Page 144 of Fated to the Hunters
“I feel silly asking how you are doing,” she admitted, fingering over each hardened patch of wax.
“You’re not silly. You are doing a good job. I might have a high tolerance, and you asking me despite that makes me feel good. Special even.”
Then, Scarlett surprised him with a kiss between his shoulder blades. He melted in a way that rivalled the candles surrounding them and when she continued to experiment with the wax and her own limits, it just made the high even more enjoyable. There was no pain—he was too desensitised—but he found solace in giving himself up to Scarlett—in making himhers.
When she shifted again, he opened his eyes and saw her set the candle aside. “Have you had enough?” he asked, his voice lulling.
Scarlett smiled and nodded, lying down beside him and resting her cheek on a pillow to look at him.
“How are you feeling?”
“Good,” she admitted with a dreamy, satisfied smile.
“How did you feel about the experience?”
He could practically see the gears turning in Scarlett’s mind as she tried to form her thoughts into words. “I was really nervous. First about asking you questions yesterday and then telling you about my research. It became easier when you reassured me that this was as much about me as it was about you. I know you are used to so much more, but for me the thought of hurting you is so scary, even though I know you don’t mind—that you want it.” Her face turned a hot red, and her smile faded into a grin. “I was a little scared of what to expect because when I looked it up a lot of dungeon stuff came up with other things that I’d rather unsee.”
He chuckled and reached out to brush a loose strand of hair out of her face.
“But I liked this. It was intimate in a very sweet and soft way that I didn’t expect.”
“It’s not all about sex.”
“I get that now and I’m glad about it.”
“So,” he carefully started as if one wrong word would pop the protective bubble on their intimate experience. “Is it something you would like to do again?”
“I can see us doing it again. How did you feel?”
“Safe and sound.”
Scarlett closed her eyes, keeping the smile on her face even after she drifted off to sleep. Perhaps he shouldn’t have been surprised. This was a lot for her. Experiences like this were draining and she had all the fear and inexperience to make it even more intense. She’d probably been overthinking it all for days.
He stayed by her side and even though he was useless in the kitchen, he helped her as much as he could once she woke up for something to eat. The alone time with her felt precious and Ezra planned to cherish every second he could, knowing that it would allow their relationship to blossom into something more.
Chapter Forty-Four
Scarlett
Once Ezra had reassured Scarlett multiple times that he’d rested enough, they barely spent their days at the cabin. Ezra loved dressing her up and taking her out to the village. They had breakfast out in the sun nearly every day and just like their first date, he always found a private way to caress her skin. After he’d usually take her on a trail. The hikes had become shorter, but more physically strenuous. He was also the one that insisted on keeping Mateo’s workout routine going, letting her practice her self-defence on him.
They currently sat in the living room, with Scarlett curled up under a blanket and in one of Mateo’s hoodies while Ezra laid in her lap. When the phone rang, they both leapt up, Ezra being the one to get to it first.
“Yes?” There was a pause, then Ezra scrambled to his feet and rushed to the table. “Where?” Pencils and markers clattered to the floor as he tugged the map free to find the coordinates he was given. “How certain?”
She stepped up to him and watched as he traced his finger over the mountains.
“Fuck!” he cursed, finally locating the spot.
Scarlett put the pieces together, a knot tightening in her stomach. They’d found them, and the realisation of it was daunting. Her men would go out there and hunt a handful of mythical creatures that stood taller than any man and had survived for thousands of years. The room spun, and Scarlett’s chest tightened. Her vision blurred and her knees buckled, leaving her scrabbling for something to hold onto.
Warm arms wrapped around her, and a soothing voice lulled her in. “Scarlett, shh. It’s okay.” The arms tightened and their warmth and pressure rooted her to the earth like an anchor in a brewing storm. “Breathe, princess. Inhale.” She did, grasping for air and latching onto those arms. “Exhale.” The air burst out of her lungs. “Good. Inhale.” This time more air filled her lungs, and a little easier. “Exhale.”
With each pass of air through her lungs, the fog slowly dissipated. She focused on the arms around her and their pressure until she realised that she was sitting on the floor. The arms around her belonged to Ezra, and his lips were brushing a path across her cheek.
“Better?” he asked, his tone so worried that it gave her goosebumps.
She nodded and leaned into him, trying to gather her bearings.
