Page 42 of Primal

I watch him curiously as he turns on the shower and lets the water run over his hand while he waits for it to warm up. The need to know more about him is strong, and after what we just did, I’m realizing there’s no way I’ll be able to rid myself of him, no matter how much I want to.

The way he can destroy my mind and body one moment and care for me the next is truly enigmatic; sometimes, it’s hard for me to know whether he wants to kill me or kiss me.

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t incredibly turned on by it, though.

When the water is warm enough, Zyran closes the shower door and grabs two towels and washcloths out of the linen closet.

“Arms up,” he says, coming to stand in front of me.

Lifting my arms, I watch his face carefully as he pulls my shirt off. Now that we’ve both calmed down from what we did in the abandoned house, he seems… peaceful, almost contemplative. I lift a tentative hand to his mask and slip it off before running my fingers over his smooth cheek. It’s honestly a crime that his skin is so much clearer than mine.

And those lashes—they’re long and perfectly curved and just so… perfect.

God, he’s so perfect.

Zyran’s rumbling chuckle breaks me from my reverie. “Like what you see?”

I run my hands up his arms, over his chest, and down the smooth but hardened planes of his stomach. Nearly every inch of him is covered in tattoos, and now that I’ve seen them, I don’t want him to ever cover them again.

“Yes,” I answer honestly.

His eyes harden with some kind of emotion I can’t quite decipher, and he doesn’t say anything else as he pulls me up so I’m standing and tugs my shorts, bra, and underwear down. When I’m completely naked, he watches me as I undress him, too.

Zyran barely kicks his underwear from around his ankles before he’s scooping me up in his arms again and carrying me into the shower.

I let out a startled squeak when the hot water pelts my skin. He gently sets me down and turns the faucet handle so the water can cool down.

“Sorry, baby.”

I smile at him and wrap my arms around his neck. “It’s okay. Thank you.”

Leaning in, he nuzzles his nose against mine, and the action warms my heart in a way I never thought I’d feel.

I thought I knew what love was, but Zyran is making me realize that any feelings I’ve had for other men in the past weren’t the kind of love I was looking for. My previous partners didn’t feed the darkness inside of me, but Zyran does. And it doesn’t matter that I still know so little about him—he’s mine just as much as I’m his.

PART III

THE AFTERMATH

CHAPTER 33

KIARA

The incessant ringing of my phone wakes me up the next morning. I groan and roll over to bury my head in Zyran’s neck, but I only feel the cool sheets.

“Zyran?” I mumble, opening my eyes.

He’s not here, but the glorious smell of sizzling bacon wafting into the room lets me know where he is.

Grabbing my phone off my nightstand, I rub my eyes and give them a minute to adjust to the darkness of the room before looking at the screen.

Yolanda’s been blowing up my phone for the past hour.

Uh oh—I’m in trouble. I should have called, or at least texted, her last night to let her know I was okay. She’s probably worried sick.

I quickly get out of bed and call her back as I walk downstairs. She picks up on the first ring, and, just as I suspected, she’s worried.

“Kiara!” she’s screaming into the phone before I even have a chance to answer. “Kiara, are you okay?!”

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