She yawned audibly. “Did you just compel me to go to sleep?”
“Shhh,” I said and kissed her shoulder. “I didn’t compel you, but I will if you don’t go to sleep, Calla…”
“Okay,” she said, and shifted in the bed beside me.
Finally silent, we lay that way, bodies pressed together, the covers over top of us, and I listened to her breathe.
She was awake, and I was sure she was afraid for her pulse was rapid and it took quite some time for her to calm down. I knew that she was uncertain whether I would try to take advantage of her, but I wouldn’t.
I may have been a monster, but I wasn't a beast.
It took more than an hour for her to finally sleep, but I lay awake beside her, soaking up her warmth, planning my next move.
Calla
I woke up when it was still dark. I was lying on my back facing Kier, whose own eyes were open and staring into mine in a very intense way.
His arm lay across my waist, cradling my body. I blinked as my body instantly responded to the look in his eyes and the feel of his body warm against mine. He was wide awake and instead of feeling cold, he felt very warm.
“You’re awake?” I said, exquisitely aware of how close he was to me, how it would be only a few inches and he could lean down and kiss me.
“I don’t sleep at night,” he said, his voice deep.
I nodded but said nothing more for a moment, wondering what time it was.
“Did I snore?” I said and waited for his answer. My eyes flew open and I saw his grin.
“No, you didn’t snore,” he said with a laugh. “Not that I’d tell you if you did. I have some sense.”
Then he leaned down and pressed his forehead against mine, smiling the whole time. Before I knew it, he kissed me, his mouth pressed against mine, softly at first. Just a light press of our lips together. More affectionate than sexual.
I didn’t fight it nor did I pull away but my heart rate increased as soon as his lips touched mine. That familiar ache in my groin returned, and I felt a little breathless. Instead of pulling away as I should have done, I kissed him back, pressing up slightly, my mouth opening under his.
I wanted him to kiss me.
I wanted him to touch me, to lie on top of me.
When he opened his mouth against mine, his tongue exploring my mouth to find mine, I moaned, and that seemed to encourage him so that he lay on top of me. To my surprise, my thighs parted and he lay between them without hesitation. We kissed deeply, our bodies pressed together, and I became lost in the sensations of his mouth and tongue, our breathing loud in the stillness of the room. I could feel his hardness against my thigh and I shamelessly ground myself against it, surprising myself that I was that bold, but I was so aroused I ached to feel anything against me.
His hand slipped down from my cheek to my shoulder and then down my body to my breast, cupping it over the fabric of my nightgown, squeezing gently and tweaking my nipple between his finger and thumb. At that, I groaned against his mouth and thrust my breast up into his hand.
When his hand moved down even lower, finding my hip and then slipping over towards my groin, I shivered, my flesh throbbing with desire despite the warning bells going off in my head.
His hand slipped down between my legs and that shocked me back into the present. I gasped and he moved back, his face dark, his eyes bloodshot.
“Calla, I’m so sorry,” he said and moved away. “This can’t happen.”
I wasn’t sorry, but I knew instinctively that it would be dangerous for us to do more.
He rolled off the bed and quickly dressed, pulling on his clothes, and then his jacket. On my part, I lay recovering, my body still throbbing with lust, my heart rate fast, my breathing shallow.
I wanted it. I wanted him to keep touching me.
“I don’t want you to leave,” I whispered.
He shook his head and sat back down on the bed. “No,” he said and cupped my cheek. “In my current state, I don’t think I could stop. I couldn’t hold back and I’d bite you.”
Then he leaned down and kissed my forehead and I wanted to pull