Hope you guys like this chapter :D I know I certainly loved writing it!!
430 VOTES like last time please :)
And if you guys are looking for a story to read may I suggest "A New Life" by ladymess - She's just started it and I really like it so far :)
IMPORTANT
Those of you who are still asking about NATHANIEL, don't worry i haven't forgotten him! But like I said a couple of chapters back, you guys arent going to find out whats happened to him until later and when you do it will be from Circe's P.O.V so im not giving anything away! :D
Thankyou all!!
Daisy xx
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(Obsidian's P.O.V)
I waited by the railing, impatient for their return. Cobalt stood a little way down from me in the same position, his eyes scanning the flat, mirror like waters. I sighed softly and ran a hand through my hair, my fingers itching at the stubble on my chin. I had forgotten to shave this morning.
I frowned and dropped both hands to the rail, peering out into the night water.
"Cobalt."
"Mmmm?"
"Do you see that?" I pointed at the nearing light that shimmered below the surface of the water. Cobalt strode to my side and frowned, leaning over the railing.
"What is it?"
"I don't know," I growled, resting a hand on the hilt of my sword. "I'm not familiar with the kind of sea life that these strange oceans shelter. It could be a number of things."
We watched in silence as the glowing light drew closer and closer to the ship before it burst out of the water and flipped straight over, peals of bell like laughter echoing through the night air.
"Circe?!"
She dove back down into the water and we watched her move faster and faster towards us before she leapt up again, flipping backwards this time and plunging back into the ocean laughing. The light still surrounded her and it wasn't until her head broke the surface once more that I realized that the glowing white tendrils cascading down her slender shoulders, were actually her hair. Her face turned to us and I sucked in a breath.
Her eyes were glowing, as white as her hair and the pendant around her neck was giving off as much light as the moon itself. Subconsciously I grasped the golden jewel around my own neck and ran my fingers down the jagged crack in the center before letting it drop back onto my chest.
"Circe? What happened to you?" Cobalt laughed, leaning forwards as I leaned back, tilting my hat down so she would not be able to see how my eyes followed her every move.
Her rose-bud mouth curled upwards at the corners as she answered. "Hobbs and I found out what the white stuff was! It's a massive sea of lilies, they go for thousands of leagues." She stretched out her arms to indicate the size and I couldn't help but let my gaze travel over the curves of her chest that were exposed before the water modestly covered the rest of her body.
I felt my eyes darken to a dangerous gold as I remembered the last time I had studied those curves, the last time I had felt her silk skin pressed up against my chest. My grip on the side rail tightened and I heard the wood groan slightly. Hastily I released it and settled on crossing my arms over my chest and leaning against the railing instead.
"Where is Hobbs." I asked cooly, my voice devoid of all emotion.
"I'm right 'ere," Hobbs suddenly appeared beside Circe and I noticed he was staying a careful distance away from her.
I tilted my head towards Circe. "Care to explain?"
Hobbs scratched his head. "Well we found out what the whiteness be Cap'n, it's an ocean o' lilies, they're just everywhere an' go on fer miles."
"Faaige Mhor ear en' dar un Lile Ngleanntan," I breathed, my eyes narrowing into golden slits. "We are close then."
"Close to what?"
I turned to find Lacey's inquisitive face peering up at me.
"Nothing." I snapped.
"Okay, calm your pants, I was just asking!" She rolled her eyes and I bit back a growl. Leonardo mouthed an apology at me from the other side of the deck and I nodded curtly as Lacy made her way over to wear Cobalt was standing.
"Circe!" She squeaked in that annoyingly high voice of hers. "Circe! Hi!"
Circe laughed and I closed my eyes, letting the sound wash over me and fill me with pleasure.
"Circe, can I come in now?"
"Lacy I don't think--" Leonardo had started forwards but Circe spoke before he could reach her.
"I don't see why not, the water is warm and fresh, can she come in?" I watched as Circe turned her big blue eyes on Hobbs and pouted slightly, thanking my lucky stars that she wasn't using that face on me.
Hobbs chuckled. "I'm sure it won't be doing 'er any 'arm. It might even be good fer her."
Lacy squealed with excitement and started stripping off without a second thought. Everyone burst out laughing at her eagerness while I rolled my eyes and turned my face away until I heard a splash.
"Hi Circe!"
"Hello Lacy," Came the amused reply.
"Wow, the water is really warm!"
I turned back around, leaning my elbows on the rail and resting my chin on my hands as I watched the two girls play.
"You going to tell me why she's glowing?" I muttered to Hobbs who had swum up to the side of the ship so that he was positioned below me. He stayed afloat easily in the water, watching girls as I was, but I knew he was also looking out for any danger.
"The lilies, they be natural energy sources it seems. She touched one an' that's what 'appened. She suggested that it might 'ave 'ad somethin' ta do wiv the pendant, but I don't be knowin' what ta think ta be honest. Never seen anything like it."
I rubbed my jaw thoughtfully. "So obviously she took in too much energy and the excess is causing the glow in her hair and her eyes?"
Hobbs nodded. "I touched 'er arm ta see if it would flow from her ta me but all I got was a bloody great burn on my 'and."
I snickered but then sobered, lifting my pendant away from my chest. "Do you think ...?"
Hobbsons eyes gleamed. "I'm not sure ta be honest, you would 'av ta be testin' it out yerself."
I snorted. "I don't feel like swimming at the moment thankyou. So are we going to be able to get through?" I questioned, referring to our flowery obstacle.
Hobbs nodded. "I don't think that the lilies will be the problem Cap'n, but we passed over a reef on our way there and it's quite 'igh. We should be able ta make it, but we might 'av ta go over on the oars."
I nodded, my brows furrowing together. "Well as long as we can clear it then."
We were suddenly interrupted by a giant splash and both of our heads whipped around. Hobbs let out a loud laugh while I scowled deeply at my idiot brother who had just dived into the ocean.
The girls squealed as Cobalts shaggy head popped up beside them suddenly and he playfully splashed a giant arc of water over the two. Leonardo was leaning against the railing laughing and refusing Lacy's attempts at trying to get him to join the rest of them in the water but I couldn't seem to tear my eyes away from Circe, who was now circling Cobalt teasingly, her long hair streaming out behind her. He was grinning as she swam around him, his eyes wandering over her body boldly and he said something that I couldn't hear which caused her to let out a stream of laughter.
A rumbling snarl echoed through my chest and I clenched my jaw. I heard Hobbs chuckled from below me but my eyes still didn't stray from her as I spoke.
"Well if that was all," I said tersely. "I'm going back to the charts. I'll trust you to keep and eye on things out here."
Hobbs chuckled again, hearing the double meaning in my words and without another sound, I tore my eyes away from my brother and Circe and stormed off, dark thoughts clouding my mind.
(Circe's P.O.V)
"My brothers face is so green, he looks like a vegetable." Cobalt whispered to me as I swum around him in circles.
He smirked as I let out a loud peal of laughter. "Really?"
He raised an eyebrow. "Are you interested?"
I shook my head fiercely. "No, definitely not. He's too hot tempered for me. Too unpredictable."
Cobalt nodded, as though he was pondering something. "Am I unpredictable?"
I sniggered. "No, you're the exact opposite to him, which is funny because you both look so alike."
He folded his arms across his tightly muscled chest causing me to become slightly distracted by the flexing of his biceps. He pouted. "Are you saying I'm not scary like him as well then?"
I laughed. "You are far too nice to be scary."
Colby scowled. "I'm a Pirate. You can't call Pirates nice!"
"Well maybe you aren't a proper Pirate then." I retorted and his mouth fell open with shock.
"Why you cheeky little--" He roared, attempting to lunge at me through the water.
I laughed and flicked myself backwards away from him with my tail, causing a huge arc of water to splash over his face.
I heard Lacy's bubbly little laugh and looked up to see her now sitting on the edge of the railing of the ship, Leonardo's arms wound around her waist to stop her from falling off, his chin resting on the top of her head.
"Get him Cee!" She encouraged, clapping her hands with excitement.
I winked at her as Cobalt spluttered, diving down under the water before he had a chance to see what was happening. Down and down I swam, until I touched the sandy ocean floor. I was momentarily distracted again by my glowing hair and made sure to position myself directly under Cobalt's rotating feet so that the light wouldn't give away my position.
My necklace floated up of my chest and I grabbed at it, feeling the shock of energy flow through me. Deciding to experiment I focused on the pendant and squeezed it harder, imagining the energy from the crystal flowing into me. My hair suddenly flared brighter as I felt an increase of energy coming through from the small stone, and an incredible buzz shot through my body, almost as strong as the one I had received from the lily.
I felt a moments pride in myself for my discovery. I had actually figured out something for myself without anyone else's help!
Then my eyes narrowed and I chuckled. Cobalt was certainly in for a shock.
3 ...
2 ...
1 ...
I shot upwards, swimming as fast as I could towards the unsuspecting Cobalt. I stretched out my hands, aiming for his feet and braced myself for the impact as I reached out, grabbed his shins and launched him out of the water.
He let out a surprised cry as he shot into the air, flailing his arms and legs around as he began to descend, before falling back into the water with a colossal splash, leaving a cloud of bubbles in his wake.
Everyone was roaring with laughter and I felt tears streaming down my cheeks as I replayed Colby's surprised expression in my mind over and over again.
He finally spluttered to the surface, his eyes still wide with shock, his mouth gaping open and closed making him look like a fish out of water.
I couldn't seem to stop laughing, even when his eyes narrowed, honing in on me and he struck out towards me purposefully, a wicked gleam in his eyes.
"Oh you are so going to pay for that." He growled, suddenly looking alot like his brother. I backed away from him, still laughing but also feeling slightly scared.
"Your face!" I spluttered out, doing a ridiculous impersonation of what he had looked like, failing my arms around as I did. He growled again as the others laughed harder before lunging towards me, arms out stretched.
"No! Wait don't touch--"
Too late Cobalt's arms were wrapped around me and he looked down at me with confusion while I attempted to get away.
"Don't touch what?" He asked, his grey eyes puzzled.
I looked up it im and abruptly stopped struggling.
"Cobalt ya idiot! Git away before ya git 'urt!"
Cobalt laughed, looking back at Hobbs over his shoulder. "What are you talking about?"
"Colby," I said slowly. "am I not ... burning you?"
He laughed, his eyes flaring slightly. "No of course not, don't be silly."
I breathed out a sigh of relief. "Well it's just because I'm full of energy at the moment and when Hobbs touched me before he got burnt so I thought ..." I trailed off as Cobalt frowned.
"Full of energy?"
Hobbs drew level with us then and answered the question before I could.
"Those lilies that we found, they be natural energy sources. I'm guessing that they are the reason there is so much of the it in the water, an' also why the water is fresh an' warm. They must leak it inta the ocean an' no doubt the energy serves as a purifier. Circe was able ta touch them an' the energy from the lily transferred to 'er, which be why she's glowing."
Colby laughed, his grip on me tightening. "Well it doesn't seem to be affecting me in anyway so how does that work?"
Hobbs frowned. "I don't know maybe-"
"Hobbs," I said excitedly. "could it have something to do with the fact that we are both royalty?"
"Hmmm ... That could be a possibility. It would explain why Cobalt can touch ya in this state an' I can't. I would have ta be askin' the Queen to confirm it, but the Royal families 'ave always been known ta be more powerful than their subjects, perh'ps this be why." He looked up at the sky and pointed to the moon that was now high above us. "I do believe it be time ta be gittin' back on board."
I groaned in protest. "Oh Hobbs, do I have to?"
Him and Cobalt chuckled at the same time, Colby's arms squeezing me gently. I stifled a yawn and leaned into him a little further.
"Yes ya do Princess. Ya be needin' yer rest."
I mumbled and okay and let Colby tug me back towards the ship where Lacy and Leonardo still stood. I could see Lacy's eyes begin to sag as well and her pink mouth opened in a round 'o' as she let Leo support her weight.
He chuckled and wrapped his arms around her more securely, lifting her off the railing and scooping her legs up, bridal style.
"I'm going to take her back with me tonight, if Miss Circe doesn't mind being alone of course, she hasn't been sleeping well."
I nodded my head quickly, smiling at him. "Of course, you take her, it's not a problem."
Leonardo inclined his head towards me before disappearing from sight. We heard a door shut tight behind them and I sighed, wondering if they would become a couple anytime soon.
"How old is Leonardo?" I questioned.
"I do believe 'e 'as jest turned 17." Hobbs replied. "Why do you ask?"
"I was just thinking that him and Lacy looked sweet together was all." My tone was innocent but Hobbs laughed anyway, scratching at his head.
"Come ta think of it they do rather, an' Miss Lacy's 15th birthday is not too far off."
Cobalt chuckled from behind me as we came to a stop beside the rope ladder hanging down the side of the ship. "Thinking of playing match maker are we?" He whispered in my ear.
I swatted my hand at him laughing. "Stop it that tickles, and maybe. If I decide they need a hand." I winked at him and he grinned back.
"Right," Hobbs said, suddenly taking charge. "Cobalt, you go up first."
Colby frowned, shaking his head. "Ladies first." He reprimanded, causing both Hobbs and myself to snigger.
"Colby, incase you haven't noticed yet, I have a tail. Tail's don't do so well with ladders."
A faint pink spread across his cheeks and I couldn't help back pinch one of his blushing cheeks. "Awwwww you are just too sweet!" I said in a baby voice. "Who's a big bad Pirate? Colby is!"
He blushed deeper and wacked my hands away scowling. "Let go of me." He growled, but I could see in his eyes that he was amused.
I laughed loudly and let him scurry up the ladder in front of me. As he went I couldn't help but notice how his arm and back muscles rippled as he climbed and how his wet pants stuck to his perfectly shaped a-
"Your turn Circe."
Hobbsons voice cut through my day dream and I turned to look at him with a sheepish expression on my face but he simply winked at me knowingly.
"Actually can you go first this time?" I asked. "That way you can pass me down a blanket, or make sure Colby isn't looking. One of the two."
He smirked and nodded, before making his way to the ladder. I turned around to give him privacy, facing away from the boat until he called out to me.
"Circe!"
I squeezed my eyes shut, letting out a breath as I relaxed my mind and went through the motions. It was only a matter of seconds before one had split into two, and I was rotating my legs gently in order to stay afloat.
A blanket dangled over the side of the ship and I carefully pulled myself up the rope ladder, reaching out to grab the woolen cloth once I was close enough and wrapping it around my front with one hand. I climbed over the side onto the deck, wrapping the blanket more securely around me as I did.
"I'm decent." I said, reaching down for my clothes which were where I had left them, in a pile on the deck. Bundling them up, I held them close to my chest as I turned around. Hobbs was standing in his own blanket and was busy wringing out his clothes over the side of the ship, while Cobalt was facing me, a slight smile on his face.
I looked at him questioningly and couldn't help the yawn that slipped through my teeth. "What are you looking at?"
He smirked walking towards me slowly like a kitten stalking its prey. "You."
"And why are you looking at me?" I questioned, feeling slightly nervous as he came to a halt in front of me, the bundle of clothes I was holding brushing against his bare chest.
He lifted up a hand and gently touched my cheek, following the line of my jawbone as he tilted my face up to the sky. His eyes burnt a smoldering silver in the moonlight and his expression was suddenly serious. He inclined his head slightly, nuzzling his nose across the side of my face as he inhaled deeply.
"Because you are beautiful." He whispered huskily and I felt my heart beat unevenly at his words. I tried to take a step back, to clear my head, but my feet seemed to be glued to the spot where I was standing. His other hand came up to caress the side of my neck and out of the corner of my eye I saw Hobbs shut the door to the crews quarters quietly behind him, sending me a wink before he disappeared and causing me to blush furiously.
Cobalt chuckled. "You are even more gorgeous when you blush." He laughed, cradling my face in both of his hands. I blushed harder as his thumbs smoothed over my cheeks gently as though trying to wipe the color away. "Why are you embarrassed?" He asked quietly. "Do you not get compliments often?"
I thought back to my old life. Naddy and my Father had only ever been the ones to compliment me from the heart, everyone else ... well it just hadn't seemed right. Too fake.
Cobalt must have taken my silence as a no because he wound his arms around me and pulled me to his chest. "A beautiful woman such as yourself deserves compliments daily," He declared. "and since no-one else has taken up the challenge, I guess I will have to."
I laughed at his determined tone and he pulled back a little, catching my gaze with a mischievous glint in his eye.
"You laugh at my sincerity?" He questioned, letting go of me with one hand so he could bring it to cover his mouth in mock horror. "Oh dear, this is worse than I thought."
I smiled at him, shaking my head from side to side. "You're just terrible," I said, laughter in my tone. "How can anyone take you seriously with that mop on top of your head?" I reached up a hand, still clutching my bundle of clothes with the other, and ran my fingers through his hair to prove my point.
He frowned at me while I played with his curls, entranced by their softness. "What's wrong with my hair?" He demanded playfully.
I smirked, tugging on an exceptionally long strand that hung almost to his shoulders. "You look like a girl."
He gasped. "I do not!" He said, his voice offended. He let go of me momentarily to flex his muscles. "Would a girl have a body like this?" He asked cheekily and I laughed at his actions although I couldn't help but let my eyes drift over his tightly muscled abdomen and bulging arms.
He gathered me up in said arms again, squeezing me tightly. "I saw you looking," He sang teasingly and I blushed against his chest.
"I wasn't!" I defended, a little too quickly.
He chuckled and swayed from side to side a little. "Do you remember dancing with me?"
My breath caught in my throat at his words. I definitely remembered alright, how could I forget? The way he had held me, moved me in time to his body, the way my heart had raced in chest, the way my breath had quickened at his gaze.
"I remember," I said quietly, and then stronger: "Do you remember when I hand cuffed you to your bed and dumped potty water over your head?"
Colby pulled back, his eyes accusing. "You told me that it was clean water!"
I studied my nails, smirking slightly. "I may have lied." I hadn't of course, but he didn't need to know that.
"What!" His expression was outraged. "Are you telling me that you covered me in my own p-"
"What's going on here."
I jumped at Obsidian's voice, pushing myself away from Cobalt quickly. He frowned at me but let me go, a slightly hurt expression in his eyes. Suddenly feeling guilty I moved so that I was back beside him. He smiled happily and put his arm around me.
"We were discussing something and you interrupted us I believe." Cobalt said smugly, making me want to laugh and scold him for his rudeness all at the same time.
Obsidian's face was blank and as hard as stone as he turned his eyes on me.
"Come inside."
His tone was soft yet demanding and without thinking I took a step towards him. Cobalts arm tightened around me, holding me back.
"Don't tell her what to do."
"Why don't you shut your mouth and get your hands off her?" Obsidian snarled suddenly, his eyes flashing as he took a menacing step towards Colby, his big hands clenched into white knuckled fists.
Colby growled in answer, opening his mouth to reply but before he could I moved between them, shrugging his arm off my shoulder. The hurt look returned and I smiled reassuringly up at him.
"It's okay Colby, I need to go to bed anyway, I'll come see you in the morning." Reaching up on my tippy toes I kissed him gently on his cheek. His skin was scratchy yet soft and he smelled delicious. I found my lips lingering slightly longer than was proper and when a deep growl echoed from behind me I quickly pulled away, blushing furiously. I turned my head to the side so I wouldn't have to look at either of them, rearranging the blankets around me and shivering slightly as a slight cold wind whispered through the sails.
The smugness in Cobalt's tone was evident as he replied.
"You had better," He said, pulling me to him for a hug. "Thankyou for our ... talk." He whispered, loud enough for Obsidian to hear. "We should do it again sometime." He winked at me and I rolled my eyes, backing away from him before Obsidian could do anything to him.
I could practically feel the tension rolling off him in waves and when I turned, the first thing I noticed was that his hands were trembling.
Telling myself that I didn't care, I walked past him towards his cabin door, waving goodbye to Colby as I disappeared into the room, Obsidian hot on my heels. The door closed with a bang and I flinched but continued towards the mermaid door which was standing ajar. If he was going to ignore me all week then I didn't see why I should have to talk to him now.
I moved down the hallway to my room as calmly as I could with an angry Pirate behind me. When I reached my room I stepped inside, turning around to stop him from coming in. His chest was heaving and I noticed again that he wasn't wearing any shirt under his coat that he loved to stomp around in. What was with these boys? Was it really so hard to just throw a shirt on?
My eyes strayed to the thick bandage that was wrapped around his chest. It was looking slightly dirty again and I wondered when he had last changed it.
"When did you last change your bandage?" I asked, voicing my question aloud.
"Did he touch you?" He snarled furiously, ignoring my question completely.
"That's none of your business." I replied tartly. "When was the last time you had it changed?"
"At the start of the week, and what do you mean it's none of my business! He is my TWIN."
The start of the week? But that was when I had changed it! Did he mean to say that he hadn't changed it since then? I tried to resist rolling my eyes. Men. They couldn't pass up a chance to be macho could they?
"Come on." I said tiredly, taking his hand in my much smaller one and leading him back to his room.
"Where are we going? And answer my question!" He demanded and this time I really did roll my eyes.
I led him over to his bed and rummaged around for the first aid kit that I had used last time. When I couldn't find it I turned around to ask him if he knew where it was, only to find that he was holding the small box out to me wordlessly.
"Oh, thankyou." I said, taking it from him and finding what I needed.
Going over the motions from last time, I went to the bathroom to wet a small rag before making my way back to the bed so I could take off the safety pin. On second thought, I fastened the safety pin in my blanket dress that I was still wearing, to make sure that it would not come loose and to allow me the use of both hands.
Gently, I began to unwind the bandage, getting him to raise his arms above his head so I had easier access. It definitely wasn't as bloody as last time and when I peeled away the last strip of cloth, I was surprised to see that all that was left of the gash was a long coral pink scar that widened out towards the side where his heart beat beneath his skin.
I touched the skin gently and felt him jump slightly.
"I'm sorry," I said, pulling my hand away hastily. "Did I hurt you?"
"No."
I frowned at him but let it slide. "How can you heal so fast?" I wondered.
He answered sullenly. "I'm not human, my Elven blood helps me to heal more quickly as they tend to have more energy. The same would most likely go for you if you were hurt." He reached out to tuck a glowing strand of my hair back in place behind my ear. The glow had dimmed somewhat but there was still enough of it to light the small cabin and allow me to see the strange expression on his face.
"If you were to be hurt now, with all of this energy inside you, you would most likely heal straight away."
I didn't say anything and reached out for the clean bandage. He sighed softly and I glanced at him quickly.
"Do I really have to put a new one on?"
"Yes." I said firmly. "I don't want you accidently ripping it open on anything, the skin is still new. Wait a couple more days and then you can remove it for good."
He caught my hand in his as I tucked the bandage back in on itself, catching my palm up against his chest. His other hand came up to cover mine and he stroked my fingers absentmindedly.
"Thankyou." His rough voice was sincere as he spoke.
My eyes gradually travelled from his chest, to his face, then to his eyes and my breath caught in my throat.
His gaze burnt me through the darkness, the golden pools shining so brightly that I felt as though I was staring into the sun. I opened my mouth to speak, but no words came out and I couldn't look away. I couldn't look away from those eyes that seemed to pull me towards him and smother me with their warmth.
"You are welcome." I said huskily, putting my other hand on my throat as I tried to clear it.
His eyes glimmered with some hidden emotion as he leaned forward and rested his fingertips on my cheek, caressing the skin so softly that it felt as though he almost wasn't touching me at all.
I found myself blushing for some unknown reason, finally managing to tear my eyes away from hisas I fumbled with the safety pin I had attached to my blanket. His hand dropped away from my face as I held my blanket together under my arms, and fastened the safety pin on his bandage.
Once I had finished, my hands fell away from himand an emptiness overtook me at the loss of touch, even though it was of my doing. I suddenly felt as though we were worlds apart, him and I. He had willingly chosen this life, while I had been unwillingly dragged into it, by him nonetheless.
I turned my face away from him.
"Goodnight."
I started to walk back to my room and felt a single tear trickle down my cheek and didn't bother to wipe it away. I could feel his golden eyed gaze burning into my back as I went, but the silence told me that he wasn't following and I was glad. I didn't want to put up with his temper, with his mood changes, with his questions. I didn't want to do something that I was certain I would regret later.
I sighed a deep sigh as I stepped into my room and shut the door quietly, letting my blanket drop to the floor. Feeling almost as if I was asleep on my feet, I floated over to my bed and picked up my night gown from the end of the bed where I had laid it this morning.
Sighing again, I slid the cool material over my head, slipping my arms through the sleeves and letting it fall down to settle over my frame. I reached my hands behind my head and flicked my hair out from the neckline, pulling it over my shoulder.
The moment I realized that I had no-one to do up the buttons that ran up the back of my nightgown, seeing how Lacy was with Leonardo, was the moment that the door creaked open softly.
I stayed perfectly still, standing with my back to him as I felt his presence enter the room and his heavy footsteps move in my direction. His hand brushed against my neck and a shiver of heat ran down my spine at his touch. My breath caught in my throat as he gently sweeped up the hair I had missed, arranging it over my shoulder, his fingers lingering on the bare skin there.
His breath tickled the back of my neck and he methodically began to fasten the buttons that went up the back of my night gown and I could feel him behind me as though he was physically pressed up against my back, the small distance between us thrumming with energy. I could tell that he was slowing down purposefully as he ran out of buttons, taking more and more time on each one, becoming more deliberate with his movements. By the time he reached the last one it felt as though my skin was on fire from his touches and his body was the only thing that could put it out.
Before I could even think out what I was doing I had leaned back slightly and I felt him move forward to meet me, his strong chest pressing against my back. He let out a small groan and wound his arms around me, holding me closer to him, surrounding me with his body. His head dipped down to nuzzle in the crook of my neck and he groaned again as I tilted my head back to allow him better access.
"Circe."
His voice was deep and husky and filled with a want that was passed from him, straight through to me.
"Circe." He said again, but this time it was a whisper, a caress.
I felt his arms loosen slightly and a small noise of protest escaped my lips, but a second later I wasn't protesting and all my needs were fulfilled as he spun me around and captured my lips with his.
* * * *