Chapter 26
They’d just turned on the movie when the power went out. Calla jumped beside him, and he reached out and put his hand on her knee.
"It's okay. It's just the storm."
She laughed, but sounded nervous, so he moved closer and took her hand. When her shoulder brushed against his, warmth spread through him.
Elowen stood along with Knuckles, who looked concerned. "I guess I need to go check on the big cabin and make sure the generator popped on."
“You stay, I’ll go,” Griz said.
“Nonsense. We can both go.”
Griz held out his hand, and she took it.
It was nice to see that Griz had found someone.
Thario had lost hope of having a good relationship.
He shouldn’t have squandered his youth. But then again, if he had found someone, he wouldn’t be here with Calla.
He might not have ever found her, and she could still be living under Brent’s thumb.
“Knuckles can stay with us,” Thario said.
Griz’s laughter bounced around the room. “Good luck making her stay. I swear she is glued to Elowen in the evenings.”
“Yeah, she doesn’t like me going out after dark.”
"Good dog," Thario said. Both Frog and Knuckles looked back at him, and he reached forward, scratching both of them.
The pair left, with Knuckles in tow. The dog was dedicated to Elowen.
He stood and watched them get into the car under the metal carport, all three of them entering on the driver's side so they didn't get wet.
“He’s a good man,” Calla said.
“He is. I think his size and overall appearance scares people.”
She nodded. “I could see that.”
Lightning lit up the sky, and thunder rolled over the land. He could see her reflection in the glass, and he knew she could see his.
About a minute after the truck had disappeared from view, Calla glanced up at him. He turned to look at her.
The lights were still off, but the storm was going off enough that he could hold eye contact with Calla. She had pretty eyes. Her nose was cute and perky. And her lips were full, but not too full.
He shouldn’t push her for a relationship. She needed time to heal, and he wasn’t the best guy out there. He’d never really had a long-term girlfriend.
She placed her hand on the center of his chest, and his heart sped up. Could she feel how hard his heart pounded?
Though he didn’t want to push, he cupped the side of her face and leaned in, not close enough for a kiss, but closer than he’d been before.
“You have soft skin.”
“I like the warmth from your hands.”
Her words spoken in hushed, husky tones did a number on him. His dick would be obvious if he didn’t move away from her.
She ran her hand down to his waist and squeezed. He sucked in air, trying to stay calm, but with her touching him, it wasn't possible.
Heat filled him, and desire spiked. No way would he push her to do more than kiss. She was too special, and he didn’t want to ruin his chances.
Calla liked how touching Thario made her feel. She wanted to pull him closer but feared that her inexperience would be thought of badly by Thario.
Lightning struck again, and they both jumped and then laughed. She was about to step back when Thario took her hand and lifted it to his lips. When he brushed the back of her fingers with his lips, she gasped.
“I don’t want to scare you away,” Thario said.
“I don’t want to scare you away.”
“How would you scare me?”
She shook her head, embarrassment causing even the marrow of her bones to ache. “I’m so inexperienced. I never dated.”
“I don’t need you to be experienced, I just need you to be okay with seeing me.”
She stared at him, wondering what he meant. “What do you mean?”
“I know your life has been different. I don’t want to scare you and make you think you have to move fast with me. I’m fine with us getting to know each other over time. I don’t need hot and heavy.”
Calla bit her lip as insecurities built. She didn’t know much about sex or guys or any of that stuff.
“I’ve never been with a guy. In fact, I’ve only kissed one guy, and we were young and he didn’t really know what he was doing. So I’m not going to be good at this.”
Thario ran his thumb over her cheek. "I'm not looking for someone who is a professional at that stuff. I'm looking for someone I connect with. I don't want to take advantage of you, though."
She shook her head, guilt washing over her. “You’re not taking advantage of me. If anything, I’m taking advantage of you.”
Thario leaned in so his forehead was against hers. "No, Calla, you aren't. I feel things for you. But I'm not even going to press for more. I don't want you to feel any pressure. You just left a bad situation, and you need to figure out your life."
Heat rose as an idea hit her. Would Thario be angry at her thoughts? She had dealt with anger for so long. It was the only emotion she'd seen from Brent.
“You look like you want to ask a question.”
She shook her head. “I don’t know.”
“Go ahead and ask.”
“I was wondering if you would kiss me.”
His lips curved up, and he nodded. “Are you sure?”
“Yes. I want to know what it feels like. It has been so long.”
“Okay. I hope I don’t disappoint you.”
She shook her head. “You won’t.”
Thario drew in a sharp breath, then he moved slightly and was so close to her she could feel the heat coming off his body.
Her hands were shaking, and so were her legs. Fear and excitement combined. He was beautiful and amazing, and she wanted to feel him up against her.
Then his lips brushed against hers, and she gasped. It felt like he was going to pull back, so she grabbed him and held on, hoping he understood that she wanted him to stay close.
The kiss continued, and it was soft and gentle. His arms were around her, holding her close, but she could tell that if she pushed back, he would let her go.
Then Thario licked at her lips. Surprise sent tingles through her body, and she felt like fire zipped through her.
Then his tongue was in her mouth, and it was slow and yet so charged she felt like the lightning outside was lighting her up.
Heat spread down her chest to her center. She wasn’t sure what was really going on, but it felt like what happened to those women in her mother’s books that she’d snuck to her room to read.
Her head buzzed, and her body buzzed along with it. The kiss went deeper, and she had the urge to rip off his shirt and feel his skin.
Then she heard a vehicle, and she ended the kiss with a gasp. Her lips felt like they were still burning, and her body felt alive with an energy she'd never known.
“Was that too much?” Thario whispered.
“God, no. That was freaking amazing. I’ve never felt like that before.”
"Elowen and Griz are back. I'm not sure how you feel about them figuring this out, but maybe you should take a moment in your room, and I'm going to go to the bathroom before they come in. That way, they won't guess the second they see us."
Worry hit, and she pressed her lips together. "Oh, do you not want them to know?"
“I’m fine with it. I just don’t know how much pressure you are okay with.”
“I don’t know. I mean, it’s going to be obvious at some point.”
He brushed a quick kiss over her lips. "If you're okay with them knowing, I'm okay with it."
Relief slid through her. He wasn’t trying to hide his relationship with her. Did they have a relationship?
While she was locked up and reading her mother’s books, she wondered if she would ever have a man look at her or want her.
Now she had Thario looking at her in a way that made her whole body warm.
Could it last? She wanted to be careful and not get her hopes up, but Thario seemed real and she wanted real.