I felt the truth in his words, but that couldn’t eliminate years of fear. How did I tell him that I was scared of everything?Creating a bond that I couldn’t escape from. Letting down my walls and paying for it later. Falling for him and the hope he sparked, then having it all ripped away at the last moment. I was terrified that the future he promised wasn’t real.
I fought to get away, but he was there, holding my hips. His grip was tight, punishing, as he dared me to look him in the eye.
“Face it,” he commanded. “Face the fear, and let me help you.”
I really didn’t have a choice. The symptoms were beyond worse in the short time we argued. My nausea was constant, my entire frame shook, and my head felt like it was about to explode against the back wall. But my fear was rooted just as deep. With the little strength I had left, I pushed against his chest, ignoring how even that small touch sent sparks up my arms.
There was no moving him. I only wore myself out trying. Kaiden sighed and reached down to catch me behind my thighs. The world spun as he lifted me up, holding my legs on either side of his waist. Instinct had me kicking and fighting to squirm my way down.
“Let me go!” I shouted as he spun us toward the bed.
No amount of hits slowed him. Two steps, and I was flying again. My back met the soft sheets with Kaiden climbing right over me.
“I’m going to save your life whether you want me to or not.”
He straddled my hips until his knees dug into my sides, keeping me pinned. I thrashed anyway, panicking with every second I couldn’t break free. Inside my chest, the bond flared.
“I don’t trust you!” I screamed.
“Obviously!”
I flinched at Kaiden’s tone, and he blew out a breath, softening his face. The air was charged, but I felt the fight slowly draining from me. Everything hurt, and I was so, so tired.
“I know you’re scared,” he whispered. “But I refuse to let youdie just because you’re afraid of our bond growing stronger.” His large hand cupped my chin and pressed down until my mouth was forced open. “Drink.”
The last of the antidote poured past my lips and cooled some of the fire ravishing my body. But just like before, it wasn’t enough, and I knew what came next. Faster than I could counter, Kaiden rolled off me and pulled me onto my side. He tucked me against him, tight. From back to thighs there was no part of him I didn’t feel.
I hissed at the overwhelming shock of it. Like being dunked into ice water, my system was overloaded. Warmth grew in my chest, impossible to ignore, but it wasn’t the fever. Our bond slowly cracked one eye and awoke. I knew Kaiden felt it too. His soft gasp brushed over the back of my neck, and his dick grew hard against my ass. I rolled away, reaching for the side of the bed, but Kaiden threw a long leg over mine, pinning me even more.
“Have I ever hurt you?” he asked into the dark.
I shook my head. Never, but I couldn’t form words over the wash of emotions battling inside me. He pressed his lips to the skin behind my ear. And my heart rate spiked.
“Have I forced myself on you? Even after feeling you slick against my fingers and ready in my arms?”
“No,” I croaked.
“Then trust me to control myself now.”
Trust. He made it sound so easy. Sickness and fear reigned over my senses, but Kaiden fought them with gentle touches. His fingers brushed through my hair until the tension in my shoulders eased, and I sank into the mattress. He took his leg off me but wrapped an arm around my middle and tugged me deeper into the curve of his body.
His shadows continued those calming strokes until the fight left me completely.
“I could never hurt you, princess.”
With his lips nuzzling my neck, his words followed me into unconsciousness, and I swore the bond smiled.
I was on fire. My entire chest, my thighs, even my arms were smothered in the flames. I clenched my eyes tightly, fearful that the fever had returned, but after a few tense moments, I realized the heat wasn’t coming from inside me. Blinking against the thin strip of daylight, I was greeted with a wide expanse of tanned skin peppered with scars and warmth under my palm.
What the…?
The chest under my cheek rose and fell in a steady rhythm, and it took every ounce of my control to not freak out. A quick stock of my body was enough to send me right back to the edge. I was wrapped around Kaiden like a freaking octopus. Well, we were actually wrapped around each other, but that wasmyleg thrown over his like a sneaky parasite.
Shit.
Another heart-stopping moment passed, and when my squirming didn’t wake him, I wiggled my ass off the bed and onto the floor. Popping my head past the mattress, I kept a critical eye on him while blindly searching for something to wear. Escaping in only a bralette and panties wouldn't get me far unnoticed.
My fingers caught on cotton, and I pulled the dark material on without thinking. It was a T-shirt—hisT-shirt–but it fell to mid-thigh and covered all the important bits. I didn’t have the time to be picky. The bond told me he was still in a deep sleep, but who knew how long it would last?
