“I’m not trying to pretend my feelings don’t exist, Ere. What I can say for sure is you make my pain fade away and I don’t feel scared or alone with you. You make me feel less… damaged, and I’m thankful you accept me just the way I am. It’s not fair to drag you into my self-pitying bullshit, and I’m sorry.” I gaze down at my hands to avoid meeting his eyes.
He reaches across the table, pulling my chin up with his fingers and forcing me to look at him. The warmth and comfort of his touch spreads through me, slowly calming my mind.
Everything goes quiet when he’s near and especially when he touches me. A sort of comforting numbness takes over to replace the constant pain.
“You never drag me down, Nora. Your love lifts me up. It gives me hope,” he whispers, caressing my cheek with his thumb. “No matter what you go through, I want to be there however you need me to be. I want you to use me. To abuse me however you please. All I want is you.” His jaw clenches and my heart races as his eyes drift from mine and linger on my lips.
I can’t breathe. If I breathe now, the tension between us might shatter and force him to stop touching me. I don’t want him to stop. What I want is for him to pull me closer, to feel his breath on my lips and taste the honesty of his words on my tongue.
“Ere…” I whisper, not knowing what to say or how to feel with him so close. With him watching me as if he’d kill or be killed just to have me in his arms, or to kiss me just once.
He takes a deep breath, closes his eyes, and then rests his arms on the table between us. My face feels cold without his touch. My soul feels empty without him near. My heart thuds loudly wanting to jump out of my chest to follow after his. I want him more than I’ve ever wanted anything before.
“You know I can read you like a book, right?” He flashes that crooked smile I’ve always adored. It renders me incapable of coherent thoughts or speech. He shakes his head in amusement as my silence lingers on.
I clear my throat and focus on steadying my voice before speaking. “Yea. You always have a way of knowing my thoughts and emotions before I even have time to voice them. How?”
“I don’t know,” he whispers. “When you look at me, your eyes reveal everything. They always have and always will.”
“Well, I’ll have you know, sir, that your eyes reveal more than you think. I can read your thoughts,” I lean in closer, my voice barely a whisper, “right at this very moment,” a flirty smile takes over my lips
I know what will happen, and though he made us this delicious meal that neither of us have touched, all I can think about is how badly I want him. There’s plenty of time for pancakes later. My need for him in this moment can’t wait.
“What am I thinking, Nor?” His eyes burn into mine. “Tell me.”
“You’re thinking that I look sexy in this little red dress, and that you’d love to bend me over this table and have your way with me… right… now.” I lick my lips, savoring the moment his eyes follow the motion of my tongue.
He swallows, a nervous smile tugging at his lips. “No, actually. I wasn’t thinking that at all.” His smile vanishes and his pupils dilate, lending an air of darkness to his eyes. “I was thinking,” he says, his voice dripping with desire. “How tempting it is to carry you over my shoulder to the bedroom and use my teeth to tease and undress you while I take pleasure in hearing you beg and scream my name.” The way he licks his lips triggers an immediate, intoxicating sense of arousal. “But you were shockingly close. I’ll give you that.” He winks at me and my cheeks flush, the burn causing me to shift uncomfortably in my seat.
Fuck my damaged heart and broken mind. Fuck my head for screaming at my heart that I’m not good enough for the irresistible temptation that dangles within reach. I need him.
The shock on my face is met with laughter from him, and electricity dances along my spine at the sound of it. My body is weak and my head spins and now I doubt my ability to hold myself up in this chair. The words he spoke and the way he looks at me ignites a rush of arousal that has me clenching my thighs. He knows me too well. Slowly, his eyes rake down my body, settling on my exposed thighs, his expression turning predatory. My body pulsates with an intense need that only he can satisfy.
I force a smile, my voice turning low and sultry. “I don’t scream men’s names, Ere. I make men scream my name.” I return his wink, and a thrill runs through me as I watch his mouth pop open.
With a feral glint in his eyes, he brushes his fingertips across my flushed cheek, before quickly standing and throwing me over his shoulder, with me giggling the whole way to the bedroom. Suddenly it feels like the dark clouds have parted just a little, swallowing us both up and allowing us to get lost in them together.
Darkness always returns, but Ere is there each time to welcome it with me. With him, I will never have to suffer alone.
Chapter Ten
Darkness Rising
NORA
“You’ve come a long way from that good girl you used to be when I first met you,” Ere croons, his fingers absentmindedly tracing patterns on the soft sheets of my bed.
With a playful smile, I look up at him, leaning my head in my hands. “Well, you’ve certainly changed too, haven’t you? You used to seem so gentle and sweet, but now… you act like you want to devour me whole. What changed?”
His smile makes my heart ache. It’s a reminder of how good he is to me, how he always wipes my tears and reminds me that someday things will be better.
“Nothing changed,” he says, his voice strained with emotion as he swallows. “I just… realized what it is you need, and it isn’t the innocent, soft version of me.” His caramel eyes search mine as he continues. “What you’ve always needed is someone to help you see yourself for who you truly are. Someone who can teach you to love every little flaw within, so you can become the best version of yourself. You need someone who can understand and accept you without trying to change a thing, even the darkest corners of your mind and soul that may scare others. It doesn’t scare me.” I involuntarily lean into his touch, as he brushes a strand of hair away from my cheek.
“Maybe I should scare you. Have you been inside my head? It’s pretty scary in there sometimes, Ere.” The brush of his hand against my cheek stills me.
His touch sends tingles of love and acceptance, his energy a shelter from all the pain.
“I enjoy the darkness. In the dark is where I feel most alive. It’s where you do, too, or are you too afraid to admit it?” His eyes burn into mine, and it feels like the blood in my veins is now boiling. The temperature in the room has gone up way too fast, and it’s suddenly so damn hot.
