House of Darken (Secret Keepers #1)(96)

Neither of us moved as steam rose up around our half-naked bodies. “You’re going to have to stop looking at me like that, little human,” Lexen growled. “I only have so much restraint, and … we’re taking it slow.”

As much as I wanted to disagree with him, I also knew there was no need to rush our relationship. Apparently we had forever to figure it out. Sucking in a shaky breath, I turned around and jumped straight into the warm pool. I went under completely; it was deeper than I expected. The sensation of the water caressing my skin, cleaning away the remnants of the battle I’d been through, felt like the second best thing to happen today.

The first was the kiss, of course.

Lexen joined me, and together we rose to the surface, kicking our legs to stay afloat in the hot springs. Swimming over to the edge, there were seats that seemed to be naturally formed in the rocks. Lexen and I both settled back into them. I let my legs float up in front of me, moving them slowly through the water. I waited for the cuts and grazes that littered my body to sting, but instead they felt soothed, especially the one on my shoulder.

“How often do you come up here?” I asked, turning my head so I could see what Qenita was up to.

She was not where we left her. It wasn’t until a cascade of water washed over me that I realized she was bathing in the next pool over, one large enough to fit her giant form. I chuckled as she played in the water, acting very puppy-like.

“Before my time on Earth, Qenita and I would come here at least once a month,” Lexen answered me. “One of the benefits of being dragon lord.”

The urge to press myself into all of his smooth chest muscles just got too much, and as I scooted closer he draped an arm around me. “Leaving Qenita was one of the reasons you hated going to Earth, wasn’t it?” My quiet question fell on his chest, my face pressed against it as it rose and fell gently.

“Yes, it’s painful for us to be apart for extended periods of time. Plus, I missed her.”

Such a simple answer, but the emotions behind those words were not. It had been more than a little difficult for him. I sat straighter, wanting to meet his eyes. “I’m sure you can petition the council to remain behind. As long as most of the overlord minors are there, no one would know, right?”

Lexen’s lips hit mine, taking me completely by surprise. I recovered in a heartbeat, straddling him in a single movement. The going slow thing died almost instantly as the fire between us exploded. Hands were everywhere as Lexen’s tongue caressed mine and I lost all sense of reality.

The scrape of skin, the taste of him on my lips, the rumble of his chest under my hands. Lexen was beyond hot, everything about him physical perfection, but it was so much more than that which had my attraction levels soaring into the sky. His loyalty. Heart. Caring nature.

It was too much. But I definitely would not complain.

When it was breathe or pass out, I wrenched my mouth from his. Our bodies remained locked together, all of his hardness pressed against my softness.

“That was certainly a nice response to my suggestion of staying here on Overworld.”

He grinned, cupping my face with both hands. I loved how much he touched me; it was like he couldn’t help himself. And I was a sucker for all of it.

“While I would love to stay with Qenita,” he told me, “there’s no way you’re going back to Astoria without me. I have no idea what Laous is up to. I have no idea what the future holds for the treaty, but the one thing I know for certain is that I can’t be away from you.”

I groaned. “Tell me again why we’re taking it slow.” I rocked into him, because my body ached. He did things to me that I didn’t even know were things. And I was not exactly innocent. Well, I had thought I wasn’t innocent, but I was starting to see my lame introduction to sex was nothing compared to what Lexen would bring to my world.

And I wanted to experience it all with him.

“We have all the time in the world, melerde.”

The unfamiliar word, in his sexy-ass accent, was enough to have my pulse racing. Except it wasn’t completely unfamiliar. I was pretty sure I’d heard it before, but I couldn’t remember.

“What does that mean?” I asked.

He pressed another kiss to my lips, his hands falling from my face to wrap across my back, pulling me even more firmly into him. “My love,” he replied, between the touches of our lips.

I jerked back from him, sucking in a shot of air through my nose. “You love me?”

Way to go, Emma … so smooth.

Laughter burst from Lexen. “Despite the fact that you look horrified right now, I’m confident enough to confirm your suspicions. I do, in fact, love you. Everything about you. You’ve constantly surprised me, from the first moment you broke the rules and followed us on Daelight Crescent.”

I managed to smooth my expression, sucking in another fortifying breath. “You’re wrong, Lexen Darken. There’s nothing horrifying about what you just said. More like overwhelming, unbelievable, absolutely amazing.” I breathed deeply again, finding the next words easy to say: “And while I’m not exactly an expert on love, I’m almost certain I’ve loved you since you kidnapped me.”

“I felt it from that first moment, too,” he said, his eyes holding me with their intensity. “I’m sorry about the kidnapping. I just needed you to be safe, and I used whatever excuse I could to make that happen.”