Page 215 of Interion

“Were you running away from me?” Zion asked, getting straight to the point. There was a hint of amusement in his voice.

My cheeks flushed as I picked up the apple, avoiding his gaze.

“Me? No! I was just leaving in a hurry because I’m late,” I lied, carrying the apple to the sink and rinsing it with soap.

I wrapped it up again and went to the counter to put everything in my bag. I could feel his gaze on me—probing, provoking, daring me to look back—but I didn’t have the courage. I looked everywhere but at him. My hands trembled as I unzipped my bag and tucked the container inside. While I fumbled, Zion walked toward me. I thought he was going to grab a plate from the cabinet, but to my surprise, he stopped behind me and gently touched my elbows, sliding his hands down my forearms until he reached my trembling hands.

“You’re half an hour early, so I can only deduce that you were running away from me, which leaves me terribly hurt,” he murmured close to my ear, sending shivers down my spine. “I didn’t know you were the type of woman who runs away the morning after, Kyller. I feel used.”

Heat spread through me as I remembered what that mouth, so close to my ear, had done the night before. I took a deep breath and turned to face Zion, who had me cornered. My gaze traveled from his chest to his perfectly square jaw and finally to his eyes. They shone with the brightness of a thousand suns. Only then did I let myself breathe in relief.

“I’m sorry.” It was the first thing I managed to say. “I was avoiding you because I’m ashamed of myself. I’m sorry for pushing you past your limits...”

Zion pressed a finger to my lips and pushed my bag aside on the counter with his other hand. Then he put his hands on my waist and lifted me gently until I was sitting on the cold marble.

“Are you crazy?” I asked, squirming to get down. “Zion, no! We can’t get this close.”

But before I could process what was happening, he stepped between my knees and pulled me into a hug. His arms wrapped around my waist, drawing me against him, and suddenly my face was nestled in his neck.

“Don’t ruin this moment,” he murmured, breathing in the scent of my hair and kissing my temple.

I just stayed there, still, breathing him in and accepting that infinitely warm embrace. Finally, I raised my arms too, wrapping them around his neck, and allowed myself to relax against his skin.

After a few minutes, he pulled back just enough to look me in the eyes, hooking two fingers under my chin and tilting my face up to meet his gaze.

“You don’t have to feel ashamed. It was my fault for losing control. I thought I was stronger, but I ended up getting carried away, and when you came, the partnership bond sent all reason flying out the window.”

I blushed even deeper. Zion studied my cheeks and smiled.

“Are you embarrassed around me?” he asked. The butterflies in my stomach went wild, driven crazy by memories of the night before. Was I embarrassed? I didn’t even know what to say, and the silence seemed answer enough.

“What you feel, I feel too, Kay. Sex is love too, and no one needs to be ashamed of that.”

Zion smoothed my hair back with a gentle caress. I pulled his hand away from my chin—I couldn’t handle the intensity of his gaze. Then I laced our fingers together, aware of how small my palm felt in his.

“The thing is, we can’t do anything that’s even remotely close to...” I stumbled over the word, which only made him smile wider. “You know what, Zion. We’re going to have to behave. We can’t take that kind of risk.” I cleared my throat, pushing past the embarrassment. “I lose control when you touch me, and your kiss... I can’t handle it.”

Zion smiled—that crooked smile I loved more and more.

“I seem to recall saying that to you some time ago.” He released my hands, sliding his up my arms, over my shoulders, and finally cradling my face. “But even if we can't do everything, I want to be able to touch you. I think I can handle that. Please, let me have at least this much.”

I raised my hands, running them along his waist, tracing his ribs, and finally reaching his shoulders. I clung to every bit of skin I could touch.

“Only if I get to touch you like this,” I bargained, smiling and relaxing a little in his hands. The sexual tension hung between us, heavy and dangerous, but we'd try to keep things under control. He studied my face as if trying to memorize every freckle on my skin.

“You're so beautiful,” he murmured, caressing my cheek with his thumb. “So beautiful it hurts to look at you sometimes. One day I'm going to kiss every freckle on your body.”

His eyes traced all my little spots. I'd once seen them as flaws, the way the inlanders did, but under his gaze, I'd never felt so grateful to have them on my skin.

“I can't wait for the agreement to end.”

“Just until the test, okay?” he promised, smoothing my hair back and pressing a tender kiss to my forehead. “Two more months and we can touch each other without fear.”

“That's 'if' I pass the test,” I replied, worried. “What if I don't pass?”

My head started spinning—I hadn't even considered that possibility.

“You're going to pass. You're learning from the best.” A smug smile spread across his lips.