Seventeen

Iclung to Bran for the short drive home with Buddy draped across my lap. I still couldn't see him, but I felt him now and I knew if he wanted me to, I could see him. Bran parked in front of the house and turned off the engine, but neither of us moved.

"I thought I lost you today," he whispered.

"I'm sorry. I never meant to worry you." I unclipped the seat belt and moved closer to him. "Maybe we should work on some protections." He smiled but it didn't reach his eyes. "Hey, I promise that won't happen again." Bran looked down and his eyes slid shut before he drew in a deep breath and turned to face me.

"That's the problem. Neither of us can promise it won't happen again. Both of us are touched by forces we can't control, and don't know how to combat. I want to keep you safe so bad it killed me knowing there was nothing I could do." His eyes welled with tears, and seeing how upset he was, tore at my heart. Pulling him to me I kissed the top of his head.

"I promise I won't ever allow myself to be put in a situation where you aren't there when I'm vulnerable. Would you mind if we started using our abilities a little more so I can get more confident? I really don't want to do something wrong."

He smiled then and turned to face me. "You and I both know you can't promise that. But I do love you for saying it. Let's both work on familiarizing ourselves with our abilities, and make sure we each know how the other's works. Then I think we really need to explore more protections and maybe some escape plans just in case you get trapped somewhere or the wraith tries to do to us what it did to Edith. I'm not willing to lose you."

"I love you. There's literally not one other person in the whole world that would put up with my weirdness and still love me back," I said before kissing him. He kissed me back and wrapped me in his arms. His warmth and the feel of his stubble and soft lips against mine grounded me and reminded me I was safe, and he loved me too.

"The more love we surround ourselves with the weaker it makes the evil that wants to consume us. I love you, and I need you so badly. I want to show you how much I love you and feel your body close to mine," he whispered next to my ear, making me shiver and start to harden.

"Let's go inside, I need you." Buddy was off and out of the car before I could slide across the seat and open the door. Bran held his hand out for me as he met me next to the car. The heat between us started to build until everything about him was all I could focus on. His scent and touch were like fire burning me up in the flames of passion I had no way of denying or resisting. We walked to the house and as soon as we were inside, he shoved me against the door and ran his tongue along my neck, making my breath speed up.

"I was so worried I'd lost you," Bran said as his lips trailed along my jaw. "Don't ever put yourself at risk, please. You're everything to me, Jordan. There won't ever be anyone else for me that holds my heart the way you do." His words did things to me like no one had before. We were similar in so many ways, but so different too. He cradled my face in his hands before meeting my eyes.

"I feel the same. I never expected to meet someone like you." My words were whispered against his lips as he deepened the kiss enough to let me know exactly how much I meant to him. His tongue glided against mine, and I slid my hands under his shirt needing to feel his warm skin. We kissed without thought of time or the fact he still had me pressed against the door and neither of us cared. Then I felt a change.

My body felt heavy for a moment before I realized my spirit was seeking out his. While he held me and I held him, my spirit was seeking out the same warmth that I enjoyed and craved from him. He pulled back enough for me to see his eyes open wide with wonder. "What's happening?" he whispered.

"We love on more planes than just the one we live in. My spirit is entwined with yours and it seeks you out." His eyes jumped between mine before he pulled me in for another kiss.

"Let me show you how much I love you," he said, taking my hand and leading me to our bedroom. He sat me on the bed and slipped off my shoes and socks before standing. Both of his hands settled on either side of me as he leaned in for a kiss. I could have kissed him forever and it wouldn't have been enough, it would never be enough with him. He slipped my shirt off and after trailing his hands over my chest and stomach he unbuttoned my jeans and slid those off too. "You're the most beautiful man I've ever seen."

His words made me blush. Never had anyone made me feel so celebrated or so under the microscope. He didn't try to hide the fact he liked what he saw but he also didn't hold back from looking at every part of me. Finally, he leaned in and licked my nipple. I was so amped up by then I flinched at that simple touch which made my back arch off the bed, and I cried out. Embarrassed at not being able to control my reactions to him I once again blushed. He trailed his knuckles down my cheek, and when I met his eyes all I saw was love and a look of awe. "Beautiful," he whispered again.

He hurried to take his own clothes off as I watched. "I love your body." It seemed such a strange thing to say, but it was true. He hid his toned abs and strong legs under the scrubs and jacket he wore at work and sometimes didn't change out of until he walked into the house. But I knew what was under them, and that body was all mine.

Once he was naked, he knelt between my legs where they were still draped over the edge of the bed. Leaning forward he kissed my abs while sliding my briefs down my legs. "I love this body too. It's my favorite," he said, before looking up with a grin.

I smiled back before I flipped our positions. "My turn." His eyes widened but when I swallowed him down his shock changed to passion. His moans and groans drove me on as I did my best to take him to the edge without letting him fall over while I fought my own body's need to do the same. I couldn't stop myself from grinding against the bed as I enjoyed every part of his body. His hips moved as I pressed down on him, forcing him to stay in place until finally neither of us could wait a moment longer.

Lifting one of his legs over my shoulder, I spread lube over him from the bottle we kept handy next to the bed. He watched me through heavy lidded eyes filled with so many emotions as his breath sped up. "I love you," I whispered as I slowly pressed into him. Sometimes we'd fuck, without a care about being a little rough. Both of us chasing our release and thrilled to have each other to work out that energy. But not today. Today I wanted him to know without a doubt I loved him, as I slowly made love to him.