Page 82 of Unhinged Magic
His hands lifted to the nape of his neck, causing the soaked top he wore to ride up. I caught a glimpse of the fine hair trailing from his belly button to where I knew they ended, my cheeks flushing at the thought. This was crazy. I shouldn’t feel this nervous about seeing him undress. But, as he pulled his top over his head, he looked like something I would imagine out of a smutty romance novel. All abs and dips and everything leadingsouth.
A giggle left me at the thought, and I clamped my hand over my mouth to hide it.
His hand stilled on the waist of his sweats, hilarity flashing in his eyes. “Something amusing you?” The corner of his mouth peaked as he slid his pants to his ankles, stepping out of them.
Words failed me as I devoured the contours of him until something caught my eye.
Under his ribs on his side was a tattoo. Wings of a dove.
I scooted across the bed for a closer look, my hand reaching out before stopping. “You got a tattoo,” I said.
“Yeah.”
Scar had mentioned Wes never marked his own skin, so why now? “Do you mind?” I gestured to take a closer look.
A swift nod and I moved closer, my fingers tracing the outline of the dove. He inhaled sharply at my touch, and I drew back quickly. “Does it hurt?”
He shook his head. “No, just, your touch…” He looked away before looking down at me again. “The mate bond. It’s still very muchtherefor me. Your touch is…” He dragged a hand through the back of his hair. “It’s intense.”
Right. I had to keep reminding myself that what I felt was nothing compared to him. His sensors alone magnified everything, the mate bond on another scale of intensity entirely. “Sorry.” I suddenly felt awkward, like touching him was more like a form of torture.
A half smile, and the corner of his eyes creased. “It’s ok. You can touch me any time you like.” In no way did he mean it as an invitation at this moment. There was something more sincere about his words. I wanted to touch him, all of him. But another part of me wasn’t ready for that again. His gaze softened. “I didn’t mean it like that.” He made to climb into bed, the outline of his arousal tightening his boxer briefs. “I know what I’m about to say doesn’t match what my body wants right now.” He gestured to the obvious I desperately tried to ignore. “But tonight I just need to have you in my arms.” He cupped my cheeks, and I splintered.
Tears blurred my vision as he kissed my forehead, the look between us seeming to be all we needed without speaking. We slipped under the covers, and he scooted closer until his chest warmed my back. The feeling of his breath against my neck was something I couldn’t be sure I would ever feel again, but as he moved my top to the side, his soft lips pressed against my shoulder, and I knew this was it for me. For us. When he was gone, I had missed him. His smile, the cheeky look that had undoubtedly stolen my heart even when I had not wanted to accept it.
Who had I been kidding? I craved his touch, his energy. I needed to have him near me, to feel his presence breathing the same air. I was addicted to this man in every way possible.
“Skip?” His voice skirted against my skin, the heat of his breath causing my insides to flutter.
“Yeah?”
“I love this.” His voice had deepened, as if sleep were taking hold of him. “I love that I get to hold you like this.”
His words warmed my chest. Hearts were strange like that. They had an uncanny sense of awareness we couldn’t control. They soared at a familiar set of eyes, a certain look or unexpected proximity. I wondered how many hearts had beat like this for me in my lifetime. To hear the erratic cacophony of another’s excitement would be enthralling. Intimate. I hoped his heart beat just as mine did at this moment.
Pulling the bed covers up higher, I sank into the warmth of his chest. “I love this too.”
He wrapped his arm around me, pulling me closer. When his breath became a regular melody in my ear, I slowly drifted off to sleep.
Wesley
Daylightinfiltratedthedarkspace behind my eyelids as they flickered slightly.
“Good morning,” whispered a familiar voice that instantly roused my dick.
I turned my head to find Skye staring at me. No,absorbingwould be a better term. Her irises shone bright, sliding over my skin in a way that did not help my morning boner at all. During the night, the bedcovers had settled at my waist, and I dragged them back up, moving onto my side, pulling her close.
“Hey beautiful.” Without thinking, I kissed her deeply, and for a moment I thought I had fucked up. I hadn’t meant to turn me staying the night into anything more than it had been. A night where I held her close, something I wasn’t sure I would ever have the privilege of doing again. I’d barely slept. As I lay with her in my arms the entire night, I couldn’t bring myself to shut my eyes for hours, relishing in the overload of her in my senses. Her warm skin had molded to mine, a dash of pomegranate filtering from her hair and soaring into my nostrils. Her light breathing had lifted and caved her chest ever so slightly, my hand ridingthe wave of air pulling then releasing from her lungs as I held her close. I don’t recall moving from that position all night.
But here we were, my lips craving hers like a drug. The withdrawal of not having her near for so long causing me to act without thinking. To my surprise, Skye returned the kiss, her lips parting and finding my tongue. It was slow, cautious, and tender all at once.
Reluctantly breaking away, I ignored my insistent boner between us. “My one priority from here on in is to fix our bond. Find out why you can’t feel it like I do,” I said, whisking a stray hair behind her ear.
She nodded, running her hand over my chest and up my neck. “I may have done a little homework on that while you were gone.”
I lifted onto my elbow with interest. “Yeah?”
Skye pulled herself upright, adjusting the pillows behind her, and I did the same. “Scar and I came up with a few theories to run with.”
