Page 28 of The Labyrinth
The more she thought about it, the more she liked it.“I’m in.”
He grinned.“Thought you’d like my idea.”
“I admit you have some good ideas some of the time,” she teased.
As they stared at one another, the levity fell away.The air between them electrified.His dark gaze captured her, piercing through her soul.Deacon reached out and captured her hand, tugging her close.She fell into him, placing her other palm on his chest.He slid his other hand through her hair, cupping the back of her neck to draw her closer.Their breaths mingled.Everything about him was intoxicating.Arousing.When he dipped his head, she met him halfway.At first, their lips touched with the lightest of pressure, but it wasn’t enough.When his tongue traced over the seam of her lips, she opened for him, and the kiss exploded through her body.
The world melted away.For the first time, she understood what the romance books described.In that moment, her life changed.She knew, instinctively, that she would compare every kiss in the future to this one.When they broke to suck in air, Deacon stared like he’d been struck by a lightning bolt.Perhaps he was, because Marion figured she didn’t look all that different.She licked her lips, trying to savor his flavor.
“I, ah, think I should say good night,” she whispered.
“Do you really want to?”
She opened her mouth, but closed it almost as fast.Denial dying upon her lips.“Perhaps it’s best.”
“Is it?”
“What do you want from me, Deacon?”
“I thought that was obvious,” he said.“Do you not feel how hard I am for you?”
Yes, she did.Her own body surged with lust at the thought he wanted her, but sanity threw a cold bucket of ice on her libido.Sleeping with him wouldn’t be very smart.They were completely different people, and she had no desire to be a notch on his bedpost.
“Good night, Deacon.”
He let out a frustrated sigh, but let her go and stepped back.“As you wish.See you in the morning.”
Watching him walk away, going into his bedroom and closing the door behind him, felt like a travesty.She wanted to go after him but reminded herself this was temporary.Once she found Peter she’d be going home.
Marion sighed and closed the door.In the bathroom she stared at herself in the mirror.What the hell?It wasn’t like she was some virgin scared of the Big Bad Wolf ...er, minotaur.Growing up in a town of about a thousand people, in a community of farmers and manual labor workers, having sex was almost the only stimulation one could find.So, why deny herself something she wanted?
The confusing thoughts stayed with her as she showered and then laid down.Closing her eyes, she tried to rest.She was dog-tired, so why was she tossing and turning?Her mind kept thinking about everything she’d discovered.The whole world was now changed.She should be focusing on finding Peter and destroying the processing plant.Marion shuddered with revulsion and questioned what had happened.Should she have stayed at the plant?Demanded to see if they knew Peter?Or at least, knew about him.What if he was there, and she missed him only by a moment?What if he knew she had been there but walked away?
All of it haunted her.
Almost an hour later, she sat up, her body restless and her mind unable to relax.She needed something to force herself to go lax, and the only thing she could think of was an orgasm.And not one from her own hand.
“Fuck it,” she muttered.“Why am I saying no?”
Rising, she padded to the door, and when she opened it, Deacon stood in his doorway.They stared at one another for a long moment, then he held out his hand and she walked forward, taking it.He brought her into his room and closed the door.
