through me. Topaz is okay.
But now it’s time for the fae to go on the lam.