Chal shifted, rolling Bliss to her back. She tensed up for an instant and then relaxed against him. Chal wouldn't hurt her. Ever. He'd shone her that remarkable and almost unbelievable trait already.
"Those other men were fools and idiots, Bliss. Forget about them. Stay with me and I promise to show you pleasure you've never dreamed of. I want you to look at me and see a whole new life, one with me at your feet. I would be your pet, love. You could collar and leash me. You could do whatever you wished with me."
He stared down at her earnestly. "I-I want to see the world through your beautiful blue eyes and give you the kind of life you deserve and should have had all along. I'll put the world at your feet. I'll protect you. I swear that you will not know an instant of pain or embarrassment or...or humiliation. Stay. Be my lady. Own my heart."
Bliss closed her eyes, unable to meet Chal's gaze. She thought of the men that had been her 'Master', of the pain and humiliation and embarrassment they had inflicted upon her. Though the marks on her body were faded, the blows that had made those marks had been ingrained into her very soul. The miracle was she knew he wouldn't hurt her. He didn't see those marks. He saw her, the inside and the outside.
She had climbed into his dreams, something she should never have done, but looking at him, she knew she would do it again. She had seen his nightmares and the terrible hurt that he had felt for Selena and how she had died, the love he had lost and the loneliness in his soul. But was it enough? Was she enough?
He sat up, staring at her from over his shoulder. His back was bowed as if he waited for the killing blow. "If that is not your wish, if I am not what you want, I will give you enough money to settle wherever you want. I don't want you to feel as if staying with me is your only choice, Bliss. I would never force you to do anything you don't want to, ever. I promise you that."
The words had been torn from him as he'd watched her face. He saw the emotions flash across her extraordinary features. He read everything she thought. The doubt, the fear, and yes, even the hope and gratitude. He sighed, he didn't want her staying with him because she was grateful. Gratitude was the last emotion he wanted from her.
Chal waited another minute, his body frozen, waiting for her answer, barely able to be still. He couldn't take his eyes off of her face and the emotions that flashed across it. When her eyes opened, her answer was there for him to see. Her smile was wide and guileless. "Are you sure?" he asked breathlessly.
She grinned at the incredible fact that this man, this wonderful, amazing and gentle man was unsure because he wanted her. It was one of the biggest, most wonderful boost to her shattered belief in her self-confidence. And he had given it to her. Her incredible, sweet, gorgeous man, the man that made her body sing, that had never once hurt her, that protected her against all others. He wanted her. Maybe he would be the one, her one true mate. She could do nothing but hope fervently that the sisters of fate would shine their faces over her.
"Yes?" he asked, reaching for her with hands that were not only gentle but actually shaking as he reached out to pull her back in his arms. His grin widened when she nodded.
"Yes, Chal. I want you. I would belong to you, wear your collar and your leash if that is the way you want me. I know, in here," she said, pressing her hand against her breast, "you would never, ever, hurt me. I think you'd rather cut off your own hands to prove it to me."
He chuckled. "And I thank you so much that you don't need that proof. I'd hate to have to ask you to unzip and zip up my pants every day for the rest of our lives. And never feeling these," he reached up and gently cupped her breasts, "now that would be a crime." He drew her closer. "I would give my life to you."
She narrowed her gaze at him. What was he saying? "You aren't planning on running out to play in traffic or something?"
Chal chuckled, staring down at her. "No, baby. I guess I should have explained what mating with an incubus was like." He ran gentle fingers down the sweet curve of her face. "You are so beautiful." A moan escaped his lips when she lifted her hands, gently placing them against his chest. "By the gods, Bliss, your hands, I've never felt anything like this." He shivered as she trailed them down and over the hard planes of his chest. "Nobody has ever made me feel this way."
He groaned and his hands rose, unwilling that the pleasure she was showering over his body should be completely one sided. His head fell back and he opened himself, all of himself, to her. "Fuck," he growled. He grabbed her hands, holding them captive in his big hands. "We need to finish this, baby. You need to know all of it."
A heavy sigh racked her small body. "All of it? That sounds like a very long conversation. Can't we...?" she tipped her head toward the stairs. "...first?"
Chal couldn't help but chuckle. "It's not as long as you think, baby." He still held her hands against his chest. "I had wanted once to complete this ceremony with..." he trailed off, unsure how she would feel about what he would've said.
"With Selena," she finished, pulling one hand out of his gentle grip. "Never feel like you can't talk about her or your lives together. She helped shape you into the man you are now. How could I resent someone who had helped make you the man you are?"
"God," he groaned. "How could one man be so incredibly lucky twice in his life? I think I will be so incredibly grateful to the fates for you being here at one of Celesta's awful parties."
The emotion she could hear in his voice as well as being lumped together with Selena, the woman he'd been willing to die for, sent another shaft of lust, mixed generously with her love, shot through her and almost weakened her knees.
Before he could stop her, she rose on her tiptoes and found his lips. They were so hot, so sweet, so incredibly addictive. And she couldn't stop.
Her heart pounded in her chest, thrumming so hard against her breast that she was amazed he couldn't feel it. His fingers thrust into his hair, moving over him and holding him where she wanted him.
No, that wasn't quite right. Where she wanted him right now was above her head, in his ohh, so comfortable bed. She grinned against his lips.
"What's so funny?" He moved barely far enough back but she could still feel the brush of his lips as he spoke. "I assure you, laughter is the furthest thing from the minds of any of my...meals."
"I don't doubt that," she said, tracing the fine lines of his face and brow. "I was just wondering if it was possible for me to pick you up and take you upstairs to ravish your incredibly sexy body?"
"God, you're going to kill me." He grabbed her hands again and pressed them down to her side. "Please, for all that is holy, keep them there. We have to do this. If we don't, my body might think that because you are here, you'll agree to what I want."
She nodded, and then did him one better, walking over to curl up on one end of the couch. She was still pressing against his control. He wanted to curl up behind her and stroke her until she was purring just like the sweet kitten she reminded him of.
He took a deep breath and almost smacked himself in the head. Was there anything about her body, her scent, her sweetness that didn't draw him to her? He forced himself to walk over and take the chair that was right next to her end of the couch.
Reaching down, he took her hand. Then he stared into the flames of the fire in the hearth. He sighed a couple of times and then looked up at her. "God, I never thought this would be so hard."
He could have cursed himself when he saw the hurt and pain in her eyes. "No, baby. You're taking what I said wrong. I breathe and all I can smell is the wondrous scent of your heat. I look at you and my heart hurts, it's so full. My hands are shaking for want of the feel of your body under them. I can hear the quickening beat of your heart and I long to taste the sweet secretions from your pussy. You fill every part of me and all I want to do is celebrate you. But I can't, not yet."
"Then hurry up and say what you think is so necessary for me to know. Because this is the hardest thing I've ever done. And you're not making this any easier."
He chuckled again. "Yes, ma'am. What I need to tell you..." he closed his eyes and pressed his forehead to her hand and blew out a long, slow breath. "—I want to tie my life to yours."
"Is this...Is this a marriage proposal?" Her heart kicked up it's beating and she knew that he could hear it.
"No, baby. It's something much stronger, more durable than that. I tie my life to yours. When you die, I will die too."
He sat back, feeling his stomach roil in his gut. He couldn't watch her face. If he saw what he thought he would, it would almost literally kill him. He couldn't do it again. He couldn't stand to watch her die or know that she'd died and left him alone for the long, long millennia of his life. He would never disrespect her and ignore her wishes. But if she said no, he would still take his life. He couldn't feel this way for someone and live on without her. It would be agony everyday.
She tugged on his hand and he looked up, his shoulders were tight and his face was hard. He was ready for her to laugh at him. She seemed to search his face. "You want that with me...but why not Selena?"
He chuckled once and then stared down at where his hand held hers. Her fingers were long and gentle, tender and so incredibly fragile. "Selena and I...well we had that 'nothing will ever part us, we'll live forever' mentality. We never even thought about doing the ceremony. It was something to worry about in the future. But the future..."
She looked up, amazed to see a single tear caught in his long eyelashes. She reached out her hand and gently swiped that tear away. "So this is...what? A contingency plan?"
