Page 33 of Whispers of the Water

I tilted my face toward his so that our lips were only a breath away. “Am I ruining you or ruining the promise you made with yourself to keep me out?”

He pulled back enough to look down at me. Frustration. Longing. Pain. Adoration. Fear. All those emotions flickered through his gaze as his eyes searched mine for an answer as to what to do. An answer he already knew.

My voice was barely a whisper. “Just give in, Rune.”

The hesitation left him. He crushed his mouth to mine, and the air in my lungs stilled. His kiss was rough and full of need like he was trying to brand me with his lips. I wanted this heat, this fire, this passion. I parted my lips, giving him entrance, and his tongue swept across mine. I met his kiss with the same intensity, and his groan sent a shot of desire straight to my already wet pussy. His canines scraped teasingly along my bottom lip, and I nearly came undone from that alone. My own elongated canines nicked my tongue and his, creating the subtle taste of copper, yet even that couldn’t stop our hunger for each other.

He cupped me beneath my butt and lifted me in one fluid motion. Our wet bodies pressed firmly together, and I wrapped my legs around his waist, not leaving his mouth for one second as I looped my arms around his neck. There was no coming up for air, not when that meant this kiss had to end. My bones had turned to jelly, and my heart nearly beat out of my chest. He was pulling a deep-seated need from me, and I wanted to give it all to him.

We moved, and I was vaguely aware that we were heading to the bathroom. Once there, he set me on the edge of the sink, and our kiss finally broke enough for him to reach down and pull my dress off over my head. The wet material smacked on the tiled floor somewhere, but I barely noticed. I was too focused on the way his ravenous eyes traced every curve of my body, every inch of exposed flesh—and fur, since my illusion tail was draped next to me on the countertop and my ears stood erect atop my head. He had me throbbing for his touch as his fingers made feather light touches along my bra straps.

His heated eyes met mine. “You are so gorgeous. Every part of you. Absolutely stunning.”

I was breathless and slick with desire. I wanted to pull him back to me and keep kissing that wicked mouth, but he was rooted firmly in between my legs, watching me as he pulled off my bra. I didn’t hide away from his blatant attention. In fact, I soaked it in. The way he looked at me was as if he were taking in the most stunning piece of art he’d ever seen. He made me feel beautiful and confident, despite my insecurities. His gaze empowered me, so I let him take in his fill before he reached for me again, kissing me breathless once more.

Butterflies danced around my stomach as his hands drifted up my inner thighs, and a shiver traveled along my spine from his touch. I leaned further into him, and he responded with a brush of his finger over the heat in between my legs. I gasped against his lips, wanting to feel his skin actually on mine, not through the fabric of my panties.

Want.

“Rune,” I moaned against his mouth, pushing my hands into his damp hair. “I want—”

Him.

“What?” He nipped my lip playfully and slid his finger across the middle of my soaked underwear. “What do you want?”

Need.

His lips closed over mine, and I gasped against his mouth as overwhelming desire clouded my brain. The warm pads of his hands coasted up my hips, over my stomach, and finally cupped each breast. My thoughts scattered as he trailed his mouth from my lips to my jaw and along my neck. I leaned back on my hands, reveling in his touch and the sensations it elicited, when my hand hit the spigot of the sink, and I realized it was dripping.

The sudden feel of water had me glancing over my shoulder, and my stomach dropped. The sink was off, but a steady, silent stream of water slipped from the faucet. The water was crawling up the sink bowl and along the counter, headed right for us.

Heart racing with dread, I gripped Rune’s shoulder as his tongue caressed the budded peak of my nipple. My toes curled from the pleasure in my core, momentarily distracting my focus on the water creeping toward us.

Glancing at the water, which now climbed up my back in a cold trail despite my sitting up, I forced my mind to reach out to the water. Easier said than done, because God, Rune’s tongue was skilled. As soon as I felt the tingle along my skin—the magical kind, not sexual … well, maybe sexual, too—I silently urged the water back into the sink and down the drain.

Another flick of Rune’s tongue had me gasping, and I lost what little hold I had on the water. Instead of going down the drain, the water swelled and rushed across my bare back and down my arms. It was creeping close to my hands, which were still clutched tightly to Rune’s shoulders.

I panicked. Any second now, Rune would look up and see the water starting to coat my skin like puzzle pieces linking together, and my secret would be out. I couldn’t let that happen. I wasn’t ready to reveal what I was, because I wasn’t ready to lose him, which meant I had to act fast. A pit formed in my stomach at my only option left.

I focused on the water again as the buzz erupted along my fingertips. I held onto that connection and pictured the water rolling away and down the drain as I commanded with a firm voice, “Stop.”

The water instantly halted and receded down the drain, but with my command to the water, also came Rune’s rigid pause. His breath froze against my skin, and his caress stopped. Slowly, he pulled back until his eyes found mine.

My heart pinched tight when I saw the confusion distorting his features and the worry clouding his previously euphoric eyes. The belief that he’d done something wrong was written all over his face.

Forcing a smile to ease his concern, I ran my fingers through his hair. “Sorry. It’s just that I realized the twins could finish cleaning up and come here to hang out any minute. We wouldn’t want them walking in on us like this.”

My attempted grin faltered at the hurt that flashed briefly across his face. The lie burned on my tongue and festered like an open wound in my chest.

The bedroom door was locked. He knew it. I knew it. We both knew there was only one way he could read my words. As an excuse. A rejection. The idea pained me, but I had to let him believe it or risk accidentally summoning the water again but in a greater magnitude, which would get me caught. Telling the truth was an option, but as soon as I started to form the words, they got lodged in my throat under the weight of fear. I couldn’t bring myself to say them out loud.

Not yet.

Rune quickly recovered from the blow, and he smiled, although the expression didn’t even come close to reaching his eyes. “Right. You’re right. I’ll leave you alone to get ready. I’ll be in Akira and Bassel’s room when you’re done.”

I couldn’t find my voice to respond, so I nodded and covered my bare chest. My heart squeezed as I watched Rune walk away. I so badly wanted to call out to him and take back what I’d said, but I couldn’t. I couldn’t afford to give him the truth yet. So instead, I watched in agonized silence as he moved to leave.

When he got to the threshold of the bathroom, he kept his back to me. His voice came out low and rough as he said, “I’m sorry.”

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