Praying that the granny had simply taken them to be washed and would return, Elena turned back to the steaming pool. With no one around she felt confident to chuck the remaining of her clothes. Setting her underwear near the edge of the pool, she slowly lowered herself into the pool. She groaned with pleasure as she sunk down into the hot water. The water heater at her apartment could never stand up to this.
The pool was deep enough towards the middle that the water came up to her collarbone. Leaning back, she wetted the entire wealth of her hair. She moaned with delight as the heated water flowed over her scalp. Lifting her head up, she returned to the edge of the pool to retrieve the scented bottle that sat inches from the earthly edge. Tipping the bottle over her open hand, she was surprised when the soap was nearly as thin as water and possessed the color of a cloudy purple.
Rubbing her hands together she applied the sparkling solution to her hair before using the remainder on her skin. Before long the air around her had come to smell like a meadow of flowers. Feeling cleaner than she had ever in her life, she waited patiently for the old woman to return with some clothes for her or at least a towel. After fifteen minutes of waiting she struggled to remain hopeful. Then the longer she waited, the more she began to wonder if the woman would return at all.
There was no way in any world that she would be leaving this room in only her bra and panties. If she had to wait all night to the first break of dawn tomorrow she would. Leaning her back against the side of the pool, she closed her eyes and relaxed. There was nothing she could do now but wait.
Her eyes jerked open at the sound of the door behind her opening and then shutting. Her heart lifted. Assuming it was the old woman, she smiled faintly. “I hope you brought me a towel at least.” Bracing one arm on the edge, she turned to face the door, only to freeze as her eyes went wide.
“I brought more than that, Rai Yan.”
Chapter Ten
Ducking down in the water further, Elena crisscrossed her arms over her full chest regardless that the water still covered her up to her neck. She watched with a bated breath as Kieran walked further into the room. Amusement was written all over his face at her discomfort and shyness. Smirking, he crossed to the edge of the pool. In his arms was a thick, folded material, she only prayed it was a towel of sorts. As he came closer she could see a bundle of ivory fabric hiding beneath the other. Bending at the waist he set down the second bundle to unfold the thicker one. As large a bath sheet, he held out the material in front of him in offering.
He made no move to beckon her out of the hot spring. Even if he had, there was no way that she was going to stand naked in front of him. She was not insecure by any means, she was realistic. Her dark red hair and porcelain skin made her pretty, she knew. However, her extra curves and meat limbs made her uncomfortable being exposed to another.
“Just put it down on the edge and go wait outside. I’ll be out in a minute,” she said with her best commanding tone. She waited for the instant when the startled look would enter his eyes before he did as she commanded, as so many others had in the past. Nothing. He didn’t even blink. “I’m not climbing out of here with you watching, so you can forget it!” she snapped, jerking her eyes away from him.
“I can always take these with me,” he stated, gesturing to the large sheet with his dark, serious eyes.
Scowling up at him, her full lips pressed into a tight line. “Turn around then.”
Smirking at her, he slowly shook his head, “Come out. Show me your trust.”
“It’s not about trust,” She bit out, her temper rising by the second. Why did he have to be so difficult? Why couldn’t he understand that she couldn’t do what he asked? All her old insecurities about her body came rushing to the front of her mind. As though seeing her inner conflict, Kieran’s smirking face softened.
“Rai Yan, this is about trust. You do not trust anyone to see you as you are. Only I will ever be the one to see your unsheathed beauty, you can trust me with this part of you. I want only to show that I can care for you. Trust me with yourself and you won’t regret it.”
Shaking her head, Elena felt her face heat with shame. She’d sworn long ago that she wouldn’t allow herself to feel like this again, embarrassed and afraid of rejection. But that was not what Kieran was doing. He wasn’t judging her; he wasn’t even trying to be a pervert about it. His words stole her breath as her heart skipped a beat. Maybe in his strange culture, this was how things were done?
“Come out. Give me your trust.” His words were like a rope, pulling her closer with little effort.
Her heart hammered within her chest as cold tingles slithered over her exposed skin. Her stomach was tied in knots at the idea of what she was about to do. Raising her arms, her fingers trembled as they curled around the ledge in front of her. Her muscles coiled as she readied herself to lift herself out. She froze for an instant. Squeezing her eyes tightly shut, she took a deep breath as she used her arms to pull herself out. Her body shook as the cool air hit her exposed skin. Rising up from her knees, she stood before him.
Looking at the ground she held her hand out for the towel, praying that he would relinquish it. Instead, she watched as his feet took a step closer. Reaching around her, he enfolded her within the thick material. It was large enough that it could be wrapped around her shoulders like a blanket. After closing the towel around her, Kieran’s hand reached up to cup her chin tenderly lifting her eyes to meet his.
“You are lovely beyond anything I have seen in this world or in yours.” When she looked away uncomfortable, he shifted his head so that his eyes met hers. “Why does this make you uneasy? I am your sou’tali; you couldn’t be saver than in my keeping.”
“I don’t usually let others see me naked, that’s all,” she replied with a shrug of her shoulders.
“Mates don’t show themselves unclothed in your world?” he asked with a look of confusion.
Blushing, she nodded, “They do. But it’s… with us it’s different.” When his brows furrowed deeper in question, she gripped his wrist before pulling it away from her face. Moving around him she bent to pick up the bundle he’d set down moments earlier.
“How is it different?” he asked at her back. Straightening, she dug her fingers into the silky fabric that she now held. She didn’t want to have this discussion. Why couldn’t he be like normal guys and just avoid everything?
“It just is,” her curt replied was meant close the discussion, but that’s not what happened.
“Explain.” His voice was closer that time, causing the fine hairs at her neck to rise with awareness. She froze as she felt his hands settle on her shoulders only to slide unhurried down her back. Moving his hands to her sides, his large fingers gripped the soft material and pulled it from her. With a startled gasp, she turned to look over her should at him.
“What are you doing?”
“Caring for you.”
Using the sheet that he now had in his possession, he began to gently dry her back and arms. She trembled as his hands moved down her back to the slope of her wide hips and buttocks. She tried to turn to stop him, but he had been anticipating her action. One of his hands gripped her naked hip, holding her firmly against him. Holding her still, her heartbeat thundered in her ears as his lips brushed the shell of her ear as he leaned close.
“Do not fight this. It is my duty — my right to care for you. This is how it is with males of my species. Allow me to care for you.” It was a statement. She had no doubt in her mind that he expected her to comply with whatever he was doing. Holding herself still she waited. When his hands continued down their path with the towel, she found herself holding her breath as the soft fabric smoothed over her lower back and over her buttocks.
She could feel him shifting behind her until she felt his hand smooth along the outside of her thigh, causing her to jump unexpectedly. Her nipples pebbled as heat began to build between her thighs. Licking at her sudden dry lips, she squeezed her thighs together as a hungry
pulse began to build between them.
“Explain it to me,” he asked, repeating his earlier question. Shaking her head, she fought to shake off the lulling desire that was suddenly clouding her brain.
“What?” her voice escaped with a husky whisper.
“How is it different with us? Is there something a male of your kind does before he sees his mate as she is?”
Lightly laughing she slowly nodded, “You could say that.”
“Then explain it to me.” Rising to his feet, he moved to squeeze the excess water from her dripping hair.
“It depends on the person, I guess. Many women from my world are free with their bodies with their partners. Then some like me prefer a different approach.”
“Some like you?” he repeated her spoken words like they were in a different language. “What do you mean like you?”
Silently groaning, she uttered the words she knew would shed the light on her insecurities. “Women like me that are overweight.” Though she said it, they were not her words. They were words from another time and from someone else — someone she’d hoped to wipe from her memories.
His drying hands paused on her hair, before settling on her shoulders to turn her around to face him. His scowling face greeted her blushing one. “Your form makes you ashamed?” he asked stunned.
Elena’s words baffled him. How could anyone believe that a female had less value because she was thicker than most? The idea was beyond his range of understanding. Males of his world actually craved curvy females beyond all else. He supposed it had to do with less fear that they would break from the strong loving of their mates.
All he knew was upon first seeing Elena and her lush form, it had made him desire her more than anything. Her soft curves called to his inner beastly desires. Giving him a hunger to claim her and plant his offspring deep within her. He longed to explore every curvy slope of her soft body with his hands and lips. How could the males of her world not feel the same?
“Don’t you find it shameful? In my world women are usually only considered beautiful if they are thin. It’s what our men like and prefer. It’s why I don’t like to show too much in front of others,” she explained. Turning away, she pulled the bundle of fabric closer to her chest, unconsciously using it as a shield. Tossing the sheet aside, Kieran gently turned her around to face him. She held the gown he’d brought for her against her breasts, hiding them from his gaze.
When he’d frantically searched the stronghold for her, only to run into Yira carrying a thick drying cloth and gown as she rushed by him. Instantly she’d given up where his mate was. With a mysterious twinkle in her eye, she handed over her bundle and sent him in her stead. In this moment, he was glad for the old servant’s meddling ways.
Gently prying her tight fingers from her soft shield, he set the folded material atop of the discarded towel. Instantly, her arms rose to cover herself as her eyes looked away from him. This did not please him. He would not have his mate believing she was less than the perfection that she was.
Always being a believer that actions held more strength than words, his hands shackled her wrists before slowly pulling them away. Elena still made no move to look at him. Gently cupping the sides of her round face, he turned her towards him. Not giving her time to pull away, he quickly lowered his lips to hers before he consumed her.
He felt her body jerk in surprise, but he didn’t stop. His lips moved slowly against hers in a silent dance. His hands slid down the slope of her neck and down her arms before wrapping around her waist. Jerking her closer, he molded her soft body against him. A deep groan of pleasure surfaced from deep within his chest. Her soft skin felt incredible against his bare chest. He only regretted that he still wore his pants and was prevented from feeling her fully. She doubted that she was desirable; he would show her how wrong she was.
Lifting his face from hers, he was satisfied when he saw the same desire swimming within her liquid green eyes. Acting quickly, he moved away to spread the drying material along the ground beside her. Ignoring her curious gaze, he moved back to her. Sweeping her up in his arms, he kneeled on the ground before lowering her onto her back.
She looked up at him, bewildered.”What are you doing?” she asked, still breathless from his kiss. Moving over her, he braced each of his hands beside her shoulders as he hovered above her. Sweeping down, he claimed her lips again, this time he branded her. He didn’t try to coax a response from her, he took it.
Breaking away, he roughly panted out, “Do you see now how desirable I find you?” When her lips parted for a second only to close again, his eyebrows drew together in a firm line. “Very well, I will show you,” he decreed.
Her eyes widened, “Show me what?”
“You’ll see,” he answered cryptically. Pressing his forehead against hers, he brushed his nose against hers lovingly. His lips skimmed against her cheek before traveling further down to softness of her neck. He moved further down her body, as his lips tasted more of her soft skin.
Elena sucked in a shuttered breath as his lips trailed along the slope of her breast. His hand slid along her ribcage before cupping her neglected breast. The heat from his hand nearly burned through her as her stomach clenched with delight. Unconsciously she didn’t realize that her fingers had tangled within the bound strands of his dark hair until he raised his head. The silver ring around his pupil now nearly dominated his eyes entirely.
His hands moved to grip her bare hips with tight fingers. “Don’t you see how desirable you are? Do you see how much I want you?” his voice rasped out. The combination of her flushed face and parted lips were nearly his undoing. He struggled to ignore the instinct to claim her in every way possible.
Slowly, Elena nodded her head, “If I say yes, will you let me get dressed?” Her words were meant to satisfy whatever point he was desperate to make, it didn’t go as she wanted.
Scowling at her, he slowly shook his head, “No, we are not finished yet. You have yet to give me your trust. Once I have it, you may do as you wish.”
Lifting a thin questioning brow at him, Elena shook her head. How more trusting could she be in this moment? She was lying without a stitch on with a handsome guy touching and kissing her and without the protection of a dark room. What else did he want? She watched as he moved further down her body. His hands smoothed over the tops of her thighs and down over her knees. The warm touch had her womanhood pulsing with need.
Watching as her eyes closed briefly against the pleasure she found in his touch, Kieran smiled down at his mate. She was nearly there — in more ways than one. But there was still one last thing he had to do to push her trust boundary. “Var’da. Open for me.”
Instantly, her eyes snapped open. Raising her head up off the soft material beneath her, she fixed her startled eyes on him. “What?”
Surely he didn’t mean what she thought he had.
“Open for me,” he repeated as his fingers massaged gently into the muscles of her thighs.
At his words, she felt her breath catch in her throat. This was as far as she’d let anyone see her. Deep down she wasn’t sure that she could do what he wanted. Her one and only experience with sex had left her scarred. Her heart raced as he watched her expectantly. She didn’t think she could do this.
“Kieran…” she began, searching for the right words. “I can’t do this!” Shooting into an upright position she tried to rise to her feet. His hands were on her in an instant, stilling her urge to flee from her position on the floor. Reaching forward, his hands gripped her forearms in a firm, yet gentle hold.
“Elena, look at me.” With tears of shame, she did. “This isn’t about me taking anything from you,” he whispered. “This about your trust in your mate with everything you are, even your body. Your trust means more to me than the possible pleasure of your body. Your trust is the most valuable gift you could ever give me beyond your heart. I need your trust if I am to prove myself a worthy mate to you. Ask yourself this: do you trust me with everyt
hing you are?”
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