Page 56 of The Discovered
It was a flood of warm hues of my energy—my desire to soothe him, my gratitude for the position he’s put himself in to constantly ward off the darkness, and my uncontrollable adoration of him. It was a tapestry of lightness and strength, forged against all odds during our short time together.
His hands moved upward to wrap around my back, pulling me tight to his chest. I rested my head in the crook of his neck.
We stayed like this for a while, each tentatively sharing the feelings we already knew we shared—the feelings we still were unable to say aloud for reasons we both concealed. I feared this unpredictable, fiery relationship wasn’t just built on shaky grounds; it was built on no grounds at all.
We were free falling, and I wasn’t sure where we would land. Or if we ever would.
When I finally lifted my head, his grip around me tightened.
“I’m not going anywhere,” I whispered to reassure him.
His dark eyes were so vulnerable now that the anger had melted, offering a rare glimpse into an emotion he so carefully hid: fear. “I know you aren’t,” he said, the corners of his lips quirking up. “Because I’m not letting you.”
He looked like he wanted to say something more, but I sensed it was something that we only said through energy sharing.
“I want you to know that I’ve never felt this way about someone before,” he said. “I need you to know that.”
“Because you’ve only had kinky sexual relationships before?” I ventured, remembering things he’d hinted to in the past, then I quickly shook my head. “Nope! Never mind. Don’t need to know. Forget I asked that.”
He narrowed his eyes as if to gauge what I was feeling. A playful grin spread across his lips. “You’re jealous,” he said, somewhere between question and a statement.
I scoffed, trying to move off of him, but he held me firmly in place. He was enjoying this far too much. “I am not,” I said, unconvincingly. I glowered at him. What had begun as a tender, vulnerable moment had quickly devolved into our usual games.
He laughed, which only made me more flustered.
“You’d be jealous too,” I taunted. “Believe it or not, you were not my first.”
“Oh, I’ve gathered,” he said.
My mouth gaped. I swatted at him, and he caught both my wrists. In one swift movement he had me pinned underneath him, my head resting at one end of the couch.
I searched his eyes, pleased to see that his façade of the unbothered and unthreatened wasn’t as strong now. Now it was my turn to smile.
“You’re right. Thinking about you with others does make me jealous,” he started. “So I need to ensure that you know you’re mine now.”
I was stunned to silence, suddenly aware of every place on my body he currently touched. His thumbs stroked my hands from his hold on my wrists, and his hips rested on mine. He moved one hand to travel down the length of my body, stopping between my thighs where it teased and tormented.
After far too short of a time he pushed himself off of me to stand. I sat up, shooting him a look of confusion.
“Stand,” he instructed.
So, I did, and something about the way his voice and demeanor shifted like it always did when he took full control sent me deep into an altogether different headspace. The more he exercised his dominant role the more I relaxed into my submissive one. He wanted to hold on, and I wanted to let go. He wanted to feel more powerful than whatever he hid from me, and I wanted to surrender to the magnetism between us that felt just as natural and transcendent as my magick.
He gestured with his hand for me to follow him to stand behind the couch, facing the fireplace. “Turn around,” he said, making the movement with his hand as well.
I faced away from him, a shiver running down my spine. Without the ability to see him physically or to read his aura, I was left completely in the dark, tethered only by his commands.
“Take them off.”
He didn’t need to say what for me to understand. I was wearing an off the shoulder sweater dress, so it was easy for me to complete this task. I reached down and slid the thong down my legs, casting it to the side with my bare foot.
I waited in a frenzied anticipation for my next instruction, but instead I felt him move closer to me. He dragged his hands down the sides of my body, and then his right hand bent me over, so that I had to grab the back of the couch for support. I gasped as his left hand moved to where my underwear had been.
This position left me feeling utterly exposed, especially now that he was touching me in this way, his fingers moving expertly. I moaned softly, my fingers digging into the fabric. Suddenly he slipped two fingers inside me, stroking my hair momentarily with his free hand. The contrast between these soft, endearing gestures and the rougher, domineering ones was entrancing, and I felt myself fall once again under his spell.
After bringing me to the edge, he withdrew, leaving me breathless and back in my anticipatory state. I heard the rustle of clothes.
I pushed off the couch, and as soon as I did Daelon engulfed me, reaching from behind to grasp lightly at my throat, his arms holding me tight against him. He lowered his head so that his mouth was close to my ear. I could tell he was almost completely naked now.
