Hooked

Chapter Twenty-Six: Waterworks

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, N.L.PETIT 2015.

Chapter Twenty-Six: Waterworks

Watching him break the surface and gasp for air was quite possibly one of the most attractive things I'd seen in a long time - possibly ever.

"Sophie!" he coughed as he wiped the water off his eyes. I smirked at his dramatics.

When he blinked, a few droplets hung on his dark, thick lashes, and I fought to keep myself from staring too long. Standing in the tub, which I believed was approximately five feet deep, he began a slow prowl towards me, taunting me the way I had him. He circled me, and his dark blue eyes looked me over lazily while his hands slowly curled and released repeatedly at his aides. If this was what it felt like to be hunted, then I wasn't sure that I minded being his prey.

He came closer and wrapped his hands around my waist. I felt the fabric of his shorts rub at my scales, and I shifted somewhat uncomfortably at the sensation. He followed my eyes down and seemed to interpret what I felt, because he slowly swept me into his arms, bridal style, and waded over to a built in bench beneath the water that I had not noticed. He sat carefully, giving me the unspoken option of sitting on him or beside him. Not bothering to fight with my desires, I perched in a way that wasn't too uncomfortable on his lap and let my head rest on his chest. As I let my hands wander his chest beneath the water, I voiced one of my questions aloud.

"This doesn't bother you? Me being like this, I mean."

He looked at me as if I had grown another head.

"I'm just saying, it must seem strange. If it bothers you, at all, just say the word and we can dry off and relax somewhere -."

He cut me off gently by running his fingers over my hip. "He really did a number on you, didn't he?"

I looked down, realizing my irrational fears had surfaced again without my even knowing it. "I guess so. I'm sorry."

"Hey."

He tilted my chin up, and he kissed me softly. "Never apologize. I love who and what you are. None of this bothers me at all. In fact, I think it's incredible that you're this way."

I adjusted myself so that my tail curled beneath my body on his lap. His hands rested naturally on the curve of my waist, and I blinked slowly before I leaned forward and pressed my lips to his.

He responded immediately, and I was so immersed in our kiss that I could barely feel anything other than him. Wrapping my arms around his neck, I pulled my torso closer to his and tried to hold back the moan that threatened to break loose.

"Sophie," he murmured against my lips, and I could have fainted. His fingers danced across the skin of my back, the remainder of my torn shirt being pulled away by his large hands. I arched into his touch, and he pulled away from my mouth to move his lips along my jawline and onto my neck. They brushed against my mark, and my body internally convulsed at the shocking pleasure it sent through my veins. Suddenly, I couldn't control myself anymore; getting closer to Adrian was the only thing on my mind, and I could not feel anything other than his fingers tightening on my waist, his mouth moving over my jaw, the light stubble on his cheeks rubbing my skin and sending me into frenzy.

So immersed in his kiss, I didn't recognize the first tingling of change. My fingers rushed through his dark, wet hair, an unfamiliar fire burning low in my stomach. He was intoxicating and addicting, and my mind didn't comprehend anything other than him as a wave of unsteadiness went through me.