Blind Wolf (A Werewolf BBW Shifter Romance #1)(17)

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Julia

Julia reached out as Damien fell, but she had been too far away, changing. Her suit was only halfway on, and she quickly pulled the straps up over her shoulders and stepped over to the edge of the dock.

"Damien?"

He had gone under the surface of the water, and Julia waited, but he did not come up. Worry arced through her nerves.

"Damien?"

She looked around, but there was nobody else at the lake. Taking a deep breath, she jumped into the water. She gasped in shock at the cold, sputtering as she spun around in the water, her hands reaching out to try to find him.

Damien's head popped up from the lake surface behind her with a splash. She turned to see him, his dark hair dripping with water.

"Are you nak*d?" he asked. His eyes were closed, and he was grinning.

"Damien!" A rush of relief swept through her. She clung to one of the wooden dock pillars, her feet treading water. "No, I am not nak*d!"

"Darn," he said, swimming over to her. His hand reached out and she took it, guiding him to the pillar. He grasped the wood and hung there next to her, both of them breathing hard.

"That was a test," he said, as soon as he had caught his breath.

"A test?"

"To see how much you care about me dying."

"A test? A test?!" She splashed his face. She was so happy about him being alive that she didn't care how much water he got in his nose.

"Yes," he said, laughing and running his hand through his wet hair. He turned to her and she saw his eyes for the first time. She inhaled sharply. There were scars through his eyelids, the pink shiny skin running across his skin like claw marks. And his eyes—his eyes were golden and tawny, the light shining off of them like fire.

"My eyes?" he asked softly. "That's why I normally wear glasses."

"You weren't born blind?"

"Nope. I had perfect vision until..." he trailed off, his tongue licking his bottom lip as though he was unsure of how to say something.

"You were in an accident?"

"Something like that," he said. "The doctors said I was lucky I even got to keep my eyeballs. Most people who lose their sight like that have to get fake eyes put in."

"These are your real eyes?" Julia touched his cheek where the bottom of the scars faded out, and he flinched.

"Sorry," she said, pulling her hand back.

"No, not at all. It's just that most people are scared of them."

"Your eyes are beautiful," she said. "They remind me of tiger-eye. You know, the gemstone? I used to collect gems when I was a kid. They do look just like that. Swirls of gold and brown."

"That sounds beautiful," Damien said, a half smile curving his mouth. "I wish I could see your eyes. I bet they're lovely."

Julia didn't say anything. She didn't know what she was supposed to say.

"What do you look like?" Damien asked. "Green eyes, red hair, more beautiful than the sun?"

"I don't—I'm...I'm not..." Julia struggled to get the words out. How could she tell him that she wasn't beautiful?

"Hey, no worries," Damien said. "I'm the last person to judge you by your looks. Half of the time I leave the house wearing two different socks. I was just curious."

"It's just... I don't think you would think I'm attractive," Julia said quietly. She didn't want to lie to him. He had the right to know.

"Why would you say that?" Damien's voice was so kind it nearly broke her heart. She didn't want to lose him, but she couldn't help telling the truth.

"Most guys don't think so," she said. In her mind, every guy who had ever rejected her flashed through her memory. Would Damien be the next? "I just don't know if you'd even want to see me."

"May I?" he asked.

Julia didn't know what he was asking until she saw his hand reaching out toward her face.

"Yes," she whispered. Her breath grew quick and she kicked her feet to stay afloat.

His fingers touched her cheek, his hand cupping her chin. His fingertips ran across her skin, exploring the curves and shallows. His hand ran down the side of her neck, trailing down to her shoulder, along her arm. The ache inside of her made her feel like she would burst. She wanted him so badly, and she worried that he would feel her body and not want her anymore. His hand ran down the length of her arm and held her hand, feeling each finger.

Shivers ran through her body as he touched her, his hand possessing her as it moved back up, squeezing her elbow, his fingers circling her arm. She let herself drift away from him as his hand moved down to her side. He pulled her back toward him, and she gasped as his strong arm circled her waist and brought her close. She didn't have to kick to stay afloat any longer—his arm held her up as he hugged her to his body. His lips grazed her forehead in the slightest kiss, so slight that she thought she might have imagined it. Her heart swelled.

"You are lovely," he said.

"Thank you," Julia said, her face turning hot.

"Thank you for jumping in to save me."

"So I passed the test?" she asked softly. Her heart was racing. What did he think about her? His body was pressed against hers, and it made her melt, but she knew that he could feel her now. She didn't know if he would like what he felt.