Chapter 64: A Mistake
AYLA
I backed away, coming up short against Damon’s chest.
"Someone is..."
"Yeah, come with me"
Damon pulled me to a corner and backed me against a wall, his body covering mine.
"We cannot let whoever that is know we are here." his breath tingled my forehead.
I nodded.
The door finally opened and a small light appeared followed by the shadow of a person.
"Shit" Damon cursed.
He pressed forward, flattening himself against me until there was no space left between us. I was suddenly, acutely aware of every place our bodies touched.
His arms were braced against the wall beside my head and I could feel his heartbeat against my forehead.
I was grateful for the bit of darkness so he could not see how furiously I was blushing.
"Do you see them?" His voice vibrated above my head.
I rose to my toes and looked over his shoulder, past the edge of the shelf, toward the figure moving in the dim light. I could only see that he was dressed in black clothes but nothing else.
I shook my head.
We remained there, pressed against each other while the figure rummaged shelf after shelf, muttering something under their breath.
Suddenly I felt something on my neck.
I went completely still, my eyes wide as I looked up at Damon, gesturing frantically to my neck.
His gaze dropped to where my fingers pointed, and his eyes widened in recognition.
Do not move, he mouthed.
What? I mouthed back.
Don’t move, he muttered.
Then I saw it... eight tiny legs crawled into the edge of my vision.
Spider! My mind screamed.
My entire body went rigid with terror. I felt a scream building in my throat before Damon’s lips covered mine, swallowing it.
I whimpered softly against his mouth and he swallowed that too.
I felt his hand palm my neck, his fingers brushing against my skin, and I knew he was getting the spider off me while his lips still covered mine.
When he finally pulled back, he was panting. His amber eyes glowed softly, fixed on my face with an intensity that made my knees weak.
I could feel my own heart pounding in my chest and my lips tingling from the feel of his.
The slam of the door jolted us from our haze.
Whoever it was that had been here was gone.
We heard the lock click in place and keys jangling before footsteps retreated until there was silence again.
Damon and I pulled apart from each other so fast it was almost comical.
I could not look at him without thinking of wanting to kiss him again.
I wanted to grab the front of his shirt and pull him back to me and feel his mouth on mine. To feel his hands n my waist and his body pressed against me the way it had been moments ago.
What was wrong with me?
This was Damon; the man who had tormented me for years.
I began fiddling with my fingers, twisting them together in front of me.
"We should..." he started.
"...search..."
"...leave," he and I said at the same time.
I cleared my throat. "We can come back some other time."
He nodded, not meeting my eyes. "Yeah. Some other time."
I just wanted to be out of there and whatever this was that was now clouding my mind and making me want to jump Damon and kiss him until I could not breathe.
It did not help that Astrid’s words came flooding back to me in that moment. The wicked things she swore he could do with his tongue that made women scream and want more.
My breath caught in my throat, and I gasped.
Damon’s head snapped up. "Are you okay?"
"Yes." I forced myself to breathe. "I am fine."
He looked at me, his eyes still dark and his chest still rising and falling with uneven breaths.
He looked like he was about to say more but stopped himself, his tongue snaking out of his mouth to lick his bottom lip.
I followed the movement with my eyes, the breath whooshing out of my lungs as his tongue reclined into his mouth, leaving wetness glistening on his lips.
"Okay." His voice was rough. "We can always come back later."
I snapped my eyes up to meet his and nodded.
"Back into the hole, then," he joked, smirking at me.
I let out a strangled laugh and spun away from him so fast I nearly tripped over my own feet. I headed for the crawl space, my skin prickling with the awareness of him there, right behind me.
And when his arms wrapped around my waist to lift me into the opening.
I welcomed the feel of his touch shamelessly.
...
Neither of us spoke as we crawled until we came back the other end.
Damon’s hands found my waist first, steadying me as I emerged from the crawl space.
"I should..." I cleared my throat. "I have etiquette class and I am late."
"Ayla..."
"I cannot be late. The director will have my head." I was already backing away from him. "Thank you... for the tunnel and I will see you later."
I did not wait for his response before I spun around and dashed away. I did not stop or look back until I reached my room and slammed the door shut behind me.
I pressed my back against it, my breath coming in ragged gasps. My hands came up to cover my face.
What was wrong with me? I thought for the umpteenth time.
I stumbled to my bed and collapsed onto it, burying my face in my pillow.
I was aroused... desperately and achingly aroused.
My body felt like it was on fire. My nipples were hard and rubbing against the fabric of my dress with every breath I took and between my legs there was a warmth that would not go away.
I had heard about women touching themselves.
The other servants had whispered about it in the kitchens, giggling and blushing as they traded stories. I had always dismissed it as foolishness, something I would never need but now my hand was sliding down my stomach before I could think about what I was doing.
I bolted upright.
I crossed the room and turned the lock on my door then I climbed onto my bed again, my hands shaking as I lifted my dress, pushing the fabric up past my knees and thighs.
I lay back against the pillows, my chest heaving. I had never done this before.
My hand hovered over myself, trembling. I did not know where to start but my body seemed to know what it wanted because my fingers found the place between my legs, and I gasped at the contact.
I was wet.
I was so wet that my fingers slid through it easily, spreading it my folds and exploring. I found a nub at the top and when I touched it, a jolt went through me so sharp I arched off the bed.
I closed my eyes, conjuring up images of Cassian.
I imagined his fingers instead of mine, knowing exactly where to touch and how but the image shifted stubbornly to Damon.
I shook my head and pressed my eyes tighter.
Cassian, I urged my mind.
An image of his blue eyes returned to my vision and I smiled.
My imagination got away from me when Ares appeared beside Cassian, his dark hair falling across his face.
In my mind, they were both there, hovering over me... watching me.
"Touch yourself," Imagination Ares said to me. "Show us how you like it.
"Yes," Imagination Cassian murmured, his blue eyes dark with hunger. "Let us see."
I moaned, my fingers fisting into my blanket as I moved faster in circles until the pleasure built, coiling tight in my belly.
"That is it," Another voice murmured.
I inclined my head to see I had conjured up Damon against my will and he was smirking like he always did. "Come for me, Ayla"
I was desperately close...
Then as if the moon goddess herself was conspiring against me, there was a knock on my door.
My eyes flew open in alarm and the pleasure receded, leaving me trembling and utterly frustrated.
"What?" My voice came out strangled. "Coming."
I scrambled off the bed, my hands shaking as I yanked my dress back down. I pressed my thighs together, trying to contain the ache and compose my face.
I unlocked the door and pulled it open to find Ares there.
"Can I come in?" he asked. "We need to talk."