Page 19 of Eternally Bound
Her fingers encircled his wrist when he reached behind her to pull back the blankets on the bed. He froze as the feel of her warm skin burned into his flesh. One of her fingers hesitatingly caressed his wrist, as if she couldn’t stop herself from feeling more of him.
His eyes came back to hers. She had no idea what she did to him, no idea how badly he wanted to pick her up, put her on the bed, and bury himself inside of her. If she knew, she would run screaming from this room, and she would have every right to.
“I don’t understand what you’re saying. How are you not my enemy?” she asked. “We were born to kill each other.”
He almost grabbed her when she swayed on her feet, but he didn’t know how she would react if he did, and she should be spending her energy on recovering instead of fighting him.
“I know you don’t understand, know you’ve been taught differently, but now is not the time to get into it,” he told her. “You look about ready to pass out.”
“Is Joseph dead?”
Ronan stiffened at the reminder that the one who had done this to her still lived. “No. Lucien and Killean chased him after he attacked you, but they lost him.”
She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. Her hand fell away from his wrist as she hugged her middle. When her head bent, he had no idea what she was doing until the salty scent of tears drifted to him and inaudible sobs shook her.
“Hey now, hey, don’t do that.”
Unsure of what to do, Ronan awkwardly patted her shoulders. In all his many years, he’d never had to deal with a crying woman, and he had no idea how to make it stop. He patted her head next, but when that did nothing to ease her, he wrapped his arms around her and drew her to him. He cradled her head against his chest as he rocked on his heels with her. Her tears dampened his skin, yet she showed no signs of slowing down or being aware of who held her.
Trying to calm her, he ran his hand over her silken braid. His fingers caught in the band at the end. Unable to stop himself, he slipped the elastic away and undid the braid before spreading its silvery length. The thick mass of her hair fell freely to the middle of her back in waves.
She buried her face against his chest, her breath warming his skin as her tears continued to fall. He felt nothing sexual as he held her; all his lust had been drenched beneath the onslaught of her sorrow. All he wanted was to comfort her as he held her closer.
“He’ll never hurt you again,” Ronan vowed. “Never get close to you again. I will make sure of it.”
Feeling completely mortified over her behavior, Kadence stifled her next sob and willed the tears to stop flowing. Her fingers had a mind of their own as they dug into his back. His skin was smooth against her, but his muscles provided a firm pillow for her head.
Inhaling his scent helped to calm her further. He smelled like cinnamon, and the aroma of ozone, a scent she recognized as power, emanated from his pores. She found herself fighting against pressing her lips to him. Her knees knocked together from the force of her overwhelming craving to taste him. On her next breath, she gave into the impulse and turned her head enough that the corner of her lips brushed over his flesh.
He became rigid against her, and she immediately moved her mouth away. She strained to keep the blush from her face in the hopes he would think it had been an accident and not deliberate on her part.
“Do you feel better now?” he inquired.
She wasn’t sure what she felt right now. Confused and exhausted, definitely. Irritated at herself for not being able to stop Joseph and being the reason he got away, without a doubt. Completely confused about her attraction to this creature, yep she could add that to the list of conflicting emotions battering her.
“Yes,” she said and finally succeeded in getting her traitorous fingers to release their hold on him.
She clasped her hands before her to keep from grabbing him again. When she saw how wet his chest was from her tears, she was unable to stop her mouth from dropping. She went to wipe her tears off him, but he caught her wrist before she could touch him and held it loosely between his thumb and forefinger.
“I’m sorry!” she blurted.
“You had a rough night.” Reluctantly, Ronan released her wrist when she tugged at it.
She turned away from him, ashamed at herself. She wasn’t a crier, she never had been, but since her father’s death, she’d been constantly fighting back tears and the urge to curl into a ball and sob until she couldn’t walk anymore. Now, she’d finally broken, and in front ofhim. He probably thought her a weak child now.
What does it matter what he thinks of you, you idiot? She didn’t know why it mattered, but it did.
Kadence had never felt more drained or humiliated in her life. Her legs gave out and she sank onto the thick mattress behind her. She should be demanding answers, looking for a weapon, planning her getaway, but she couldn’t fight the incessant pull of her eyelids closing. She lay back on the mattress and sighed when her head hit the pillow.
Settling the blankets back over her, Ronan tucked them around her. His hand brushed over her cheek, wiping away the wetness lingering there. He began to pull his hand away, but she captured it to stop him.
“Are you going to keep me here?” she inquired.
“No,” he answered in a rough voice. “As soon as you are well enough, we will find a way to return you to your brother.”
“I don’t know what to believe, what to think,” she whispered.
He swept the hair away from her forehead. “I know, but for now, you should rest and heal. You are safe here. I will keep you protected.”
