Page 26 of Guarded By the Vodnik

“Yeah?” she grinned, bouncing on the balls of her feet. “That’s awesome, because I miss hugging people so freaking much!”

Next thing I knew, she was on her tiptoes, her arms around my waist, her face pressed to my chest. My heart launched into a wild rhythm, and I knew she’d hear it thudding against my ribs, but the sudden pleasure of having her pressed so close overrode my desire to pull back.

Around us, my tentacles twitched and jerked with the urge to wrap around her and bring her closer, but I didn’t act on it. Instead, I focused on my arms. They were by my sides, hanging uselessly, so I put them around her with hesitation.

It felt weird to stand with her like that, feeling her warmth, breathing in her scent. She smelled like soap and canned peaches, and I found the combination captivating. Zoe didn’t pull back, and I didn’t, either, breathing her in and trying to understand why it felt so good.

After a few minutes, I was shocked to discover the gaping abyss in my chest slowly shrank and filled with warmth. Normally, I would be stuck with that pain for days to come, forcing it down and down until it was buried deep enough.

Yet now, it melted. Just like that.

“This is nice,” Zoe sighed, squirming closer. “You’d be so handy to have around on hot summer days with how cool your skin is.”

Her voice was husky and mellow, and suddenly, an electric shiver raced down my spine, making me straighten.

The way she sounded made me think of sex, and my body reacted. With eagerness.

Let go, I told myself, even as Zoe gently stroked my back, sending bursts of pleasure into my brain. It felt too good, and I didn’t understand why. We’d been close that first day, too, but all I felt then was a choking discomfort. Was I getting used to her?

Was familiarity the reason why my cock warmed in its slit, beginning to harden?

It was profoundly wrong to feel that way about her, and I forced myself to let go, even though my tentacles trembled with the need to slither under her clothes, and… No.

When Zoe looked up, her face flushed, her lips redder than before, I had to blink a few times to make myself focus. I vaguely remembered a part of my training that taught us how to handle situations like this. I’d scoffed at the time, so fucking certain it would never happen to me.

And now, here I was. In lust with a client.

Chapter 10

Zoe

I was giddy. I just hugged my bodyguard, who was evidently going through some shit, and it was the best feeling in the world. My heart raced, my body warming pleasantly. I almost growled when he pulled away, his blue, narrow eyes settling on my face with an unreadable expression.

But then, he was right to step back. We weren’t friends, ultimately, even though it felt so natural to treat him like one. I already knew there was a world of pain locked behind those electric blue eyes and I itched to tease it out and kiss it all better.

Wait… what?

“What did you mean when you said you know enough?” Vodyan asked, sounding hoarse.

I had to think for a moment before I understood what he meant. We were still so close that I sensed the coiled strength in his body towering above me, but we didn’t touch. My heart squeezed with the longing for more.

Get a grip, girl.

“Oh, right,” I said, a small laugh falling out in my embarrassment. “Well, uh. You took a while, so I had time to put it together. The stuff I talked about before you lashed out, and then the face you made, and, uh… Like, please, don’t hate me for figuring it out. You can also tell me I’m wrong and I’ll forget all about it, I swear.”

The scales covering his brow ridges rippled in a frown.

“Figured out what?”

He didn’t sound angry, just curious, but I knew from experience people who hid pain and trauma didn’t like it to be seen by others. I didn’t want to lie to him, though, and he asked.

“That you carry some unresolved pain from the past,” I said vaguely, wincing when it came out too esoteric. “Well, from your childhood. I suspect it’s some really bad shit, to make you react so strongly. But I don’t know. I’m not a therapist or whatever. I just talk to a lot of kids and teenagers who open up to me, and I kind of know the signs. Not that you’re a kid. Far from it. Oh, God. I’ll shut up now.”

I shot him a panicked look, expecting another shout or maybe derision. It could go many ways, none of them good. But Vodyan surprised me with his calmness as he rubbed his forehead with a long sigh.

“Unresolved,” he muttered before looking up with a tired expression. “Well, what would you tell one of your kids in this situation?”

I nodded, my fingers itching with the need to touch him.

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