Page 66 of The Bonds of Nyx

“Now I have everything to prove,” he whispered. “Ineedto prove to you that I’m more than just my title, Ivy. Let me do that. Please.”

I swallowed thickly and gently brought my lips to his. It was sweet, soft, no more than a promise of more to come. Our lips moved in union, a caring caress and nothing more.

When I pulled away, Adrian’s eyes shone with hope and happiness, making my heart clench. Whether he believed it or not, I was ready to take the next step with him. I would bond him tonight if I could, to prove to him that there was nothing about him I didn’t want.

But I accepted his words. Adrian pressed a chaste kiss to the corner of my mouth and walked backwards into the shower. The bathroom had filled with steam, which now overwhelmed me. But the spray of hot water was a blessing in disguise.

I hadn’t realised how tense I’d been. Not with my power surge, the arrival of the new team, and certainly not with leaving the girls.

My head dropped to Adrian’s chest as he ran a hand through my hair. “Let me take care of you,” he whispered, his voice barely audible over the thundering shower.

Instead of speaking, I nodded and let him take control. Somehow, he’d gotten his hands on my shampoo, which he lathered into my hair. Each movement was gentle as hemassaged my scalp. I could barely contain my moan as he went to work washing my hair.

The care he took in cleaning my body brought tears to my eyes. He soaped up my skin with a body wash that smelt like him, like the mint tea he consumed daily, which cleared away the stuffiness in my mind and loosened up my body. Adrian scrubbed his hands over my body first, each touch burning through me, leaving my exposed skin an inferno of need.

“Adrian—” He cut me off with his mouth as he trailed a washcloth over my skin, scrubbing away the suds and the day’s tension. Each kiss sparked a different fuse within me. The intimacy of this moment, without the sex and pressure of the bond, meant more than I’d ever expected.

Like his need to take care of me undid everything I’d perceived as wrong in our relationship.

When he pulled away, his smile was soft. His eyes shone with something else, something I couldn’t identify and yet fully understood.

“You don’t need to prove anything to me,” I whispered, cupping his cheek as the washcloth paused on my chest. “This—all of this—is what I need.”

His eyes met mine before fluttering shut. “Ivy—”

“Shh.” I traced the curve of his lips with my thumb and pressed into his body. “You have nothing to work for, Adrian. You have me. And I need you to be here.”

“I’m here,” he breathed, eyes opening. “I’ll always be here.”

If the last kiss undid me, this one saved me. It was the last ember of a fire catching aflame, blooming into an inferno that couldn’t be sated. His lips moved against mine, hard and purposeful, stripping me down to nothing more than basic, primal need. My fingers dug into his chest as he swiped his tongue over my lips, gaining access to my mouth. Grip tightening, Adrian backed me into the shower wall.

I arched into him, melding my body to his. He was all hard lines and coiled, refined muscle. And yet he fit perfectly against my softness.

Adrian’s cock twitched where it sat against my belly; he pulled away first, and rested his forehead against mine. “Soon,” he promised.

I shuddered at the promise, forcing myself to nod and ignore the obvious desire between my legs.

“My turn?” I asked, tracing my hands over his chest. Adrian shivered, eyes darkening. I took the washcloth from him with a smile. “You took care of me. Now it’s my turn. You’re not the only one who has something to prove.”

Adrian’s eyes searched mine, like he wasn’t sure how to respond. He seemed to consider it a moment before bowing his head. “You have nothing to prove, Sweetheart.”

“That’s not true, and you know it.” I grabbed the shampoo and lathered it in my hands before running my fingers through his wet curls. “You need to know I won’t push you away when things get tough. Which I tend to do. Did.”

He watched me carefully, not saying anything, as I massaged his scalp—which was a little harder considering he was taller than me, but I wouldn’t complain. I pulled him under the spray and rinsed the coconut-scented shampoo from his hair, finding some comfort in him smelling like me.

“The only person I’ve never pushed away is Thea and even then, I found it hard to lean on her fully.” I moved onto the bodywash and made sure I doused every inch of him in it. “But we’re mates. We’resupposedto lean on each other, right?”

Adrian bowed his head and released a shuddering breath as I gently moved the washcloth over his abdomen, carefully dragging it over the scar.

“I have to learn not to push you away anymore,” I whispered, leaning in to kiss the skin over his pounding heart. “We haveto work together, and that’s something I have to get better at. Because I need to rely on you—Iwantto. I want you—and Elias—to be my rocks.”

“You willalwayshave me,” he replied, taking the washcloth from my hands before pulling me into his embrace. “You always have. The bonds between us have been emerging since the moment we met. They might not have been obvious, but they’ve been growing, and ours?” He tipped my chin up so our eyes could meet. “Ours is only getting stronger.”

Tears burned the back of my eyes as our lips met. We might not have completed the bond tonight, but it felt like we were one step closer to joining as one.

~

I slept wrapped in Adrian’s arms and awoke with no memory of any nightmares. His arms were wound tight around me as I rested my head on his chest. Based on the gentle rise and fall of it, he was still asleep.

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