Page 56 of Rescued

Sonya took a deep breath.

“When I finally got home, I found…nothing. Just a big hole in the ground where my Mom’s house had been. The Scourge must have dropped a bomb right on it—vaporized everything and everyone inside instantly.” She shook her head. “I try to tell myself at least they didn’t suffer—probably didn’t even feel a thing. But that’s cold comfort when I miss them all so much and I’m all alone.”

“Oh, baby girl—I’m so damn sorry.” Davrik had the urge to gather her into his arms and cradle her and just let her cry as he had sometimes with his own Sonya. But they were in a public restaurant and he didn’t know how this new Sonya would react. His mate had always been a private person when it came to sadness or grieving—she wasn’t one to break down in public.

“No, I’m the one who should be sorry.” Sonya sniffed and blotted her eyes again. Then she straightened her shoulders determinedly. “You’re my client—I’m supposed to be entertaining you. And I’m sure hearing about my tragic past is not very entertaining at all.”

“You’re more than just ‘entertainment’,” Davrik told her fiercely. “You’re more than just your beautiful voice or your gorgeous looks or your witty jokes.” Reaching across the table, he squeezed her hand and looked into her eyes. “I want all of you, Sonya. The pain as well as the pleasure. The bad as well as the good. All of it—all of you. Forever.”

He hadn’t meant to declare himself so soon and even as he said the words, Davrik knew he might be making a mistake. But he’d never been good about holding back his emotions—not when it came to the only woman in the universe—no, the multiverse—that he wanted for his mate. Sonya was more than just the woman he loved—she was his reason for being. And he couldn’t stop himself from letting her know how he felt.

“Oh…” Sonya looked up at him uncertainly. She didn’t seem to know what to say but she didn’t pull her hand away. They stared into each other’s eyes for a long moment that seemed to stretch like a thread of warm honey between them.

Just as Davrik was about to get up and sweep her into his arms to take her back to her room where he could have her all to himself, the waiter came back with the dessert cart.

It was a welcome interruption for a situation that had gotten extremely intense. He urged Sonya to order anything she liked—he knew his baby girl had a sweet tooth and he wanted her to get what she wanted. After all, she had to eat enough to keep those luscious full curves of hers and remain an Elite.

But even as Sonya nibbled her Prandian cream pavlova, he couldn’t help imagining holding her in his arms and making her completely his by Claiming her all over again.

TWENTY-EIGHT

SONYA

Was it weird that she was starting to have feelings for her VIP client?

Sonya wasn’t sure exactly what she was feeling but it was definitely something. The words, “swept off her feet” came to mind. And not just because Davrik was so passionate and possessive either—it was the way he treated her that made Sonya weak in the knees.

For instance, the night before, instead of using her for his own pleasure as she had expected, the big Kindred had been a perfect gentleman. He had chosen her nightdress and put it on her, but then he had suggested sleeping back-to-back so that the proximity sensors in the damn bracelet she wore wouldn’t go off and cause it to burn her.

They had started out back-to-back, anyway. But when she woke, Sonya found she had turned in the night and was draped against his broad, muscular back with one leg thrown over his thigh.

Her first panicked impulse had been to get away from him quickly— so he didn’t get the wrong idea—but then she’d realized from his slow, steady breathing that he was still sleeping. Since that was the case, she’d decided to stay where she was—just for a little while. He smelled so good—that warm cedar and spice scent again—and besides, it was nice to be close to someone.

Sonya was an extremely affectionate person—she loved hugs and kisses and backrubs and having someone play with her hair or hold her hand. Ever since the Scourge had invaded, killing her whole family in one fell swoop, she’d been alone with no one to hug or comfort her. Sometimes she felt like a part of her was starving for simple physical affection.

But the longer she lay there, draped across the big Kindred and breathing in his warm scent, the less she thought about simply physical affection and the more she thought about, well…something more.

First of all, she started wondering what it would be like to get busy with such a big guy—Davrik was nearly twice her size. How would something like that even work?

That thought led to her trying to picture the act…but what she mainly ended up picturing was the big Kindred going down on her or “tasting” her as he put it. She’d never been with a man who was any good at that, but somehow she thought Davrik would be excellent at it. She could just imagine his broad shoulders splitting her thighs as he dipped his head to lap her pussy. His tongue would be warm and wet and he would probably put those long fingers inside her while he did it…

Stop it, Sonya—what’s wrong with you, thinking like that? she’d scolded herself. He’s a client—he bought and paid for you. You have no say in any of this and there’s nothing sexy about it!

But despite lecturing herself about how she shouldn’t fantasize about her VIP client, Sonya couldn’t seem to stop it. And she hadn’t been able to make herself move away from the big Kindred until at last, some time later, she felt him stirring.

Davrik hadn’t said anything about her being draped all over him, so she assumed he didn’t know. But that hour she’d spent pressed against his broad back and breathing in his warm, addictive scent had somehow affected her, and made her want to know him better and get closer to him.

Which was just as well, since the moment he woke up, Davrik immediately took charge of everything. He had ordered them breakfast and though he hadn’t asked what Sonya wanted, he somehow seemed to know all of her favorites. Then, after they ate, he had chosen her outfit and gotten her dressed—sliding the dress over her head and fastening the back without being asked. He had even done her hair—which was something no man had ever even attempted before.

Because Sonya’s dad had been white and her mom had been black, she had “mixed girl hair” which could be delicate and difficult to deal with. If it was conditioned properly and treated with the right products, it fell in long, natural ringlets down to the small of her back.

Back home, before the invasion, she’d used a product called Miss Jessie’s Coily Custard. But finding the right hair care millions of light years from home was difficult—if not downright impossible. Sonya had been trying different things since she had been sold to The House of a Thousand Flowers, but she still hadn’t found the exact right combination of ingredients yet.

Davrik, however, had somehow known about her difficulty and also just how to treat her hair. He had remarked that he understood how hard it must be for her to get what she needed and promised to find her products that would work with her hair type. Then he had coaxed her curls into a fashionable chignon at the back of her neck which had both surprised and pleased her.

Afterwards, he had taken her on a “date” to the Zero G swimming area which was basically just a huge vertical space where you could float around for fun. They had held hands and pushed off the walls, doing slow-motion flips and somersaults and laughing when they got turned around or upside down.

After that, Davrik had insisted on taking her shopping.

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