A beat passes before she releases my hand and walks past me.
“We’re a family.” She pauses for a moment, letting her words warm my chest. “I knew you’d take good care of those dragon shifters.” My lips part as I try to process her words, my thoughts going all the way back to the first night that she buried them right in front of me. “You’re sweeter than you act, Low.” She squeezes my hand lightly before trailing on a hobbling step to the door. “But you’re a stubborn woman,” she mumbles before she leaves.
I trail away from her cramped bedroom and into the only bathroom in the little cottage. The small room is filled with old magazines along the sink. Orange lighting casts across the space, and I toss my clothes in the only empty spot along the floor, letting my skirt and shirt take space among the dusty books.
At some point in Agatha’s long life, she must not have been blind. She must have loved these things she surrounds herself with even if she can no longer appreciate them. I don’t have anything sentimental in my life. I left my parents years ago, and I haven’t really settled anywhere since. There are no brothers or sisters to share fond memories with. I’ve never stayed in one place long enough to collect friends.
There is only me.
And, most of the time, that’s how I like it. At least, that’s what I thought.
The cold metal of the faucet turns beneath my palm, and I step into the chilling water. A gasp leaves my throat but, in just a moment, the freezing water turns from cold to hot and the tension leaves my body in an instant. The gentle pressure falls across my skin, drenching my hair as I tip my face up to the steam and inhale deeply.
It’s perfectly relaxing.
It’s so relaxing I start to become comfortable with the idea of having a friendship with these men. They care about me. It isn’t the most blatant appearance of kindness, but I can see it.
I can feel it.
The sound of the door clicking closed has the tension snapping right back into place. I peer past the clear plastic curtain and meet shining emerald eyes. They trail down the length of my bare skin from beyond the transparent shower curtain.
I know Aggie lives alone, and the poor woman is blind for Goddess’ sake, but a little bit of coverage would be appreciated right now.
“What you said outside, about kissing being cut off emotionally, I don’t agree.” Kain’s words don’t hold his normal, harsh tone. It’s just a statement. He’s always the one with a plan. Always plotting.
It makes me watch him a little more carefully.
The thudding of his boots against the old floorboards holds my attention. He doesn’t hesitate as he steps right into my shower. The water beats down against his clothes. It soaks through his white shirt, sticking deliciously to every line of his hard body. Heat drifts between us from the hot water, but the slickness makes my thighs shift.
My arms fold defensively across my chest, below the underside of my breasts, amplifying the curves, but I don’t hide them. I pretend I’m not at all affected by his presence. His gaze follows the beading water that’s slipping down my skin and across my nipples.
I try to ignore the way his attention makes energy pool right to the center of my sex.
“Do you mind? My water’s getting cold, and I don’t remember giving you an invitation.” My tone is clipped, but I’m not able to contain the breathy sound following my words.
“I’ll be sure not to waste your time then.” His rumbling words are low and smooth.
He takes a single, dominant step closer to me. I lean slightly back from him. My feet won’t move, but my body still pretends not to want him.
He closes the minimal space between us. The drenched t-shirt is rough against my nipples, and I’m suddenly arching into him for a whole new reason. My arms remain folded, my nails sinking tightly into my palms. A smirk tilts his lips as his fingers slip through the base of my hair. He tips my head roughly back for him, and I watch his every move with firmly held lips. My jaw is angled high, his grip tightening in my hair. My gaze slips for only an instant to his beautiful mouth.
“You wouldn’t dare.” I threaten his intent, and I realize it’s the wrong thing to do to a man who never listens to a thing I say.
“Mmm, yes I fucking would,” he says on a whisper. “You want me to kiss you? To make you feel like you matter to me?”
The warmth of his breath fan against my lips, and I can’t seem to find a response in my mind. There’s something in Kain that’s different. It’s the way he watches me. The way he watches everyone really. The skeptical cautiousness in him matches everything about me.
We’re the same.
That thought alone makes up my mind. Slowly I nod to him, keeping my gaze locked with his.
He searches my eyes. Every second that passes strikes through my body with buzzing energy that I feel in the most sensitive places.
His head dips just slightly. His lips press firmly against mine, but he isn’t forceful. It’s a chaste kiss.
It’s … surprisingly perfect.
It’s everything I didn’t know I craved. His closeness, his body against mine, his gentleness; it’s all more perfect than I ever could have imagined.
