Page 79 of Curses & Keys
“I felt your sweet kisses on my lips and chest, your hands as they bathed and teased me, and I couldn’t move. Couldn’t reciprocate,” he growls against my skin. “All I wanted was to pull you into my lap and slide my hands and mouth over every inch of you.”
My hands glide across familiar dips and valleys, delighting in the sound of his ragged breaths. Wanting to know all of him, I slide my hand down and encircle him, lightly stroking the hard ridges. Strong thighs tighten in response.
“I was locked in a frozen land, unable to see or touch you, and yet, I always knew when it was night. Your silky legs would slide between mine as your arms held me tight and your mouth whispered sweet promises. Pure fucking torture. All of it.”
He picks me up, and I automatically wrap my legs around him. His fingers graze the bundle of nerves at my core, then slide into the wetness below. “All I dreamed about was waking up and sliding into you.”
I was ready for him the moment he stepped into the shower. “Show me.”
With a wicked grin, he pushes forward, sliding into me inch by inch as if he is savoring every second. Once he’s in, he stops and stares down at me with a serious expression on his face.
“I would do it all again,” he tells me, his voice tight with emotion. “Just to repeat this moment.”
My breath hitches at his words, and I brush his mahogany hair back from his face. Steam rises around us while my body quivers with need. “I never want to see you like that again. I couldn’t bear it.” The anguish in my voice reveals the truth I’ve been trying to hide, refusing to acknowledge.
It doesn’t matter. The gleam in his eyes tells me he hears my unspoken words. His body begins to slide in and out, and therightness of it is almost too much. I close my eyes, not wanting him to see, but he lifts my chin.
“Open your eyes, Phaedra,” he orders, slowing to a stop until I comply. “That’s it. Do you think you’re the only one? Look at me.” His green eyes blaze with emotion as they stare down at me. “I want you to see what you do to me.”
His hips slowly pick up speed, and pink spreads across his cheeks. All those minutes I wished he would open his eyes. I never expected this… us… to be this…connected. Maybe he did, though. It’s in the gleam of satisfaction and steadiness of his gaze. Sensations rocket through my body, and I gasp.
His fingers slip between us, and I arch my back as they glide against me, faster and faster. Already on the edge, it only takes a few strokes, then I’m lost to the waves cascading from the heart of me. I tighten my grip on his shoulders, needing something to anchor me to this world, and let myself fall.
He follows a second later, pulsing inside me, his gaze never leaving mine. Breathing rapidly with a full-blown smile, he gathers me into his arms and holds me for a long minute. “That was more incredible than I imagined.” His fingers softly glide up and down my body as if he’s memorizing every curve and valley.
“Mmm,” I agree, content to be here with him, soaking in the scent of jasmine and musk. Unfortunately, the water cools, and reality comes crashing back. He lets my feet drop. Pulling back from him, I stare at him as I wash up, afraid that if I look away, he’ll disappear.
He steps out first and grabs a towel, holding it wide. I step into it, and he wraps it around my body, then places a sweet kiss on my shoulder. Bending down, he uses a second towel to dry off every bead of water from my legs and feet.
Sea-green eyes stare up at me as if he’s waiting for something.
“I…” I open my mouth, but Jamison’s face stops me. What do I say? I’m attracted to you but also to him. Hawthorne knows I’ve kissed him.
But honestly, who am I kidding? It’s all temporary. Once they realize who I am…
His thumb smooths the line between my brows. “Savor the moment. We live long lives. Plenty of time to figure things out. Okay?”
I nod, but I’m not sure that’s true anymore. This box could mean the end of it all.
Dark observant eyesland on me the second I step into the living room, then shift from me to Hawthorne. A peculiar expression crosses his face, anger followed by sadness maybe? I’m not quite sure, but he doesn’t seem happy to see Hawthorne and me. His eyes land on my fingers, nervously rubbing a hole in the hem of my shirt, and he wipes all emotion from his expression.
Gatlin sweeps in from the kitchen, holding out a spoon with red sauce on it. “Taste this.” He extends it to me, and I take a tiny bite, then vigorously nod. He lifts an eyebrow. “Good, huh?” A broad smile appears. “Dinner will be ready soon. Hope you’re hungry.”
“Where’s Jamison?” I ask, a note of hesitation in my voice.
Gatlin jerks his chin toward the back door. “Tell him ten minutes.”
Nervous, I step outside and walk over to the edge of the garden. I don’t know what to say to him. The minute Jamison sat down beside me at Hawkes House, I was intrigued. Pulled toward him in a way I can’t explain. Same with Hawthorn theminute I literally ran into him. They appeal to different sides of me. Silence fills the space between us. I don’t like it, but I need him to go first.
He pulls me in front of him, my back to his front, and wraps his arms around me. “From the moment we met, I’ve thought of nothing but you.” He drops a kiss on my neck. “I can’t say I haven’t seen your attraction to Hawthorne. Or his to you. At first, I was jealous. Hated the thought of you liking him. Or having more in common with him.”
I drop my head back on his chest. “I never expected either of you. Or…” Gatlin’s protective nature and Mathias’ intense gaze fill my mind.
Jamison shifts me around to face him. “Or the other two? Are you attracted to all of us?”
His face is hidden by the shadows of the branches above him, and I can’t tell what he’s thinking, but I refuse to hide what I feel. My future might be unknown and full of chaos, but I can’t handle more secrets.
“Yes, I’m attracted to all of you. Although I’ve only acted on those feeling with you and Hawthorne,” I admit with a sigh. “It’s insane, really. All these years, I’ve been alone. Nothing more than a fling here and there. Then you four come into my life, and it’s suddenly complicated. Maybe I don’t deserve it, but I want to get to know all of you. Whatever that looks like—friends or lovers.”
