Shit, he’d heard me. “Uh, n-n-nothing really,” I stammered.
He lifted his brows at me. “What does that explain?” he prompted again.
I sucked in a breath and decided to be honest. “Well, uh, I might have prayed to the goddess to protect me from an early death or serious injury when you were driving the SUV for the first time.”
Rhys laughed and I was glad to see the last of the darkness fade from his expression. “I’m sure I’ve improved since then,” he murmured.
I suddenly became very interested in eating my curry, which made him laugh again, but he dropped the subject.
We finished our meal and he helped me carry everything into the kitchen. As I loaded the dishwasher, I asked, “What do you want to do this afternoon?”
“Why don’t we watch that movie you’ve been telling me about?” he suggested. “Or take a nap.”
I laughed. “Take a nap?”
“Gardening is a lot more work than I thought,” he replied, smirking.
“Well, I’ll turn on the movie and if you fall asleep, I’ll change the channel.”
“Sounds fair,” he agreed.
When we settled on the couch and turned on the TV, Rhys put his arm around me, pulling me against his side. His hand trailed over my bare arm in a slow up and down motion, making me very aware of the fact that he’d seen me nearly naked just an hour ago.
I tilted my head back to say something to him and found his eyes on my legs, which were left mostly bare by the loose skirt of my dress. He lifted his eyes and our gazes clashed. I lifted a hand to cup his cheek. “Rhys,” I whispered, unsure of how to ask for what I wanted.
Somehow, he understood and lowered his head. Our lips met and the heat flared between us immediately. Our tongues danced in a slow, sensuous rhythm. His opposite arm came around my waist, his hand splayed over my hip. I shifted against him, eager for his touch.
Surprising myself with my own boldness, I swung my leg over his lap and straddled him, settling onto his thighs. Rhys immediately accepted the invitation I presented and one of his palms moved up my legs beneath my dress. I shivered at the sensation of his bare skin against mine. The calluses on his fingers were a rough caress and I wanted more.
My hips moved against his lap as his fingertips brushed the edge of my lace underwear. His other had cupped my breast through my dress and I arched deeper into the touch. His fingers delved beneath my dress and bra and slipped over my nipple. I gasped into his mouth, feeling my nipple tighten and tingle from the contact.
I wanted to touch him as well and I reached down between us and lifted the hem of his t-shirt. My fingers brushed the heated flesh of his abdomen and the muscles of his thighs tensed beneath me. Smoothing my hands up his torso and over his chest, I used the motion to lift his shirt higher. He released me long enough for me to tug the garment over his head.
Suddenly, the lamps flickered and I was thrown into a raging sea of emotions that were not my own. Desire, desperation, and love wrapped around me with such intensity that it stole my breath and blurred my vision. Beneath the passion, I could sense loss, loneliness, and guilt. It was a maelstrom that sucked me beneath the surface.
My hands reached out blindly, coming into contact with the bare flesh of Rhys’ shoulders. “Rhys,” I gasped.
“Fuck,” he swore, catching me before I could slide off his lap into a heap on the floor. Holding me with one arm, I could feel his body jerking as he reached out for something with the other.
The sound of a small explosion reached my ears and my vision dimmed further. Rhys swore again, his search becoming more frantic.
Then, just as suddenly as it began, the wild squall of emotions ended and I collapsed against Rhys’ naked chest. Breathing heavily, I reached up and curved my hand around his neck, feeling the wild throb of his pulse against my fingers. The cool, thin chain of his amulet shifted beneath my hand and I realized that it had come off when I removed his shirt. Apparently the amulet did more than create a barrier for the electrical disruption that Rhys’ powers caused. It also prevented an empath from sensing his emotions.
I was overwhelmed by the immense weight of the pain and sorrow he carried. More than once since I met him, I often wished I could feel what Rhys was feeling, sense where his mind was. Now that I knew, I was glad I hadn’t gotten my wish. I would never have given myself a chance to know him otherwise, and I would have missed out on a wonderful man. I wouldn’t have been able to handle the burden he carried long enough to get close to him. It hurt too much and it would have created a barrier between us.
“Savannah?” Rhys asked quietly.
“I’m okay,” I replied, my voice hoarse. “I’m fine.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, I’m sure.” I rested my cheek on his shoulder, my forehead pressed into the curve of his neck, and tried to relax. In my mind, the remnants of his emotions swirled and I needed to get a handle on them.
I also needed to get a grip on myself because with a single glimpse into Rhys’ heart, it was clear that I was falling in love with a complex and tortured man.
