I never stood a chance. Not when she finally let me in. She was being extra quiet that day. Something was on her mind.
Or should I say someone…
I woke up that morning with a pain in my chest, unsure of whereit was coming from. It helped that Isla was in my arms. It always did.
I used to love sitting in this kitchen as Melody cooked. I hadn’t done it in years, but there I was, utterly drawn to Isla’s magnetic pull. Our dynamic was different, more intense, personal.
I learned a lot about her. From her childhood, or lack of, to the way she curled up in a ball to sleep at night. The way her breathing would even out, how warm she was, how soft. I wasn’t lying when I said she was mine now.
I treated her as such.
Except I could tell she was still holding back from me. We hadn’t had sex since that first time, but honestly, it didn’t really matter. We were intimate in ways we hadn’t been before. I began playing my piano for her while she lay in my bed.
There was no longer a wall between us. Now she was right there experiencing it with me. I never played for anyone. It was just the two of us, unless it was Julius and me practicing. It wasn’t weird, feeling as if I was baring my soul to her.
She also slept in my arms every night. I didn’t ask; she just did. After we had sex, we ended up in my bed, and she hadn’t left since. Not that I wanted her to. However, the unavoidable question of when Julius was going to make his presence known loomed in the back of our minds. It was always right there, waiting, lurking, ready to strike at a moment’s notice.
I hate it.
One way or another, we couldn’t go forward, nor could we go back. We were stuck in the same place we’d been, sitting in neutral, anticipating the weight of Julius’s foot on the accelerator. He would be the one who would drive us off a cliff.
Later that night, after we had eaten dinner, she pulled back the covers as I crawled to her. Getting under the sheets, she lay down, and I followed suit. Except I laid my head on her stomach, demanding a head and back scratch. Her nails were like claws.
The second I felt her nails dig into my scalp, she moaned.
“Careful, Kitty.” I glanced up at her. “That’s an invitation.”Rubbing my nose against hers, I baited, “Is that what you want? Me lying on top of you?”
“Kraven…” she rasped in a tone so low I almost didn’t hear her.
“What’s wrong?”
She shook her head, kissing me instead. Caging her in with my arms, I hovered above her frame. Her breathing escalated as she ground against me, creating friction on my dick.
She was trying to forget.
It was what we did for each other.
I intended to lie with her and catch up, but the desire I had for her made my balls ache and my cock throb.
I needed to slow down.
She always felt amazing and smelled so damn good. Up until this second, I held on to my restraint, though it was becoming apparent that I wanted her in more ways than just hearing about her day.
There was this buildup.
This hope deep in my bones.
Our flirty banter.
Her smile.
Her laugh.
How easy it was to fall back into this place where the lines were blurred and the future unknown. I didn’t believe in love. Yet with her, it felt like I was.
Claiming her.
Making her mine.
