Page 13 of The Coveted
I nodded. “Okay.” How could I refuse? Despite what I’d been telling myself, I had never closed the door on Daelon, not fully. I just wasn’t ready to dig deeper, not after that night in the snowy woods and the moment he turned his back on me for my enemy. Forourenemy.
But now, in this moment, all I could see was the good and the beautiful. And god, was Daelon beautiful. He was also the only person alive who knew my entire soul. Though I’d labeled his declaration of love a lie out of anger, I couldn’t deny the part of me that knew it wasn’t.
Love. I couldn’t focus on anything else. I shrugged off the nagging in my mind and tuned in fully to the ecstasy again, rolling through me like a summer breeze. Was this feeling really already inside me?
I wanted to feel the softness of his dark waves of hair. I wanted to touch him. And I needed to feel his hands on me.
Without a single thought, I let the elixir move my body how it wanted, which included crawling straight into Daelon’s lap. His eyes widened in surprise, humor dancing across his features as I straddled him, our gazes locked. He brushed my long strands of copper hair behind my ears.
“Sweet girl,” he murmured, his voice a low rumble. “As much as you flirting with Sebastian while wearing the dress I sent to you makes me want to ravish your body until you scream my name, you know that I’m not going to let you do anything you will regret tomorrow.”
My heart sped up. Muscles in my stomach tightened in response to his display of jealousy. His desire for me. The way he still acted like he owned me. I leaned in and whispered softly, “I miss you.”
He smiled. “I miss you too, more than anything. But I want to hear you say that when you’re the whole you. Right now, you can only focus on the pleasurable parts of the world. Of your emotions. But that’s not all there is.”
“I wish it was,” I sighed. “Wait,” I leaned back. “What do you mean the dress you sent me?”
“I guess Taryn didn’t tell you because she knew you wouldn’t wear it. I’m glad for that, because the sight of you in it is the highlight of my week.”
I blushed, hyperaware of his hands on my waist, his thumbs brushing against my ribs, just under my breasts. “I don’t want to be alone in that room.” That room he left me in, all alone. For as long as the elixir lasted, I wanted to spend these happiest moments with Daelon and only Daelon.
He looked conflicted, like he was working through a puzzle. “Okay. You don’t have to.” He spoke so softly and so slowly, and it warmed the coldest parts of me. In one swift movement he hoisted me into his arms and carried me to bed.
Chapter4
Daelon’s sheets were impossibly soft. He tucked me in and cast a protective circle around me, masking my energetic trace from Lucius as a precaution. I could tell he was tense, and I wanted nothing more than to make him feel the way I felt right now.
“This dress is uncomfortable,” I whined, escaping out from under the covers and sitting on the edge of the bed.
Daelon shot me a look, but he gestured with his finger for me to stand. He wordlessly turned me to face away from him, his fingers sending shivers down my spine as he traced down the bare skin of my back and then unzipped my dress. He made a low, guttural sound as the dress fell to the floor, and my breath hitched in my throat. I was nude now aside from red, lacy underwear.
“You’re so beautiful,” he murmured. “Don’t move.”
I’d missed that tone, the one that made me putty in his hands, that I would follow into the darkness without hesitation. I wanted to stay close to him. I could still feel the ghost of his fingers on the nape of my neck, trailing down my back in a flurry of tingles.
“Raise your arms.”
I did as I was told.
“Good girl,” he cooed, and he pulled a soft shirt over me that came to my mid-thighs.
“You’re no fun,” I said, spinning around to face him. I raised my fingers to his soft lips, moving them along his angular cheekbones and jaw.
He caught my hand in his and kissed it. “And as endearing as you are right now, you’re also very much under the influence. I’m just glad you’re withme.” Something dark flitted across his features like he was imagining something horrific.
“And not Sebastian?” I asked, teasing him.
“Don’t,” he said, his tone sharp. “I don’t find that idea at all funny.”
“Sorry,” I breathed, reaching my hand to his chest.
He melted, rolling his eyes. “All right, bedtime for you.” He scooped me into his arms, making me squeal. I caught him grinning in spite of himself as he threw me back down onto the pillows.
I watched from the softness of his sheets as he began to undress, removing each layer until he was in his boxers. He shimmied into soft gray pants that hung low on his waist, and I couldn’t help but gawk at his chiseled body. I narrowed in on the V-shape of his stomach, the trail of dark hair that disappeared below the fabric. He caught me staring, wagging a finger at me before joining me under the covers.
“Were you really having orgies with Lucius?” I blurted.
“No.” He slid in under the sheets facing me, our bodies only inches apart. I could feel his warmth, and I craved it. “Of course not, sweet girl.”
