Fourteen
Keoni
Somehow, I'd managed toavoid being spotted by anyone all day, and I shared a glance with Zephyr as he pushed the door open, a wide grin on my face. I was excited to stun my family with a big reveal, and the Dining Room was the perfect place to do it.
Zephyr was either amused or entertained by my excitement, but he said nothing as he held the door open and then stood to the side just inside, waiting on me.
I walked inside, and it took a few moments before someone noticed. Silas was the first, and his eyes went comically wide as he shot up, his chair falling back with a clatter.
His reaction pulled everyone's attention to him, then me as he stalked over and pulled me into a hug that almost pulled me off my feet.
"Keoni," he said, voice soft and choked as he set me back down and took a step back to look me over. I turned around in a circle to show off, and he chuckled. "Draven?"
I nodded, and he turned to beam at the dwarf who glared at him, his face clearly warning him against trying to hug him.
"I'm so happy for you," Silas said as he turned back to face me, his black eyes warm.
Then Jacinta pushed him out of the way, and suddenly, I was being hugged by practically everyone in the Sanctuary.
By the time we finally settled at my usual table with our food, my cheeks were flushed and I felt like I was covered in a warm, cozy blanket. Zephyr squeezed my arm before he sat down in a chair beside me, and as we ate, I told everyone how my awesome new prosthetics worked. I also discovered that the silky white threads used in them were actually silk. Particularly, Haruto's super-strong jorogumo silk.
"I had no idea this was why he wanted it, but I'm glad I could help."
I wondered how long it'd taken Draven to make these from start to finish. Saying thank-you didn't feel like enough. What could I do to thank him properly?
After dinner, Zephyr and I went back to his place. Well, I kind of followed him to his bedroom, and he didn't stop me.
"Is it okay if I stay here for a while? I still feel a little psyched. If I go home, I'm just gonna spend the night running around like a madman," I admitted with a sheepish grin, and Zephyr smiled.
"Stay as long as you like."
I watched as he walked over to a coat stand in the corner and hung his cloak up, leaving him in his black button-down and jeans. He rarely wore light-colored clothes, though black and purple looked really good on him, so I liked it.
"Are you planning to stare at me the whole time?" he teased as he unbuttoned his cuffs and slid his sleeves up, revealing his forearms. Zephyr was always covered up with his full-sleeve shirts, his cloak cinched at the base of his neck. Only his face, neck, and hands were visible to others, so this was my first time seeing more of him. Even when we'd kissed or cuddled in bed all day on our date, he'd already been dressed and had stayed that way.
"Maybe," I answered honestly, and he paused with his hands at his neck. Who ever used the button at the collar? Just imagining it made me feel suffocated.
Zephyr's blue eyes darkened as he watched me watch him, and he stayed still for a moment longer before his fingers moved again, and he unbuttoned the top two buttons of his shirt, revealing the dip at the base of his neck and just the barest hint of the top of his chest.
I'd kept my distance as I watched him, but now I found myself walking closer to him. He sucked in a breath when I was close enough to feel the heat coming off his body, and I reached up.
Zephyr stood stock still as I placed my index finger against his chin, then slowly trailed it down through the short stubble. I traced over his Adam's apple, then into the dip, before coming to a stop at the next button. A breath shuddered out of him, and I wondered when he'd been touched like this last.
Ever since I came to the Sanctuary, I'd never seen Zephyr with someone. I didn't think he would've dated another resident anyway, but he'd also never brought in someone from the outside, and his trips to the human world always seemed to have a purpose.
While a part of me felt happy at the idea that he hadn't been with anyone recently, a bigger part of me didn't like the fact that it meant he would've been alone. Zephyr deserved to be loved and appreciated and cared for, and I got the feeling he hadn't had any of that for a long time.
I brushed my finger over the next button on his shirt, meeting his gaze with a question in my eyes, and he hesitated, then nodded.
Smiling, I leaned up to press a soft kiss on his lips before using both hands to undo the next button, revealing sparse hair on his chest. Like the hair on his head, it was sprinkled with gray, and I tugged at a few strands, making him hiss.
"Sorry," I mumbled, moving to the next button.
By the time his shirt fell open and his chest was fully on display, his skin was flushed a beautiful shade of pink. His teeth were digging into his lower lip, his hands fisted at his sides as if he was stopping himself from touching me, or buttoning his shirt up again. I couldn't tell.
Reaching up, I slid my fingers in his hair, then tugged him lower until our lips met. Zephyr stayed stiff for a moment, then melted into the kiss as his hands fell to my waist. I pushed him back into the wall as I kissed him deeply, tasting chocolate from our shared dessert, and Zephyr's spicy, magicky flavor underneath.
Zephyr exhaled a breathy moan into the kiss, and my grip tightened in his hair almost reflexively. I could feel his erection against my abdomen, and I pressed my other hand over it, making him grunt.
