84. Summer
Chapter Eighty-Four
Summer
T he warm sun fills the room, casting a yellow hue over the gentle, barely conscious space where I am drifting. I shift, and the muscular arms wrapped around me tighten a little.
Stranger.
He’s the warmth beneath me and the safety wrapped around me.
He moans softly and buries his face in my hair, inhaling deeply.
Neither of us is fully awake, both of us still clinging to the realm of sleep, possibly because we’re struggling to accept that this is real, that we’re here in bed together.
He strokes his hand down my back and over my ass, cupping my thigh and pulling my leg over his hip as he rolls toward me.
He presses a hot, open-mouthed kiss to my neck before sinking his teeth into my flesh.
I moan loudly when he flicks his tongue over the mark and grips my ass, pulling me closer.
My eyes are still closed, but I am definitely awake now.
So is he, and he has woken up with that insatiable need of his.
“Good morning, Stranger,” I moan, digging my nails into his chest a little. He growls, and I feel his erection throb against my hip. Fuck.
My eyes ping open, and I find him looking at me, his expression hiding none of his desire.
“Good morning, little fae,” he purrs, and I glance at his lips as his tongue darts out to wet them.
I swallow, my nails still embedded in his chest, leaving small white crescent shapes in his skin.
“Sleep well?” I ask, my voice deep with desire .
“Very.”
“I’m going to go take a shower,” I say after clearing my throat, but he tightens his arms around me, holding me closer.
“I know we made an agreement, but?—”
“Stranger . . .”
He huffs. “Nothing sexual? You’re sure?” he asks, making no move to release me.
“We shouldn’t. Not now. Not yet.”
Everything is so fucking confusing. My mind is a mess, and adding orgasms given to me by this man into the mix certainly will not help, because deep down, I know he is going to shatter my world completely.
I know my feelings are all over the place.
I went from trying with everything I am to hate him, to blaming him for everything that happened last year, to giving in to the feelings I’ve been masking for longer than I’d like to admit.
Being without the lies is so incredibly liberating, but I have no map for this, and I need a moment to figure out what it all means.
He drags his thumb along my hip, making me shiver, and I feel his cock twitch against me.
I know he’s struggling. So am I, but I know this is the right call.
Especially considering I’m not sure how things are going to be when we return to Avalon.
Perhaps this is simply a ceasefire while we’re here.
Who knows what will happen once we are back amid the stressors of everyday life?
I ease my nails out of his chest, and I am happy when I see I was correct about the angry crescent shapes left there. He holds me to him, his eyes roaming over my face before he releases me and rolls to his back, dramatically draping his arm over his eyes.
“Fuck,” he growls, and I try to avoid looking at where his cock is tenting the sheets, but I do take a minute to appreciate the muscles of his chest and abs.
Fuck is right.
I climb out of bed and walk to the bathroom, able to feel the heat of his eyes on me.
“Want some company?” he asks, desire lacing the roughness of his voice.
“What did we just talk about?” I ask, glancing at him over my shoulder.
“What if there are unknown dangers in there? Who will protect you?”
“Unknown dangers in the bathroom of your five-star suite in the most exclusive resort this side of Avalon?”
He shrugs. “You never know. ”
“I’m sure I’ll be fine, but if I call out the word?.?.?. peony, that’s your sign that I’m in mortal danger,” I say, my lips tugging upward.
“I’ll be listening, princess,” he says, a mischievous smile in his dark eyes.
I shower alone, but I can practically feel his energy vibrating through the wall, the desire swirling through it, nearly driving me wild.
More than once, I feel the word tingling on the tip of my tongue, begging to be spoken, but I know I can’t.
I know we wouldn’t be able to be naked and wet in the shower and not give in to what we both need. And it is a need at this point.
I wrap a big, fluffy towel around my body and leave the bathroom. As suspected, he is pacing in the room, his gray sweatpants hanging tantalizingly low around his hips. The second I step back into the room, his eyes meet mine, and they’re even darker than before.
“I’ll need to go back to my room,” I say.
“What? Why?”
“I don’t have my clothes here.”
“I asked the concierge to bring your case here while we were out last night,” he says, nodding toward the closet.
I quirk a brow and step into the small room beside the bathroom. It is full of clothes that aren’t quite familiar, thanks to Alice’s packing, but they are ones I saw yesterday as I rooted through my bags, looking for my bathing suit.
He leans in the doorway, watching me, but I don’t care.
I enjoy the feeling of his eyes on me as I choose a pair of denim shorts and a cute sage-green bralette with a crocheted design.
His gaze roams over me hungrily as I drop the towel and start to get dressed.
I see the muscles in his abdomen clench, and his hands curl into fists, but he stays where he is.
“Are you going to get dressed?” I ask, looking at him still just in his sweatpants. Not that he doesn’t look mouthwateringly delicious like this, but this is for my eyes only.
He narrows his eyes and crooks his finger at me. I walk to him, and the second I’m within arm’s reach, he pulls me against him.
“You need a shirt,” he growls, low and possessive.
“I’m wearing one,” I say with a small frown.
He slides his hand over my bare back and brushes his thumb along the band of the bralette. “This is not a shirt.”
I quirk a brow. “Don’t you like it? ”
He growls again and steps around me. Pulling one of his shirts from a hanger, he returns and drapes it over my shoulders.
“No, I’m wearing this,” I say with a frown, trying to stop him from buttoning it up.
“You are mine,” he says, grabbing me again and fitting me to him. His abs press against my stomach, and my entire body thrums at the contact. “Seeing you dressed like this already drives me wild with desire. Do you want me to hurt someone?”
Yes.
The whispered word in my mind makes my darkness swirl. I fucking love this show of possession, and I know my panties are soaked, the lace pressing uncomfortably against the most sensitive parts of me, but also, fuck him.
“Let me be clear, Stranger,” I say. “I am my own person. I wear what I want.”
His shoulders tighten, and a muscle flexes in his jaw, his eyes flashing with anger. “So you’ll be fine if I go out shirtless?”
“I’m not shirtless.”
“Answer the question, little fae.”
I bristle because I can feel jealousy flicker to life within me. It’s something I never felt with Connor, never felt with anyone but the stranger, and I fucking hate it.
“No. I wouldn’t,” I say, giving him the gift of my truth. I know that at some point this has to end, and we will go back to the lies and secrets, so I want to enjoy this while I can. “But I am wearing a bralette. It isn’t the same.”
He slides his hand beneath his shirt, seeking the feel of my skin. His eyes are still flickering with anger, but I can tell he appreciated my truth, and he relaxes a little. “Am I being overbearing?”
“Yes.” There, another truth, asshole.
“I am not a possessive or jealous person,” he says, and I’m about to point out Exhibit A, B, and fucking C about how that isn’t true, when he continues. “Except when it comes to you.”
Do I relate another truth? A scary one?
“The only gaze I am interested in here is yours,” I say. Butterflies explode in my stomach as the nerves overtake me, but then he spanks me hard, my ass stinging from his palm, and another surge of desire plows through me.
“Good. I’ll try to keep it under control. ”
“I’m starving,” I say, leaning against him to brush my lips along his jaw.
“Well then, we need to get you fed,” he says, nipping my lip lightly before pulling back. He smacks my ass before releasing me to get dressed.
He slides his hand into mine, and we leave his room. Every time anyone gets near us, his hand tightens on mine. His eyes are darting around, and he nearly snarls at everyone we pass. I pull him to a stop outside the dining room, and he blinks, looking at me.
“You’re about to break my hand.”
He blinks again and releases my hand. I stretch it out, trying to relieve the ache.
“Sorry,” he says, grimacing. “I’m trying.”
My lips twitch, and I nod as we walk into the dining room.
He moves in closer, and he cups my hip, brushing his thumb along my bare skin, making me shiver. “I’ll work on it.”
I press up onto my tiptoes, biting his cheek playfully. He growls at me, his eyes darkening by the second.
“Summer!” Alice’s voice pulls me from my haze of lust, and I turn my head to find her. She’s already at a table with Rafe, and I take the stranger’s hand again, guiding him to the table.
The stranger pulls my chair out for me again, and the moment he sits, servers set food before us. I take a sip of my coffee, but pause when an envelope appears beside the stranger’s plate. I watch as he picks it up and opens it immediately.
“So?.?.?.” Alice says, pulling my attention away from him. “You two are late for breakfast.”
“We are?” I ask, taking a bite of my pastry and smiling at Rafe. He tips his chin at me and continues eating, but I notice he keeps glancing at the door as if he is waiting for someone.
“I mean, I’m always late, and I made it here before you,” Alice says, sipping from her teacup, which appears to be full of thick crimson blood.
“Not too busy trying to get the shifter dick out of your mouth, then?” I ask, pouring some juice for the stranger before filling my glass. Alice flashes her fangs at me and flips me off, both of us bursting into laughter a moment later.
The stranger tucks the contents of the envelope back inside and slides his hand over my bare thigh. “Rafe,” the stranger says, his voice full of humor, and I glance at him .
“What?” Rafe asks, looking up from his plate.
“I’ve received an interesting invoice from the hotel,” the stranger says, tapping the envelope.
Rafe quirks a brow. “Okay?”
The stranger chuckles, and it’s such a filthy sound that it makes my core tighten. “About some permanent damage to the beach.” He reaches into the envelope and pulls out a couple of Polaroids. Before anyone can see them, Alice has snatched them from him.
“Holy fuck, Rafe!” Alice practically squeals, and I snatch one of the photos from her.
It’s a photo of the sand, but it’s been hardened to glass, and it shimmers in the sunlight, showing the perfect mold of a female ass. Next to it is the imprint of a male’s, though it’s not as formed. Clearly, the ground had cooled a bit by then.
“Whoa, who did this? Nice ass!” I say, leaning toward Alice to see the photo she is holding. The stranger’s hand tightens on my leg, making sure I am within reach.
“This is better than a fingerprint!” Alice says, as Rafe lunges to grab the photos, his cheeks red with embarrassment, but Alice and I are faster.
“Damn, Rafe, who is this female?” I say, rotating the photo to look at it from another angle.
“No one,” Rafe growls, trying to grab it again, but I hold it farther away. The stranger wraps his arm around me protectively, steadying me.
“Oh? Not a redhead?” the stranger asks, and I glance at a stunning redheaded female who is standing in line for a coffee. I noticed she hesitated and stared at Rafe’s back when she came in before turning away. No doubt this is who he’s been waiting for.
Rafe follows my eyes, and the female turns as if sensing his gaze.
His entire demeanor changes. A calm washes over him, and I can see him settle as he watches her with something akin to longing.
It’s like magic, and I sit up a little straighter.
The redhead smiles, and a beautiful conflagration of roiling flames lights her dark eyes before she turns away again.
Ah, this must be the phoenix.
With all of us distracted, Rafe succeeds in snatching the photos from Alice and me. We laugh as he snarls at us and pushes away from the table, moving toward her as if pulled by a magnet.