Chapter Thirty-Two
Donovan
“She’s my friend,” Tulya said without prompting as we got into my car.
“I know” was all I said.
“I’m allowed to talk with who I want.”
I didn’t reply, only started to pull my car away from the curb, the bar shrinking behind us.
“Were you meeting someone? You don’t have to leave.”
“It feels like you want to argue with me, Tulya. Do you?”
“No, I don’t want to argue with you or anyone.” Her voice was soft, as I knew the rest of her body to be. She yanked her hair out of her ponytail and allowed it to cascade in front of her face.
“I was going for a cocktail to clear my head. Something drew me to the Onion. Maybe it was you.”
“We are not connected like that.” She spoke firmly.
I drove toward her house, not under any impression she’d invite me in, so I took my time. “I’m beginning to think we are. My orbit is constantly circling yours.”
“Stop. Seriously. Why are you here?” She set her hands in her lap and kept her gaze out the front window.
I’d never seen this side of Tulya—argumentative, sullen, stubborn, and maybe a dash cynical. “I went to see Valerie.”
“Oh? Working on whose side? Your mother’s or Blake’s?”
I knew this would get a reaction out of her.
I turned into the main driveway of Tulya’s childhood estate. “My mother asked me to go, but I diverted from her perceived mission.”
This got me a side glance. “Blake wants to see her mom.”
“Is that what you were filling Prim in on?” I couldn’t help asking, even adding a wink.
“No. If you must know, I told her what happened between us. I don’t care if you’re mad.”
I came to a stop in front of her house and waited to see if she finished her thought.
“I am sorry if you are upset or hate me… Actually, you have every right to, but so do I. Your mom paraded Emelee through my place today, and you came in to rescue her.”
“I didn’t rescue her,” I tried to explain.
“You didn’t protect me.”
“You know that’s bullshit, Tulya. I jumped through hoops for Abraham to come and see you. You have been the only person on my brain since this all started. I went from shamelessly flirting with you at the holiday party to falling in love with you… And Emelee was another pawn in my mother’s games.”
Rain started to ping around us, droplets falling on the car. For a brief moment, I thought I’d stuck my foot in my mouth and Tulya would jump from the car despite the weather.
“You love me? How? Why?”
“You can’t wonder how or if it’s true. I started falling deep when I came here after the party, seeing you in your surroundings, wearing a robe, more stunning than ever, and ready to do whatever was asked of you—”
She started to open her door.
“Where are you going?”
With her hand on the door, rain seeping in the small crack left ajar, she turned to me.
“You can’t say that. You pushed, then pulled, and then left.
Look, I knew it was always your plan, but shoving it down my throat now with falling for me back then, and then coming to Emelee’s aid? I mean, what do you want me to do?”
She didn’t leave me time to reply, just jumped out of the car, running in the storm toward her door.
Without thinking, I did the same. Chasing her to the front alcove, I put my hand on the door as she was closing it. “Stop,” I said, demanding her attention. It was gruff but necessary.
She allowed me to step inside, likely to protect her floor from the wrath outside. We stood there dripping wet, and I took her in—
“You’re more beautiful every time I see you.” I started to encroach on her personal space, and she stuck out a palm to stop me. I abided.
“I asked what you want from me.”
“What I need is for you to love me back. It’s more than a want or a desire. I’ve come to realize it’s a necessity.”
“What?”
She could have backed up, run to another area of the house, but she didn’t. Her feet planted, she stood staring at me.
“My mother doesn’t rule me. Being without you, and seeing what Mag is going through, being forced to live with someone else when he is in love with Valerie and his daughter, to get this. It took me a while, but I got there.”
She looked at me, her hair matted against her forehead from the rain, her lips inviting me—although I would wait for a more formal ask.
“But Emelee was there with you. And then pained? And then you came? And—”
“Shhh,” I said, taking a step, narrowing the small gap between us. “May I?”
She nodded and I gathered her in my arms. My lips met the top of her head, and I allowed them to linger there a while.
“Emelee just showed up, and I had to bide my time. When I was finally able to send her off, it was under the direction of my mother. I know, I have to stop listening to her…but I need to help Blake when it comes to Val.”
“I understand. I want her to be with her mother,” she whispered back, her hand holding steady on my waist.
“And I need to fix this for Magnum. I did him wrong. I should have listened to my own brother… I’m ashamed of what I’ve done.”
“We were both only doing what was expected of us, even if it was wrong. This is how we were raised to be.”
I hated how she was making excuses for what I did. “Don’t try to pardon what I forced you to do, and how I chose my mother over my brother.”
“You didn’t force me to do a thing. My mother would have set this in motion with or without you.”
With one hand, I tipped her chin to look at me, not letting go of her with the other. “That’s why I rushed over and grabbed Emelee. It’s not your place to do what Ceci or Ezza ask of you anymore. You’ve done enough.”
“But?”
“But I couldn’t tip my hand and show how I felt for you—just yet—in front of my mother.”
“Maybe never.” Her two words didn’t come out much above a mutter.
“That’s not going to work for me.”
“Donovan.” She breathed my name, and I had nothing more than a kiss to reply with—my mouth melded with hers and it was over.
Wet clothes started falling to the floor, and I knew that if it was the last thing I did in Rubia, it would be to set Ezza straight.
I deepened the kiss, my tongue colliding with hers.
I felt her hand grip my waist and I moved her back against the wall.
A soft moan escaped from her lungs as my palm grazed her rib cage and over her side cleavage.
I made quick work of snapping off her damp bra, allowing it flutter to the floor.
Letting go of our kiss, I lowered my mouth to her nipple, sucking hard, extracting a deeper mewl from Tulya.
“Donovan,” she pleaded.
I didn’t hurry, or rush, like she wanted.
I took my time, giving equal attention to each breast before dropping to my knees.
Her skirt had come off at the door, and I yanked her panties to the side before throwing all caution out the window and ripping them completely off.
My tongue sought her heat, making contact with her most sensitive spot, her back bowing off the wall.
I felt her fingers claw through my hair and I kept pace, eliciting the most delicious purrs from her. She pushed into my face, her hips grinding, and I couldn’t get enough of her taste and reckless abandon.
“I’m…” she began to murmur, and I said, “Let go,” while humming against her. In a whoosh, her hand gripped my hair so hard I thought it might come out, and she huffed my name through rapid breaths, dampening my face and squirming like she wanted more.
I was ready to go again, to draw another orgasm from her, but she dropped to her knees and without caring, began kissing me with ardor.
“Do you like your taste?” I asked and she moaned, nodding her head. “Tulya, I am falling for you—”
“Take me to bed.” She interrupted my sentiment, and who was I to argue?
I stood swiftly and lifted her into my arms, walking down the lone hallway.
I’d never been in her bedroom, but as soon as I stepped foot inside the room with the doorway open, I knew it was hers.
Soft ivory carpet, a pine canopy bed filled with a million throw pillows, and fresh flowers on the vanity.
Laying her gently on the lace bedspread, I couldn’t dwell on her decor because Tulya was spread out naked in front of me.
Quickly shrugging out of my pants, my shoes long off, I shoved down my boxers and crawled over her, keeping my weight on one elbow.
Her palm ran the length of my back, and I noticed she only used her “well” hand. Taking my own fingers, I grasped her “broken” hand and wove it with mine. “I’m sorry this happened.”
She closed her eyes, but whispered, “Kiss me.”
“Anytime,” I said back, following her orders. Our mouths mashed as our hips grinded, every body part seeking some sort of friction. Our powers were quiet in the background, no sign of them emerging. There was only tenderness between our hearts, and skin on skin when it came to our bodies.
Our need funneled between us as if it was palpable.
“Inside,” she muttered.
“Without anything?”
She nodded.
I didn’t need any help. We fit together like we were made to do so, and I began a slow and steady pace of drawing in and out, our lips staying mostly fused other than sounds of ecstasy.
“Feels so good,” I told Tulya while doing my own body scan.
Being with her made me feel numb to all the shit around me, but also there was now a low hum of something, a different power.
This was something new—a type of control—and it almost felt as if it was in a throttle position.
An intangible string, keeping my ability at bay, not allowing it to ignite in the presence of Tulya’s.
Could this be happening? Some weird bond between our abilities as our feelings for one another grew? An unspoken agreement between the forces that both bound us and pushed us away?
I made a note to ask the medic, but came back to the moment, picking up speed, pushing into Tulya as deep as she could take and gliding out. Her foot came to rest on my ass, forcing me to stay at a fast rhythm.
“Deeper,” she begged, and I went as far as I could. “Oh God,” she added after a few pulls.
“Fall, Tulya. Jump off the cliff,” I instructed her. I was right there, and ready to dive after her. As soon as she began to come undone, shaking in my arms and pushing up to meet every one of my thrusts, I began to climax.
It wasn’t dark yet, but stars lit my vision. Whatever dreams or goals I had were set aside, whether I wanted them to or not. My home was with this woman, and as I cleaned her off and she dozed off in my embrace, I began to formulate a plan.