Page 16 of Touch Of Fate
“Annoyingly beautiful,” he replies, and I tilt my head. “She is very expressive of her love. I’ve heard their bonding stories enough times that I can recite them, word for word.”
“I have been on the receiving end of them also,” Archer says as he stands. He stares at me for a moment. “I’m glad we found you. I have felt Rome’s spells many times, but nothing like that.”
“I could see every memory,” Rome says. “I hate that you’ve had to deal with the emotions. Just seeing the acts without them was disturbing.”
“It’s been less than pleasant,” I mumble.
“Well, it didn’t burst this time,” Lace says, looking at the light. “Can you fix it?” She glances at Rome. He tilts his head back, and the light brightens. “Wow. Thanks.”
“What is the plan?” Archer asks.
“Would you give us a minute?” Rome asks Archer and then looks at Lace.
“Lace, give me a tour of the store,” Archer says, motioning to the door.
“Uh…sure,” she says, hurrying toward him.
I watch Rome as he looks over my shoulder. His attention centers on me when the door shuts, and a shiver shoots down my spine.
“I want your opinion about the man, but first…” His hand whips out, grasping the back of my neck, pulling me forward. My knees hit the floor as I’m forced to move as he takes my mouth. I brace my palms on his thighs and eagerly open to him.
I thought our connection was incredible as we did the spell, but as his tongue tangles with mine, I realize I was wrong. I want to crawl onto his lap and never leave, so I do. Straddling his thighs, I glide my hands over his shoulders and thread my fingers through his hair. He lifts my hair, gathering it in his fist, using the handhold to control my movement. His lips are soft, yet his hands are firm on my body. His free hand slides across my hips and yanks me closer. I gasp in his mouth as I feel him pressed against me.
Groaning in protest when he pulls away, he grins and bites my lip. He allows me to suck in a breath before kissing me again. I don’t have much experience with kissing. When I was sixteen, a boy in my class gave me my first one. It was awkward, and I pulled away when he tried to put his tongue in my mouth. A year later, I let my boyfriend’s tongue in my mouth. It wasn’t great. His thoughts were dark, and my spells warned me to get away. As time passed and my power became more out of control, it was painful to be with anyone. This is not painful. I follow his lead, mimicking his movements, and the hardness between us tells me I’m getting it right.
“Fuck,” he growls, moving back. “We have to stop. I don’t want to fuck you on the floor when our family is in the building.”
I lick my swollen lips. “Right.” I exhale, gathering myself.
“You feel fucking good in my arms, bond.” He presses his forehead to mine, his breath harsh. “I didn’t expect you.”
“What did you expect?” I ask, hoping he likes what he found.
“I knew finding your soul bond was a powerful experience, but I had no clue how much.” He leans back and palms the side of my head. “We need more time, but when our magic touched, I wanted to keep going.”
“I did too,” I admit, resting my hands on his shoulders. “I haven’t been able to touch anyone.” Awareness falls over his face. “I like touching you.” I don’t like lying. Being with him is what I want. We have to be honest with each other for this to work.
“You can touch me whenever you want,” he says softly. “We can go at your pace. The challenges with your magic must have been hard for you. It’s hard to trust, isn’t it?”
“Very.” My gut is telling me that he won’t hurt me. I don’t know if the soul bond is pushing me or my spells. Our magic is pure and warns us of bad intentions.
“Trust in me,” he whispers. “I won’t hurt you. It would gut me to cause you pain.”
“I can feel you.” I press my hand to his chest. “We are already connected through our spells. Yours is bright.”
“You’ve been hiding your gifts,” he guesses. “Is it because of the touch or your sister?”
“Both,” I admit.
“I can feel Lace’s spells, but they seem to be hidden behind a wall.” He frowns. “I’ve never felt anything like her.”
“She thinks she’s damaged.”
“Fuck that,” he hisses, and it makes me smile.
“I know she’s very gifted. When she meets her soul bond, she will be released.” I don’t talk about it with her. She doesn’t want to think about it, fearing she will never gain her powers. I know she just hasn’t reached her full potential.
“She shouldn’t doubt it,” he says, grabbing my hips. “I’ll help her if I can.”
