Kia eyes never leave my face, running them over my lips and eyes, seeming to take in every detail. Finally, they shut as she leans into my chest, releasing a heavy breath. I stroke her head, placing a kiss on her ear, trying to ease her worry. She’s finally stopped shivering and I feel as though we’ve settled into a comfortable peace, the sound of the water moving between our body’s like a soothing lullaby.
Footsteps pull me from my thoughts a while later and I turn to see Seb coming through the archway, his hands covered in the pink wax that the healing chambers contain. He’s carrying two glasses and a jug of water with a stone in his hands. Hopefully, she’ll drink a little for us.
“How is she?” Seb projects as he continues to make his way toward us.
“She hasn’t moved since we got in the pool.” A part of me is anxious, but she’s breathing normally and resting for the most part. Seb squats down, placing the glasses and jug carefully on the tiles.
“Is Brad sitting in with Rolland?” I ask him, turning my focus back to Kia.
“Yeah, he cancelled his classes for the day.”
I tip my head back to look at Seb to see him rubbing his hand over his mouth.
“Kia, Rolland is just sleeping, he’ll be awake in just a few hours.” Seb’s refined voice bounces off the walls. “Can you take a drink for us?”
After a few moments, she lifts her head wearily from my chest and looks over to the glass. Seb pours some water before handing it carefully to her. She takes tentative sips to start with, then finishes the rest quickly before setting the empty glass back on the tiles. She turns to face me, and I notice that lost look is still swimming in her eyes. I want to see life back in them, to see them shine and swirl, to feel the pull of her energy.
Moving my hand to her face, I trace her round cheek with my thumb, wishing I could make her happy again. Pulling her head toward me gently, hoping I’m making the right move, she comes willing, and touches her lips to mine. I kiss her softly, coaxing her mouth to open for me. When she finally does, I taste her tongue and urge my feelings into the kiss, hoping she understands what I’m trying to say without words.
I feel Seb move into the water beside me. “Don’t stop kissing her, Matt, keep her attention on you.”
I continue working at her mouth, flicking my tongue over her lips, pulling on them to draw her into me. Her hands move up my chest, sliding up to my face, followed by her energy which begins to trickle from her mouth. I drink it in, letting it warm my throat before it makes its way down into my chest.
Tugging her closer to me by her waist, needing more contact, I feel myself growing harder each second. What I wasn’t expecting was her fingers to dig hard into my neck, but the action encourages my hips to thrust, and I find my body grinding into her.
“Keep going, Matt, don’t lose her attention or I’m screwed.” I don’t pay attention to Seb’s rambles as I continue chasing her tongue with mine. Her breathing becomes ragged and noises come from deep within her - they pull harder on me and the need to be inside her pushes my desire higher, making my sense of right and wrong dwindle away. There’s no rational thought.
Pausing for a split second, Kia drags in a deep breath before returning to plunder my mouth once again. Warmth starts to spread around my hardness like a gentle caress and I begin to wonder if I’m inside her. It tugs hard at me, pulling up a moan from somewhere in the depths of my core.
There’s the distinct sound of moving water coming from somewhere behind Kia and she comes to a complete stop. Confused as to why she stopped, I lean back to look at her eyes. The deep blue has returned with the silver specs and they’re swirling incredibly fast. Seeing that sign of life in her eyes brings a smile to my lips, which catches her eye. She smiles back and kisses me again, though more hesitantly this time.
The water sloshes once more, reminding me that Seb is still with us. Kia touches my lips softly one final time, then pulls slightly away, enticing me forward. I follow willingly, chasing her face which moves to the side. A mischievous smile suddenly lights up her face and I’m struck stupid in awe. Taking advantage of my distraction, she backs away slowly as she cups her hands under the water then lifts them up toward me, tossing huge handfuls of water at me, completely soaking my hair and face. Laughing quietly, she lunges from me toward Seb, pushing him under the water.
My glasses are now utterly useless, but I do my best to clear them by shaking them off gently. Putting the streaked glasses back on, my vision is still a bit obscured but it’s better than having water pooling in them. I look around but I don’t see anyone at first, then I catch sight of two figures swimming under the water. Seb resurfaces for air, but Kia remains below, floating behind him while he rubs the water from his eyes. Just as his vision seems to clear, he’s pulled under again. I see Kia’s figure swim to the steps as Seb turns in the other direction. Kia waits while his back is turned, looking for her. He can’t seem to spot her in the water, though, so he resurfaces again, rubbing his eyes quickly to clear them as he keeps spinning, trying to search her out.
The little she-devil darts toward him, pulling him under again, and I can't help but laugh at her antics. As she finally resurfaces, she appears to be choking. Fear grabs me, so I surge toward her, but before I can reach her, Seb breaks through the water. She looks toward him with a massive smile on her face. My worry dissipates as I realise that she was merely laughing while trying to catch her breath. I relax, closing the remaining space between us. I take her into my arms as Seb rubs his eyes, mock-glaring in our direction, making her laugh harder.
“Just wait. Just wait till you’re fully healed, then I won’t go easy on you,” Seb tells her, trying to be serious, but failing utterly. Kia laughs harder and pulls herself to me, trying to catch her breath. Seb runs his eyes over her back as he continues, “which won’t be long, Little Bit, not at this rate.” His smoky voice is full of determination as he steps forward in the water. She spins round to face him. Seb takes another step toward her, which makes her step back into me further and brings her back almost flush against my chest.
I look down and see Seb has managed to heal it remarkably well in such a short amount of time. The wounds are scabbed over and the skin around them have the soft pink glow of healing. Seb pushes closer in the water, a playful smile on his lips and a sparkling glint in his eye.
Oh dear, what is the he-devil going to do now?
Chapter Thirty-Six
Sebastian
I take another step closer to Kia, admiring the beautiful smile that shines in the deep blue pools of her eyes. Wanting to keep her happy, I loom ever closer, with every intention of finding a ticklish spot and exploiting it. Suddenly, something wraps around my left calf, tugging me to the side, hard. My balance tips as I hadn’t been expecting an attack and I fall to my right but just manage to steady myself before my head slips under the surface.
Kia shoves herself from Matt’s arms and makes a dive under the water when she sees the look of determination cross my face. I follow her under, chasing her sleek form, but I can't see anything through the haze of the water. I make off in the direction of the stone steps, but I still can’t spot her. Rising from the pool to try and find where she swam to, I rub at my eyes and take a lung full of air as I turn to search her out. When my vision clears, she’s nowhere to be found, but Matt is still standing in the same spot, trying desperately to hold off a laugh.
“Where did she go?” I demand playfully.
Matt shakes his head as he trudges past me. “We’re so screwed, Seb,” he says, the laugh finally bursting through his lips. “She sprung out of the water the second you dived under,” he continues, his laughter echoing off of the stone steps as he moves toward them.
“What?” I ask, following him. “Where did she go?”
We reach the steps and Matt turns to me, shaking his head. “She literally sprang out of the pool, Seb.” He's still smiling, but there's an odd seriousness in his words.
As we make our way through the en
-suite and into the bedroom, I grab a few towels as we pass the heater. Stepping into my room, I spot Kia sitting in the window seat looking out at the gardens. I prowl over to her, wondering what she’ll be capable of when she's fully healed.
Her back is so much better already, with the wounds scabbing over and looking a lot less inflamed. I drape a towel gently over her wet back then run a hand softly over her head. My thoughts turn to the markings that I spotted on her back. All roughly the same size but utterly different in shape and appearance. One looked like the number eight, and another appeared to resemble the yin-yang symbol.
Kia turns with a grateful smile to me, yet I can still see the sadness nestled in the depths of those beautiful orbs. Matt ambles up to my side, still completely drenched. I glance down to the floor and see all the puddles of water we’ve left everywhere.
“I'm going up to get changed,” Matt’s says before leaning forward over Kia, shaking his hair out onto her. She gasps as the chilled droplets land on her neck before she spins around lightning fast to grab Matt. But he’s faster and jumps backwards, leaping over onto the bed with Kia hot on his tail. He doesn’t get far though before she launches her weight onto his back, and they go down with a thump.
“Dammit!” Matt grumbles as Kia pulls herself to her feet looking down at him with a smile on her face that rivals the sunrise.
“Why would you try to run, Matt? I couldn’t catch her in a pool, why would you think you’re gonna get away from her when she’s within spitting distance of you?” I question sarcastically as I stalk over to him.
Matt drags himself to his feet. “Seemed like a good idea at the time,” he mutters, turning to face Kia. “You’re trouble, is what you are. Definitely a little she-devil.” He leans down and places a soft kiss on her forehead, then makes his way out of my room.
“I need to get changed, Kia, then maybe we can see about getting something to eat. How’s that sound?” I see her nod, so I turn to grab some clothes from my drawers.
The summer heat is starting to beat through the house, so I opt for a pair of light shorts and a loose top. After getting changed and a quick tidy up in the en-suite, I head back to my room to find Kia sleeping in the bed with her face buried into one of the pillows she’s hugging close to her chest. Glad to see her sleeping, the muscles all over my body that have been tense for what feels like days begin to release. Stepping over to the bed, I take a seat beside her to watch her sleeping form.
A few minutes later, I’m thinking how one small little bit of a being can have such a massive effect on those around them, when I hear Matt’s soft footsteps pad through the hallway, returning to my room and pulling me from my lingering thoughts.
When he appears in the doorway, he’s looking fresher and dry, but clearly still in need of sleep. “Get forty winks while she’s resting, and I’ll head through to check on Rolland and get us some late breakfast.” Matt nods as he heads over to the other side of the bed, sliding in behind Kia.
Knowing she has Matt watching her, I make my way through the house to check on Rolland. What does the little trouble maker have in store for us next, I wonder? I’m sure we’ll find out soon enough. Now it’s time to check on the big trouble maker.....
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Rolland
Awareness crawls back to me slowly, along with the feeling of being tugged by an invisible string. Following where it takes me, I find Kia’s presence and energy at rest, with very little pain. Memories filter back to me of what happened. Being caught in Kia's mind with no way of getting out. Making a promise to her, then not keeping it. I’m in so much trouble.
I feel a tug on the string that connects us as happiness runs through it, followed quickly by a flash of annoyance. Shit. She’s gonna kill me. I make a noise of resignation, knowing her wrath is going to be hard to quell.
There’s another draw on the connection and I get the feeling she’s trying to find me. It won’t take her long, not with the way she moves. I take a quick note of the state of my body before she destroys it - I feel rested and most of my energy seems to have been restored.
The aromatic wax drifts from the healing chamber, wafting toward me and easing my senses with its smooth undertones of frankincense, relaxing me. The candles that are dotted around the room almost make it feel like I'm in a chapel. There are four healing chambers, the size of large, deep baths, that run parallel against one another with seating for whoever’s on watch duty. The whole area is a spacious place with several large heaters that line one wall, keeping everything warm, and a wide shower cubicle on the other. Dim red lighting softens the fully wood lined walls, adding extra comfort to the place.
Movement to my right catches my attention and I wonder who has been sent to watch over me.
“Rolland? You awake?” Brads timbre tone echoes off the walls. I keep myself as still as possible, focusing on my breathing.
Another tug on the string tells me she’s seconds away. The corridors of the house must be slowing her down, otherwise I’m sure she would’ve been here by now. Frustration and more anger simmers through our connection, and I wonder if she’s going to put a knife to my throat like she did Gerry. So much passion squeezed into such a small body.
The door crashes open and I hear the chair Brad was sitting on scrape back. “Whoa there, Kia, he’s still-” his words are cut off.
Wondering if she’s turned on him as she did on Gerry, I feel through the connection to find passion, anger and worry. So much worry. My hand twitches to go to her but I fight it knowing I need to bring her guard down if I’m ever to gain her forgiveness.
I feel her move closer, but I can’t hear her. How can she keep herself so quiet? Brad’s movements can be heard as his trousers brush against each other, but Kia remains completely silent. As she draws near, I take stock of her body, checking on her wounds and bruises. Her back feels as though its nearly healed, along with most of the bruising. Well, Sebastian’s been busy. I wonder how he managed it? Her throat is still raw, but she has a firm grip on the pain, so I don’t attempt to pull on it yet, wanting to see if I can get the jump on her.
Kia’s energy is right beside me now, filled with worry and remorse. Guilt starts to fill me, as her anger drifts away along with the happiness she was feeling. Her hand touches my cheek and I pounce, pulling her into the tank with me and immersing her in the wax. Her body lands on top of mine and I find her head, bringing her lips to mine. Not prepared for my attack, I have the upper hand. Finding my way into her mouth, I push my feelings into her, trying to tell her how sorry I am without speaking. She kisses me back, easing some of my worry.
“I’m so sorry, Kia.”
She leans back from me, so I reluctantly open my eyes and find her silver eyes glowing from above me. “Why?” she asks, running her gaze over my face in puzzlement.
“For leaving you,” I say, frowning a little at her question.
Kia mirrors my frown. “You not leave me. I leave you. I angry at you being so stubborn.” I raise my brows at her accusation. She has more stubbornness in her little finger than I do in my whole body. A smile plays on her lips, though she tries to fight it.
Just then, the door crashes open and Matt comes rushing in. “You’re fast,” he says, then bends over to catch his breath. A few moments later Seb comes in too. “She was sleeping,” Matt continues, while pushing his glasses up, panting a little. “Then sprang up like a jack-in-the-box and took off.” He catches some of his breath.
Kia screws her face up as she looks over at Matt with absolute confusion, which sets me off laughing. She turns back, rewarding me with one of those rare full smiles that lights up her face.
“How are you feeling?” Seb’s refined tone stirs through my ears as he walks over. He squats beside the tank, which is built low into the ground, running his deep-set eyes over my face. Happy with what he sees, his face relaxes.
“Pretty good to be honest. I’m just missing something,” I tell him earnestly. He frowns down at me, so
I begin pulling on that pain that Kia is keeping a firm grip on. It’s seems to be mostly her throat and the bruises all over her body that are in continuous pain at the moment. Her back feels tender, but nothing emanates from it.
I keep my eyes on Seb as he continues to look at me oddly. I give another hard tug and feel Kia’s arms give out a little from where she’s leaning on my chest. She’s using all her will against me, though she seems to be struggling this time. I turn my gaze on her, looking deep into her dark blue pulsing eyes. Focusing on the connection we have, I follow it all the way through her body, journeying through every inch of her. Her breathing picks up, causing her breasts to throb and drawing my attention to them. Using my desire to fuel my energy, I give a sharp tug and unable to hold me off any longer, her control snaps and all of the remaining pain flows to me.
“That’s better,” I smile, chuffed with myself. She blinks at me, sitting up straight.
“So, it seems you’ve all been busy bees,” I smirk, turning to Seb. Matt and Brad are now standing behind him, both looking down with curious eyes. Brad’s wearing his dark cargo pants and hoodie, but both Matt and Seb have put on shorts and t-shirts.
Amusement settles over Seb’s face as he says, “yes, we had some fun in the pool. Then Kia got tired and took a nap.” He flicks his eyes over to Kia who watches him steadily. Defiance, strength, dominance and that something else that I don’t recognise comes from her. The same emotions she pushed on Jack in Seb’s room when she stared him down. The desire pulsing from her hits me, causing me to become even harder than I already was. It feels like she’s testing him, to see if he’ll stand his ground. She did the same with Jack, but she backed down at the last second for some reason. Seb moves to stand, not taking his eyes from her. Backing off, seemingly unsure of what she’s doing, Kia pulls her gaze away to look down at me.
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