She couldn’t take it anymore. Her entire body was vibrating, the most present she had ever been. She took one of his hands and placed it on her waist. He followed her encouragement by pulling her in tightly to his frame.
Dana wrapped her arms around his head, and their lips met, an explosive crescendo of whimsical yearning.
Dana could feel herself crashing and burning. They began softly, resting their mouths against one another. She quickly parted her lips, shooting her tongue inside his mouth and swirling, making him moan as his hands grabbed onto her waist.
She needed to feel his skin on hers, so she lifted one of her legs to his waist, encouraging his bare hands to wander her thigh through the slit in her dress, and he followed suit.
Her skin crackled. She moaned his name into his mouth as the same hand squeezed her aching body, slowly sliding up to grip the ample curve of her ass.
Dana was ravenous, running her hands through Rux’s neatly set hair, thinking about turning around and hiking up her dress so he could take her right there on the terrace. She felt like she was going mad, and the feeling slithered up from her feet and made its way through her spine.
Its sensation was oily black and poisonous, so she tore herself away from him by pushing on his shoulders just as his fingers began to play with the fabric of her thong.
They parted aggressively, and Rux held out his hands with wide eyes, terrified that he had somehow violated her.
“I’m … I’m sorry,” Rux said breathlessly. “Whatever I did, I’m so sorry, Dana …”
He tried to take her back into his arms, but Dana held out a hand sternly.
“Don’t come any closer,” she said abruptly.
Rux’s eyes melted, and he did as he was told, paralyzed with hurt and confusion.
“Dana,” he said fearfully. “Please tell me what I did wrong. I’m so sorry. I never want to disrespect you, ever. Maybe my hands went too far. I’m sorry.”
His voice was quivering, frantic with apologies. Dana traced her fingers along her lips, the heat from the kiss still searing there.
“No, no, Rux,” she too said breathlessly. “I mean, that was amazing, one hell of a kiss. I just need a second.”
She was gazing off the terrace and focusing on the dead of the night. It looked over the dank woods, and she had the strange drive to leap off and hide there. She didn’t want to hurt Rux, but she was bewildered beyond comprehension.
“I just need a second,” Dana repeated. “I wasn’t expecting that. It was so amazing.”
Rux stepped away, opening the double doors behind him.
“I’ll give you your space,” he said, stepping back into the event. “Again, I’m so sorry if I did anything to offend you.”
As soon as Rux disappeared inside, Dana’s face fell into her hands.
“What the fuck?” she whispered into the dark.
It was only their second date. Dana wanted the man, and she wanted him desperately. Her yearning was so palpable that she even wondered if shifters were capable of witchcraft.
In fact, she had been young and in love before, head over heels, but it barely scraped the surface of the depths of longing she was already feeling for Rux.
Dana knew that passion quickly evolved into an obsession, and she didn’t need another obsession in her life that would corrupt the one that had never let her down … her music.
Dana didn’t know how long she was on the terrace, but it was long enough for her to determine that she needed to head home and think. She didn’t want Rux’s gorgeous face there, softening her rational mind and satisfying every fantasy crying from the depths of her body.
She re-entered the museum and found Rux leaning against a wall. He looked downtrodden, which made Dana feel like an absolute asshole. As soon as he spotted her, he stood, that cornered look distorting his expression.
“I want to go home now,” Dana said, trying not to meet his eyes.
Rux nodded, then guided her back to the Cobra without touching her. They sat silently together on the drive back, Dana resisting every inclination to apologize and straddle him until she drained every piece of anxiety out of her body.
Dana opened the car door and offered Rux her cheek. He kissed it quickly, which made Dana feel even worse.
“You didn’t do anything wrong, Rux,” Dana said, standing outside the car. “I just need some time. I’m sorry.”