Page 22 of In Love With the Leshy

“No,” I sniffle, hating that I’m so weak and insecure. It must be the effect of being in a foreign element. A foreign element is one thing; this place is strange and unusual on steroids. I cling to Em and breathe easier as he holds me tight.

“You’re sure?” His brows furrow together as he lifts my chin with his pointer finger, tilting my head up so he can stare into my eyes. I can’t help but notice the irises of his eyes are a deep shade of green. Greener than yesterday.

I nod. “How do your eyes change color?” He narrows those sparking emeralds at me, contemplating my question. “They were green when I met you yesterday, then last night they were like gold glitter and looked as if they were made from the stars in the sky.”

“You can’t be hurting too bad if you’re thinking about my eyes.” He smiles, and I feel better. Safer, now that I’m no longer alone and a potential meal for a wandering animal. Also better, as he doesn’t seem angry with me. “Either that, or you have a terrible fever that needs attention because it’s affecting your brain.” I think he’s joking, but even if he isn’t, I don’t care because he presses his lips against my forehead. They linger on my skin. I breathe heavier, hoping they’ll trail down to my mouth.

“I’m sorry, Em.” I reach up and rest my palm on the side of his face. “I didn’t mean to insult you.” He nods. “I thought I was open-minded, but this . . . you . . . I never met anyone,” I pause, searching for the right words. “A Leshy, I mean. I never even heard of one. I’m trying to learn and understand you.”

He stays silent, processing what I said before reacting. He cups my face and stares deep into my eyes. “I’m trying to understand you, too. I don’t have much interaction with humans. Truth is, they’re confusing and complex. I don’t like them much.” He makes a face that looks like a snarl.

“Even Masha?”

He releases a long breath. “Masha and Ana are different. I am obligated to care for and protect them.” Cradling me in his arms, he strokes my hair. “I have no choice in that and will live out my responsibility with pride and joy until they die.”

“What if you die first?”

“I won’t,” he explains. “I’m eternal. I can’t die. Not unless I tire of my vessel and will it so.”

I’m sure he’s mistaken, but I don’t argue; after all, he is a Leshy, and I never even heard of one. There is one thing I am certain of. No living being is immortal.

“But you are committed to them?” I hold my breath, waiting for his answer.

“Yes. To make sure no one hurts them, but not to share my life with them. Not the way I want to with you.”

I had to have heard wrong. He didn’t just say he wanted to share his life with me, did he?

“You can’t mean that. You just met me.”

“I know all I need to know, in here.” He takes my hand and places it over his racing heart. “From the moment I sensed you, I needed to get close, to see you. It wasn’t the protection of my forest that drove me; I knew you were no threat. You were fleeing, not hunting.”

“Maybe you were curious about why Nikolai and his friends were after me?” I already let Masha make a fool out of me. I’m not about to fall for his sticky-sweet sentiment, envisioning possibilities I never thought possible, only for him to kick me in the teeth when I least expect it.

“No. I heard your heartbeat and felt it inside me. Like we are one. That never happened before.” My breaths come quicker, deeper, as I listen. “When I saw you, I couldn’t take my eyes off of you. I’ve never seen anything so beautiful. And your scent . . .” He runs his nose down the side of my face to my neck, inhaling deeply. My hands tangle through his green, leafy hair. “Fear has a scent. It’s potent and acidic. But you,” he swallows hard. “You smell sweet. Delicious. Even when you are afraid.” His arms tighten around my lower back. “You bewitched me and tempted me to throw you over my shoulder and carry you back to my cave.”

While I probably would’ve fought him, yelling and pummeling his back, it would’ve been half-hearted. Who doesn’t secretly wish a gentle giant with movie star looks will save them from bad guys and carry them off to a warm, cozy cave lit by fireflies masquerading as tea lights? Hearing his confession has my heart galloping like a wild horse.

“Why didn’t you?” I’m not sure if I want to encourage him to have his way with me or if I’m terrified he’ll do so.

“I want you to want to be here, not stay because I own you and won’t let you go.”

“Own me?” I should be offended and kick him in his shin. Instead, I’m flattered and turned on. I bite my lip, waiting for him to say more.

“Yes,” he answers, taking hold of the thin, wet cloth that clings to my body and hides nothing. “If I carry you into my home, you will become my possession. You won’t be able to leave this forest.” He explains, opening the material and revealing my mostly naked body. The black of his eyes doubles in size as he looks me over and allows the sheet to slip from his fingers and drop to the ground. “You’re so beautiful.” He strokes my chin with his thumb, then drags his pointer finger down my neck, between my breasts, to the waistband of my panties.

“I don’t want to let you go, Erin,” he whispers, inching his lips toward mine and sliding his hands to my hips. “Every second I spend with you, I feel the need to take you. To make you mine. I want you to spend your life here and submit to me in every way imaginable.”

He dips his head and brushes his lips over mine. I kiss him back with all the emotion I have trapped inside me. Fear and anger, mixed with desire and lust. The nerve of him wanting to possess me. To expect me to submit to him. It infuriates me. But it also sets me on fire.

I respond to the kiss, opening my mouth and allowing him in. With gentle thrusts, his tongue swipes against mine and caresses my heart. I understand what he means about feeling like we’re one. He deepens the kiss, making me weak-kneed and dizzy as his hands slide around to the small of my back, roaming lower until he holds my ass in the palms of his hands.

I feel the bulge of his engorged length against my belly as he holds me pressed tight against him. His incredible size intrigues me and steals my breath. That can’t be it. It’s huge! I want to see him, touch his flesh, and explore his body.

I lift the hem of his shirt. His hands leave my body as he helps me, pulling it over his head and tossing it to the ground. I suck in a breath at the sight of his well-defined abs and the V-shape dipping into his pants. With a hunger I’ve never experienced, my hands explore his chest, where a lone leaf grows here and there in place of chest hair. He unbuttons his tattered jeans and steps out of them, showing off thick bands of muscle everywhere I look. His body couldn’t be any more perfect if it were sculpted from clay or chiseled from stone.

“You’re not saying anything. Do I not please you?”

“Please me?” I blow out a long breath. “You do a lot more than please me.”

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