Masquerade (Heven and Hell #1)(79)
Author: Cambria Hebert

You mean we’ll be able to do this forever, no matter what?

Yes.

Pleasure bloomed in the center of my chest. You can’t do this with anyone else?

I felt him smile. No.

I can sleep now. I was smiling too.

Sweet Dreams.

I love you

We slept

Chapter Twenty-Four

Heven

The sheets felt rough against my skin. Even though they were made of fine cotton, every movement I made against them felt like sandpaper. I moved again, looking for something to ease the feeling, and brushed up against something not as soft as the sheets; its rough texture surprisingly something I wanted more of. I moaned, but the sound was instantly swallowed by a pair of soft, moist lips capturing my own. Again and again they moved against mine, eliciting a delicious ache in the center of me. Curious and hungry at the same time, I reached out to touch more of this sensation, to pull it closer. I encountered more cotton – sandpaper to my skin. In protest I tried to rip it away and soon it was gone and a delicious warm weight settled over me. My lips moved deeper, my tongue traveling out, finding something to dance with. I pressed my body closer, moving with rhythm against the only thing that could make this ache inside me go away.

We have to stop.

Lips left mine, and I was bereft. The delicious weight started to pull back. Don’t leave.

I pulled him back down and my lips found his shoulder; the taunt muscle was straining against his skin, and I scraped my teeth over the firmness. I heard him groan, and then he was gone.

“Sam?” I sat up, opening my eyes. He was across the room beside the window, pacing. It took a minute for a full thought to form in my head because it was fuzzy, and the tantalizing dream I’d just had wanted to hold on. As he paced I watched him; he was beautiful, and he was shirtless. Abruptly he paused in his pacing to turn and look at me. There was a red mark on his shoulder…oh boy, it wasn’t a dream. Sam and I just got majorly hot and heavy, and if I he hadn’t pulled away…

You thought that was a dream? He seemed exasperated and let down at the same time.

I just know that it felt really good, and I didn’t want it to stop.

He groaned again and resumed his pacing. I felt a little rejected.

Did I do something wrong?

He swung toward me. God, no. But your grandmother is right down the hall!

I guess it wasn’t the best time to get busy.

I want to take my time with you. Things right now aren’t really…

I know. I scrubbed my hand over my face, my eyes felt like they had sand in them. We should wait. I’m sorry.

The bed dipped with his weight when he sat next to me. “Don’t ever be sorry, not for that.”

I nodded. “What time is it?”

“Late.”

I looked at the clock and gaped. Half the day was gone! So much for going to school. I went to the window, pulled back the curtains and lifted up the blinds, releasing the cord, and looked out at the sunny day. I gasped and stumbled backward, my hands coming up to shield my eyes.

“What’s the matter?” Sam asked, coming to stand at my side.

Close the blinds, the blinds!

He ran to the window and pulled them down, yanking the curtains closed as well. “They’re closed.”

Tentatively, I opened my eyes and blinked. They were watering and stinging, but I could see fine. Even worried, Sam’s face was beautiful to me, which was good because it was super close to mine.

“What’s up?” he asked.

I shook my head. “It’s so bright out. My eyes hurt.”

“The sunshine hurts your eyes?”

“Yeah.” I blew out a breath. “Tell me, do they look bad?”

He came even closer and took my head in his hands and tilted it this way and that. I waited through his scrutiny, preparing myself for news of some new disfigurement. “They look fine,” he declared.

“I want to see.” I looked in the mirror above my dresser. He was right, everything looked normal. I turned back to Sam and shrugged. “I guess I just wasn’t fully awake yet.”

“Are you awake now?”

I nodded.

He went over to the window and lifted the shade. My eyes burned and watered when the light bounced around the room, but it wasn’t as bad as before. “It still burns.”

He closed the blinds again, frowning. “Are you feeling okay?”

I took a moment to take inventory of my body; everything seemed fine. “My muscles are sore, but the accident and then whatever happened with Airis…”

He nodded.

“But otherwise I feel okay.” Then I remembered something. “Except for those tremors I was getting last night.”

“Had one yet this morning?”

“No.”

“You should take it easy today.”

“Yeah. I’m starving though, want to eat?” I went over to the bedroom door.

He appeared beside me and placed his hand over mine as I reached for the doorknob. “I can’t just waltz downstairs with you.”

“Oh. Right.”

He smiled. It was crooked and playful and my heart turned over.

His smile faded and he skimmed his knuckles down my cheek.

“Maybe you could come visit me? You know – to see how I am feeling after the accident.”

He nodded. “I’m going to run home and shower first, change my clothes.”

I didn’t like the idea of him going to the home he shared with China and the other hellhounds. Will she be there?

Nah, she’s probably hiding.

He said this just to make me feel better. I could feel that he hoped she was there so that he would get a chance at her. Anticipation coiled inside me and my body was ready to jump into a fight. I frowned. I was scared of China; I did not want to see her.

It’s the Mindbond. It’s called bleeding. The mental state of one can ‘bleed’ to the other and affect their mood.

All emotion, all the time? I asked and frowned. While I loved having this Mindbond with Sam, I didn’t exactly like the idea of him hearing and feeling every thought I had. Some things were just meant to be private.

No, honey. The bleeding would only occur when we are standing this close to each other. Unless it is very intense emotion, like if you were hurt or something bad was happening to you, then I would feel it. It’s the same for you and feeling my emotions.

I nodded, warming to the idea of bleeding.

The Mindbond means we can talk like this, through our thoughts, no matter the distance between us. We can only hear the thoughts we project out to the other, and again, unless of course you were thinking very loudly or forcefully, then I might be able to pick up on them.