Page 55 of Protected in Darkness
She’d always prided herself on being an independent woman, one who could make sound, logical decisions, especially when it came to sleeping with someone. Yet when it came to Obsidian, getting down and dirty was the only thing on her mind. When they were together, Penelope felt this overwhelming sensuality that confused her. She believed in love, sure, had a strong desire for the opposite sex. But she’d always expected a meaningful relationship to be a slow build, something that took weeks, maybe months, before the peak was even remotely visible.
Reality had smacked her right in the face.
Or perhaps she simply hadn’t met a man who could rock her world the way Obsidian could. Time didn’t dictate emotions and certainly not sexual desire. She had that in spades, and now that she was alone with Obsidian, she wanted to explore it.
And yes, she had a million questions. Like how and why his eyes glowed like that. The way the silver shifted and swirled, like mercury being melted, the embers glowing from beneath. It was unnatural, and yet she wasn’t scared of it. Merely curious.
Hell, she was more panicked at her physical reaction to Obsidian than she was that he could be something supernatural.
“And Dad said my degree was useless.” Penelope snorted as she made her way to the bathroom.
After stripping out of Obsidian’s T-shirt, she stood beneath the hot water, running her hands through her hair to wet it.
A sound coming from the other room had her pausing. Was that the door closing? No way was room service that fast.
Which could only mean one thing.
Obsidian had left.
Suddenly, a coldness seeped into her bones, an ache forming in her chest. A terrible sadness overtook her.
Oh, crap. Maybe someone was here. Someone who’d recently experienced a tremendous loss. The maid, maybe? In a matter of seconds, her empathy had shifted to DEFCON 1. If they were hurting, it would make sense that she would, too.
She pressed her fist to her chest, attempting to massage the ache. It didn’t help.
It couldn’t be her empathic abilities, could it? She’d never experienced it that way. Sure, she’d felt emotions in abundance while in the presence of someone, but she’d never experienced it when she wasn’t in the same room. She couldn’t imagine a sense of loss this overwhelming would simply linger in the air, hitting her from all angles. Certainly not this extreme.
A sob tore from her throat, the ache building. Penelope felt empty, as though she was missing a part of herself. As though the most important thing in her life had been ripped from her arms, never to return. A tear trickled down her cheek, followed by another until the dam broke and her breath hitched between sobs.
What the hell was going on?
The bathroom door opened, but Penelope didn’t turn, keeping her head beneath the spray.
“There’s someone in here,” she yelled, fearing the maid hadn’t heard the water running.
“It’s just me,” the deep voice bellowed.
She spun around to see Obsidian standing in the bathroom. Although ridiculously sexy, he looked a little worse for wear. Granted, his eyes told a different story entirely. They glittered with desire and approval as they trailed over her.
Suddenly, every ounce of the loss she’d felt was gone. Vanished in an instant. Completely erased as though it had never been there.
Perhaps insanity was the diagnosis.
“How did—”
Obsidian stood tall, held up his hand, his features relaxing. “Don’t ask questions.”
“Kinda hard since a second ago I was on the verge of an emotional breakdown and now I’m—”
“Naked,” he said, as though reminding her of the fact.
“Right.” A smile pulled at her mouth as her arm came up to cover her bare breasts. “I’m naked.”
He exhaled, then slowly turned around. “Perhaps I’ll stay right here while you finish up.”
A war ignited within her. Modesty had her wanting to order him to leave, but self-preservation won out, the need to feel the peace his presence brought far more powerful than worrying he’d turn around and see all her naked parts. Again.
Rather than boot him out of the room, Penelope focused on her shower. Shampoo, conditioner, shave, body wash—utilizing all the freebies the hotel provided. All while the sexiest man to ever live stood with his back to her, giving her as much privacy as he could while the two of them were confined to this small space.
