Word Count: 2702
I stare at my bedroom door, knowing who lingers outside it.
Tai brought me up to my room only twenty minutes ago, having danced with me until my feet ached, which they currently still do. He was almost too polite, telling me firmly not to leave my room before leaving.
I may not be planning to leave my room, however it's not as if I'm about to sleep with the alcohol still streaming through my blood. In fact, this strange buzz has me itching to open my door and speak to Marek, who I know is guarding my door like he is supposed to, on high alert due to the increased number of people mulling about tonight.
With a devious smile on my face, I open the door, taking in the stoic hunter who turns to look at me, confused.
"Good evening," I murmur, leaning my back against the doorframe as I regard Marek coyly.
It's hardly fair how devastatingly attractive he is, his unnatural beauty accentuated by the low lighting and the shadows it casts. He wears his usual black work clothing, but tonight it appears to cling to his taut, rigid build perfectly. It's not just the alcohol, I realise. I want him, desire him...perhaps even love him.
He narrows his eyes.. "Are you drunk?"
"No, although definitely a bit tipsy," I note, pinching my cheek to check for numbness, finding a sharp bite of pain. Nope, definitely not drunk. Unless of course, Jessa lied to me that time and her trick doesn't work. "I've never had any alcohol before."
"You should go back into your room and get some sleep," Marek mutters, turning his attention back to where he was staring blankly at the ivory painted corridor wall. Of course. He chooses now to resume his bored guard façade.
I sigh out my nose, regarding him with an evidently irritated expression that still doesn't seem to get his attention. His icy blue eyes simply stare forward as if I don't exist, matching the brittle colour of his marking, which only seems to be growing. Over the past few weeks the silver and sapphire flecks have fallen like snow around his temples and between his eyebrows, a light dusted sheen that doesn't go away when touched.
"I can't sleep. I need someone to talk to," I remark stubbornly.
His eyebrow raises, before his expression softens. With a gentle sigh, he turns to face me, leaning a shoulder against the wall.
"Is this about your mother?" He asks. My throat tightens at the reminder of why I drank so much tonight...and then ate so much. I don't even mind that Marek can likely see the curve of my stomach in this dress. I have no reason not to be confident. "I saw everything. I can't even begin to imagine what you're feeling right now."
I shrug, a faint, pathetic smile touching my lips. "Sad yet not surprised. I've always had the feeling she loved her Tani over me."
Likely seeing through my blasé dismissal, Marek frowns, stepping toward me. "Akara..."
"Don't...Us being near each other is not a good idea right now," I decide quickly, backing up a few steps so his heady cinnamon and pine scent doesn't overwhelm me. Marek doesn't need to know the true reason why I ventured out here at his hour to bother him.
His gaze sweeps over me, confused. "Why's that?"
"I'm tipsy and my inhibitions are admittedly lowered," I admit carelessly, before realising what's coming out of my mouth right now. It's too late to stop now. "Like why else would I be thinking of ripping your clothes off right now."
Although his eyebrows raise questionably, Marek doesn't look shocked. In fact, he looks rather amused. The glacial coldness seeps from his eyes, replaced by a glittering interest that he had been hiding from earlier. If only he knew that beneath this robe I'm wearing nothing more than a camisole and panties.
"Hmm, I definitely sense that water and sleep may be the best thing for you right now," he says softly. It's a gentle order that I immediately dismiss. I didn't come out here for him to ruin my fun.
"I really don't think I could sleep right now."
Marek even has the nerve to roll his eyes playfully before pushing my door opening, ushering me inside. It's almost as if he knows all of this is masking what is burning in the depths of my mind that I block adamantly with my overwhelming attraction to this Hunter. I'll address the sorrow of my mother's rejection tomorrow.
"Here, I'll even tuck you in," he offers, flipping my covers back before motioning for me to slip in.
Narrowing my eyes, I stand adamantly, ignoring his silent command. "You make even that sound dirty."
Marek shakes his head, but I catch the hint of a smile, as if he can't quite believe that situation I've dragged him into. Brushing past him, I feel the briefest touch of his skin on mine, causing it to tingle in response, only furthering my ignited senses. When I reach out for him to sit next to me on the bed, he holds his hands up defensively.
"Uh ah. I don't play around with engaged women," he says coolly, however the sweep of his gaze down to my lips betrays him. Nothing has changed since that night in the barn. His desire hasn't faltered, and neither has mine...It's a matter of whether he will act upon it or not.
"As if you haven't before," I remind him, raising an eyebrow.
"My morals have improved a lot since our moment in that barn," he corrects, turning away from me before disappearing into the bathroom.
I call after him. "Liar."
He returns into the room, a glass of water in hand, which he sets down on my bedside table. His look is reprimanding, reminding me I shouldn't be up so late after drinking. Instead of taking a sip, I sit up on my knees, letting my silken covers frame my legs. Marek stands a safe distance away, but not far enough for me to not be able to read his expression.
He is awfully good at concealing his emotions at the best of times, but here his eyes betray him. The atlantic blue shimmers with sultry darkness, more provocative in just the look alone than I can ever be with my words.
"Akara, it's not fair to tease a man," he murmurs huskily, voice plummeting to an unfairly seductive rasp. "Especially one who wants a girl he can't have."
I'm not exactly sure where this confidence is coming from, and how I make it stop flowing past my lips. "I can show you teasing."
"You're drunk," Marek mutters flatly.
Despite his words, there is a glimmer in Marek's eyes, the intent in his eyes evident as he tracks my movements with adept precision, unable to walk away even if we both know that's what he should do. Yet I know what I want, and that's for him to give in and kiss me.
"Tipsy. And bored," I remind him, falling back into my pillows. I'm very quickly grateful that beneath my robe, I chose to wear nothing but my camisole and underwear, as Marek's gaze drags up my legs before falling to my eyes, where the ghost of a pained expression haunts him. "Come entertain me."
"You bewilder me," he says breathlessly, shaking his head gently. "What happened to us staying away from each other?"
Crossing his arms over his chest, Marek stays firm where he stands, my shameless flirting and temptation not enough to lure him closer. I'm not sure if this bolstered confidence is from the alcohol in my system, or if by now it's faded away and I'm relying on the undeniable connection between us, the lust I've shoved down.
"That was never going to work," I admit, smoothing out the comforter, trying to read the haze in Marek's eyes, although he manages to hide his desire well. "Why are you holding back?"
"I may not respect Tai, but I respect you," he breathes, leaning over to close my curtains, shutting out the moonlight and the view of the glittering stars in the ebony night sky. It must be deep into the morning by now with how much my mind lags, yet I still don't desire sleep. Instead, I could stay up all night talking to Marek...Perhaps do even more than just talk.
I tilt my head to the side, the hair I carefully unpinned earlier falling over my shoulder. "I know you want me."
His eyes shudder closed for a moment as he breathes in deeply, composing himself. Silently, he comes to sit next to me, the bed sinking with his weight, pulling me toward him. His scent washes over me, sending my mind into an incoherent spin. It takes all my effort for me to keep my hands pinned to the bed, bunching up the fabric of the duvet beneath my fingers.
"I do, desperately," he tells me slowly, pronouncing each word with such surety it has shivers crawling across my skin as I raise my gaze to meet his eyes, which watch me carefully. "The things I would do to you if you were mine."
For a moment, my breath is hitched in my throat. "You can't say something like that and expect me to willingly get in bed."
"You need sleep," he tells me firmly, motioning for me to lay back down against the pillow and close my eyes. Of course I need sleep before I wake in the morning with plenty of regret to be had.
I go to speak but he shakes his head at me. "Shh..."
The moment his lips touch mine, everything seems to slot into place. That painful, burning desire has morphed into fervent passion. I want to giggle, to shout with pleasure now that his hands are finally on me, quelling that feeling I didn't know if I could take anymore of.
He wastes now time, as his tongue delves into my mouth, answering my silent prayers. His hands find my waist, fingers bunching up in the cotton fabric of my camisole as he leans over me, following me backward until my back is against the bed.
I whimper as his hands begin exploring, slow and painfully gentle, the completely opposite of what I want from him right now. He's teasing me, making me writhe beneath him in desperation, answering it with the lightest of touches.
His fingers brush up my waist, and to my breasts, where they spend only a moment's time, much to my frustration. He has yet to touch my skin, keeping his conservative touches to the top of my camisole. He only laughs lowly under his breath as I bite his lip amidst our kiss, demanding more than he is giving me.
When he doesn't oblige, I push him to the side, forcing him into his back before I clamber atop him. Straddling his hips, I look down at him.
He grins deviously at me, knowing exactly what he's doing. Aside from his messy hair and darkened eyes, he hardly looks as crazy as I imagine myself to look. My hair will be messy, my cheeks flushed bright scarlet...
"You are stunning," he growls under his breath as if he can read my mind.
Perhaps I can motivate him. Grabbing the hem of my camisole, I go to pull it over my head, but Marek quickly grabs my wrist, stopping me. I frown as he shakes his head. "Not yet."
I narrow my eyes on him, unsure of what game he is playing out. With adept swiftness, he flips me over, pinning my body to the bed with the weight of his. I get only a flash of his blistering blue gaze before his lips are on mind again, a new wave of passion flowing over him, as he parts my legs with his knee, his hand travelling down my waist and past my hips.
Expecting his hands to pause, I can't help but flinch as they travel lower. He pulls away, carefully examining my expression. When I nod in approval, his head moves to my neck, kissing my skin at the exact time his fingers brush against my inner thigh, travelling up before he touches directly between them.
Desire streaks through me, heat pooling where his fingers touch, so gentle in contrast to his firm grip on the back of my neck, the way he kisses me with fervent passion.
Even as his touch remains painfully gentle, pressing against me in such a way is elicits back-arching pleasure. I can't help the breathy moan that passes my lips, entwined with Marek's name.
"Quiet," he murmurs, the gentle caress of his breath against my ear sending shivers across me, in tempo with the soft, persistent brush of his fingers against me. His gentle command is to avoid risking Tai walking by and overhearing, but right now, with pleasure fogging my brain, I don't want to hold back. I've hidden how I have felt for Marek for months now, and suddenly now I can't remember why I cannot be with him.
My hands delve into his thick hair, the soft bronze strands slipping through my fingers. "I can't..."
He doesn't say more, kissing my neck, when silently I want his mouth to travel lower down my body to replace where his fingers linger. I know he won't though...not here, not right now. Him touching me is for my sake, even if I know with the want and desire burning in his eyes, that he is enjoying this as much as me. He won't go further, not when he respects me.
All my worries wash thoroughly from my mind as a new rush of pleasure rises up within me, the mix of Marek's fingers and his kisses on my neck pushing me toward the edge of a delightful spiral.
Squeezing my eyes shut, I grip his back, feeling the soft fabric of his tunic while he murmurs sinful words in my ears, pushing an overwhelmingly intense feeling of pleasure over me. By the time I'm capable of opening my eyes again, Marek has pulled his hand away, brushing my hair back from my sweaty forehead.
Before I have a chance to speak, he kisses my cheek before pulling away, leaving a sense of coldness in his wake.
"Where are you going?" I ask softly, watching him step back through the room.
He lingers at the door, turning back to look at me. He's painfully gorgeous, the uniqueness about him only making me desire him more. Never would I have imagine a man like him would stumble across my pass, let alone be interested in pursuing anything with me. I wonder how our relationship would have progressed had we met outside this.
"I never got to tell you how truly breath-taking you looked this evening," he murmurs, a tenderness to his words that has my toes curling beneath the covers, my cheeks flushing. "Beautiful. Taius is a lucky man."
A million unspoken words fall short of my lips, so I opt a simpler thought instead. "You can't seriously be leaving right now."
"I think it would be best you wake up tomorrow and think this was all a dream," he replies softly, before slipping out the door, leaving a cool silence in his wake.
Maybe he was doing me a favour, by distracting me. All I know is that he had no intention to take it any further from the moment he kissed me.
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If you guys want to read ahead, you can read more of KING'S POSSESSION on Radish! It's chapters ahead of Wattpad (:
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I'm officially rewriting Alpha Jasper's story now on Radish! It will be following the same storyline with the same characters, but with revised scenes and some new ones!
I love Jasper's story so much that I wanted to go back and rewrite it. I hope you guys will enjoy it, you can find it now on Radish (:
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