Dravka looked up at her with an unreadable expression. One of lust and darkness and bewilderment and need. His eyes ran over her, maybe assessing her in the way he assessed his clients every night. What did he see? He saw her in a tight, low dress. He saw her hands trembling. He saw her wet lips. He saw the determination and desire in her gaze.
He saw her fingers come to the single tie at the back of her neck. Valerie pulled and the straps that wrapped around her shoulders fell away. The material encasing her breasts dropped—and a ragged, harsh groan tore from Dravka’s throat when Valerie peeled the dress off to pool at her feet. Until she was almost naked, clad only in a thin scrap of material between her thighs.
“Mellkia,”Dravka murmured, swallowing, already trying to push up from the bed—a dangerous place to be with him, no doubt. “We shouldn’t—”
Valerie crawled over him, placing her hands on his chest, throwing her legs over his thighs to keep him in place.
“Vauk,” Dravka hissed, stilling. A muscle in his jaw was jumping and she placed her lips there, feeling it twitch against her. Her bare nipples dragged over his chest and he moaned, holding himself very, very still. “Valerie.”
She frowned, hearing the ragged hesitation in his voice.
“Don’t you want me?” Valerie whispered in his ear, catching his gaze. She caught his hands, brought them to her breasts, and she gasped when his palms squeezed around them almost unconsciously.His hands. Roughened and warm and perfect against her. “Don’t you want this?”
She could actuallyhearhis hearts thundering in his chest, could feel them against her.
“How can you ask me that?” he growled, his hands gripping her breasts, his thumbjustnudging against one of her nipples, making a flood of wetness rush between her legs. He took his hands away, grabbed the back of her neck again, and angled her head down until she could see…
Her lips parted.
The tip of his cock was peeking up from the waistband of his pants.
“You see that,mellkia?” he rasped in her ear, his sinful, rich voice making her shiver. The head of his cock was flooded with pre-cum, dripping down the tip, wetting the front of his pants. He was a mess. A perfect mess. “Onlyyouever do this to me.Vauk, I could come just petting your breasts, Val. So don’t ask me if I want you. Because I’ve never wanted anyonemorethan I want you.”
She didn’t know why but her eyes flooded with tears at the words.
Maybe because she knew he wasn’t just talking about sex.
And suddenly, she couldn’tstopcrying. The tears just kept streaming down her cheeks and she was so fucking mortified and sad and happy andwanting himthat she didn’t hide it.
“Val,” Dravka murmured, swallowing, his brow furrowing as if in pain. “Vauk,mellkia. Don’t do that.”
He shifted their positions until his back was to the wall his bed was pushed up against. Then he dragged her forward, turning her so that she was draped across his lap, though he was careful to keep her away from his cock and the mess in his lap.
She curled into him, pressing her cheek to his chest, listening to his heartbeats, clutching him to her. As for him, he cradled her close, pressed kisses to the top of her head, and then stroked his fingers down her hair until…
Until she calmed down and the tears began to taper off.
Valerie didn’t know how long they sat there, in the quiet darkness of his room. But eventually, her tears stopped and she just felt stuffed up with a slight headache…and embarrassed. But…strangely accepting of that embarrassment.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered, meeting his gaze through her shimmering vision.
Shame bit at her. She’d pawed at him like she’d always imagined his clients did. For so long, that was why she’d kept her distance physically. Because she didn’t want him to think she was taking advantage of him, especially when he had sex with a different woman every night, save for when he was deep in his Rut.
“I shouldn’t have done that,” she said, holding his eyes though she wanted to hide. She wanted to flee but…that was what she’d always done. And maybe it was the sadness on Celine Larchmont’s face or that she’d discovered the relationship between her future husband and her aunt…but Valerie found she wanted to be honest with Dravka.
Possibly for the first time. Utterly and completely honest. And she wanted to be brave and not hide away from him. Not hide away from her wants and feelings. Because soon those things wouldn’t matter anymore.
She would be marrying Gabriel Larchmont in a few short weeks, maybe less, considering their conversation over dinner.
A few short weeks left with Dravka.
“Why do you think you shouldn’t have done that?” he asked, keeping his voice low. The shadows flickered over his face, softening his features, and Valerie had the strongest urge to reach up and trace the lines she saw there. “For years I thought…”
He trailed off, his jaw ticking.
Her brow furrowed. “Thought what?”
“That you didn’t want me that way.”
