Perpetual Devotion (Book 4 in the Original BOC Series) ✔

Chapter Fourteen

Without a doubt, the emotional connection shared between the two standing in the basement had intensified with such closeness. Darla wound her arms more around his waist, snuggling against the hard chest she found most safe.

Being in his arms felt beautiful. It felt perfectly familiar to be hugging this man she barely knew, barely met only a week ago. She didn't want to ever let him go. There was never any other time that Darla felt this content being held so... affectionately. Especially with someone who wasn't her family.

Max kept his eyes closed as his arms took it upon themselves to pull the girl closer. Just as he felt her snuggle more to him, he did the same; his cheek and nose getting lost in the dark hair that had the sweet scent of Lavender taking over his senses. He felt a tingling sensation where her fingers pressed into the small of his back, and his brows furrowed more, hugging her. He heard her sigh; the soft brush of her breath on his bare arm sending shivers down his spine.

Max was utterly lost in this strange-eyed girl; he didn't want to stop holding her, or for her to stop giving him these shivering tingles. Though not fully comprehending what she was doing to him---or how---all the blonde knew was she made him feel... whole.

Everything he knew seemed pointless and total shit right now with Darla in his arms.

Back home, Max never felt anything like this towards the women he was often surrounded with. He didn't feel anything, period. He'd always been used to the scantily girls and women crossing paths with him ever since he was thirteen. Though London was where he started, and Italy being where he grew up most of the time, Max's brain couldn't register any place being his home other than Darla.

She was different. What he felt with just being near her brought these foreign emotions that he didn't even feel momentarily when having sex that supposedly arose them. But not until he met Darla did Max feel these---these strange wholesome feelings that he'd want to relive over and over.

While still holding her to him, Max wound one of her coffee-colored curls around his finger and he mindlessly whispered just enough through a sigh, "Amata."

It was barely heard by the opal eyed girl, but heard nonetheless. Darla's eyes snapped open, her heart fluttering at the word. She didn't know what it meant... but she loved it anyway. She wanted to hear him say it again because it was from Max, and Darla... well, Darla... she kept her eyes downcast, turning her head so that her forehead brushed against his chest, resting it there with her eyes shutting for second and opened them again so that she could lift her head and meet his honey brown eyes.

The eighteen year old stared into his eyes admiring their depth, their pretty hue, and the guarded curiosity they filled with. But she could feel this, too. A hand unwrapped from his waist, placing itself flatly on the middle of her chest.

Max glanced down at her do this, locking his eyes with hers once more, and his fingers lifting to her face to tuck her hair behind her ear. His brow lowered slightly, thinking about how much he liked the way it looked when Darla closed her eyes and turned her head towards his touch.

He blinked when Darla mumbled, "Say it again..."

Max stared at her curiously, lowering his brows and his fingertips caressing down the side of her face to rest on her jaw. His eyes were enthralled with the collage of colors in her beautiful ones, just as beautiful as she was.

"Say what?" he mumbled back.

His thumb grazed back and forth along her plump bottom lip and he had a hint of a grin at another moment of Darla's absent-minded boldness to giving a chaste kiss to his thumb. She tilted her head asking for him to say it again.