Page 51 of Tainted Gifts
I drop down, falling onto my back and releasing her for the first time in so many hours. Her headache returns very dully, not enough to cause her much discomfort, but she knows it'll be back before long.
Stubborn, crazy, impossible woman. I swear. She's so... damn she's insufferable.
"I need to go," she murmurs softly, standing up and pulling out a shirt to slip over her bikini top, taunting me with her still skimpy lower half.
"I love you," I murmur, knowing damn well she won't say it back... not aloud.
More tears drip free as she grabs her darkest shades to cover her deepest secret. She looks at me, her eyes completely shielded from sight as she tightens her lips.
"I'll always love you, but I hope you learn to move on. Don't stay trapped like Brazen Mordel, because there's not seven hundred years to wait... there's an eternity."
She turns away, her tears burning the surfaces they fall to, and she leaves me with nothing but emptiness in my heart. She'd rather spend eternity with someone she doesn't love in order to stay with the way things are supposed to work.
I won't accept that. I can't. It's simply not good enough, and I won't let it end until there's nothing else I can do.
Right now, I'm going to take a long, cold shower, and then I'm going to lie down in ice for a while. Lots and lots of ice.
Chapter
Kellan
After finally finding someone to tell me where the fuck to take this passed out hybrid, I push through the door, trying to hurry up and get back to Aria before that fucking full blood tries something on her.
I'm trying so hard not to push her. I'm still waiting for her to catch up to the way I feel. With her emotions reaching extremes, she's confused right now. She doesn't love him the way she thinks she does, but it's hard to press that issue without seeming overbearing.
I've searched for her so long though, and I'm not giving up now. Especially not now that I know she's already told him she feels our connection too. That's a huge step, and it was hard not to jump up and down like an excited child when I realized she confessed such a thing aloud... or even in her mind.
As I go to unravel myself from Simone's death grip, her lips find mine, startling the fuck out of me. Her tongue slips into my mouth, and for a foolish second, I return the kiss, feeding off her passion for me.
I wish Aria would kiss me like this. I know she will one day, but right now it feels good to be this desired by someone.
I grab her short hair in my hand and press her to me, holding her tightly in my arms the way she wants to be held. She moans, her legs spreading as she invites me to fall between them.
Fuck. What am I doing?
I jerk back, finally feeling sane again, and Simone starts crying instantly, wailing loudly as she buries her head in her hands. Has she lost it?
"Oh shit! I'm so sorry," she sobs out, losing her breath when she starts to hyperventilate.
What the hell am I supposed to say? I've never... this is just too much drama. It's been a while since I've had to interact with people on a regular basis. I'm not even sure where to start.
"It's fine. You were just... I'm not sure to be honest. Look, I need to get back. Aria is probably wondering where I am," I lie, knowing Aria is probably still asleep in her ex's arms.
She sobs harder, coughing on her guilt as she rolls over to press her face to a pillow. I'm not sure what her deal is.
"It's just... fuck!" she says in exclamation, her sobs making the rest of what she says nothing more than an unintelligible ramble I can't cipher.
I start creeping toward the door, unsure of what else to say. It's possible she's more jealous of Aria than I even realized, and I almost fucked up. I can't be that guy I was if I want to keep Aria. She'll never forgive such a sin, and I've worked too hard to get her.
"I'm just gonna..." I pause, hesitating when she starts crying louder. I want to comfort her, tell her it will be okay, but instead, I duck out before feeling tempted once again.
One thing Simone Jude has perfected over the centuries is how to be seductive. No wonder Clay never introduced me to his daughter. Can't say I blame him either.
If I didn't have Aria, I would have done unspeakable things to the late commander's daughter. She would have liked them too.
I round the corner just as Aria enters the compound, and I tilt my head when I see her wearing sunglasses instead of contacts.
"What happened? I was just on my way back to get you," I murmur breathlessly, feeling guilty and fucking stupid.
