CHAPTER 43

He had not come. Shehad waited for him by the ruins since she returned from London. The sky had turned gray. Low clouds had rolled in with the promise of rain. And still he had not shown up. Her heart beat a sluggish rhythm of misery as she trudged to her cottage in the dark, the only light the one cast by her lantern. He could still show up. Despite the darkness, it was not too late, as the sun set early in December. But she wasn’t about to wait in the cold and dark of the night. And he didn’t know of her cottage.

Damnation. It would have been more prudent to wait for Dariux at Whitehall and allow him to explain. He seemed eager to speak to her. But her brain had been urging her to run. Run as fast as she could. Get out of there as soon as possible. It was all she could think about as she hurried out of the building and into her waiting vehicle.

She had not cried. She had not crumbled in front of all those people. If she had stayed, if she had allowed Dariux to talk to her, she feared she would have. They would talk later. After she had had time to process his words.

Her little cabin loomed ahead, glowing with warmth in the middle of the chilly night. She let herself in with a sigh of pleasure at the warmth emanating from the wood-burning fireplace. Hanging her coat by the door, she smiled, thinking about what Dariux would have to say about such rustic accommodations.

Dariux... he had said he loved her. In front of the commission, for goodness’ sake. He had bared his heart... or had he? Could she trust anything he said? Had he got rid of his parbot? When she had called him, the damn woman was still living with him, calling him to bed, no less! What was she supposed to think? To feel? What did it mean for them? Did he want a relationship?

She closed her eyes as she remembered how adamant he had been against a human relationship. How angry he got when he found out she had not taken the contraceptive and could be pregnant. Horror had consumed him. Could he have changed his mind?

He said he was in love, but did he want to be? What if he didn’t want to nurture those feelings?

She shook her head, annoyed at her useless musings. Walking into the bedroom, she removed all her winter layers and slipped into a nice, warm bath. Ahh, that felt so much better. The knot of tension seemed to loosen the more she stayed in the water, but she was too restless to fully relax, so she forced herself to get out and don a soft nightgown.

What she needed was something to help her unwind. Going to the tiny kitchen in the corner, she set the kettle to boil water for tea. While she waited for the water to boil, she looked around, taking in the warm colors, the soft rugs, the multitude of pillows that created the cozy atmosphere of what had been her refuge since she was a teenager. Soon she would have to leave it. Return to the real world. There were big decisions to make. Change was coming, and she had better prepare for it.

Thunder rolled in the distance, and torrential rain started pelting the windows. She took the cup and sat on the comfy wingback chair by the fire. The day had been full of turmoil. Her emotions were still in chaos, but at least here, curled up with a cup of tea and the book she was reading, she felt a measure of comfort. For the first time in weeks, she allowed herself to think of Dariux. To wish he were here.

Not that she could ever banish him from her thoughts. But she didn’t fight the reflections this time. She allowed them to wash over her, feeling tentative hope bloom in her chest.

The insistent pounding on the cabin door jolted her awake, and her heart leapt into her throat. Damn, what was going on? It took two seconds for her befuddled brain to make sense of the situation. She was in her cabin. It was the middle of the night, and all was dark because the lamps had turned off at some point. The whole tiny structure seemed to reverberate with the thunder booming outside and the relentless beating at the door.

She peered at the clock on the mantel. It was half-past twelve in the morning. What on earth? Her heart stopped before it resumed its violent pounding for a different reason. Dread clawed at her insides as she rushed to the door, stumbling in the dark. She swore and yelled for the lights to turn on. A soft glow immediately illuminated the inside of her cottage, but the light didn’t touch her panicked brain.

Her mum was the only person who knew she was here. It could only be her. Had something happened? She yanked open the door to find... Not her mum, but the thunderous face of Dariux.

***

“HOW—WHAT ARE YOU DOINGhere?” she stammered as he pushed past her, invading her cozy retreat, bringing with him the rain and thunder.

His size and energy seemed to occupy the tiny space until there was no room left. The air seemed scarce. The impact of his presence after falling asleep dreaming about him gave this encounter the quality of a dream. His words of love, spoken just a few hours ago, converged in her heart until she barely knew what to believe.

“You didn’t think you could avoid me forever, did you?” he said in a calm voice, completely at odds with his burning gaze that was scanning—no, more like devouring her.

“I wasn’t trying to avoid you. I am merely taking a holiday. We spoke once and saw each other today,” she reminded him.

“Yes, you called me from a blocked number, using a cloaking network to hide your location. You took every conceivable precaution to keep me from finding you. And today, you escaped before we could talk, giving me only the barest of directions.”

“Fine! Yes, I didn’t want you to find me. Is that what you wanted to hear?” she snapped, her patience running out.

He had woken her from her hard-earned sleep and had invaded her space. Despite his words of love, he still had a lot to explain, such as why he was keeping his fuck-bot. Instead, he was making demands. Who the hell did he think he was?

“No, that is not what I want.” There was an incomprehensible hurt on his face now, as if she had wounded him. It gave her pause, diffused some of her anger.

“What do you want, then, Dariux?” she asked, holding her breath.

“I want you, Kalli.”

His response was straightforward. Just as he was. He never was one to mince words, was he? But in this case, he would have to. They had a lot to discuss. But that could all wait. His overcoat was not waterproof. He was soaked and dripping onto the rug.

Why do you always arrive on my doorstep drenched? she asked, amused despite herself.

“Come over here, and I will get you wet as well,” he replied smoothly, the longing in his eyes leaving no doubt whatsoever what type of moisture he would bestow upon her. The air crackled with heat and long-denied desire.

She blinked, breaking the spell. First things first.

“Here, let me take that coat and get you dry and warm before you catch a chill.”

“You said that too, before. But I liked your outfit better that time,” he said, shrugging out of his greatcoat and peeling his wet shirt over his head. The expanse of hard muscle and golden skin revealed made her mouth go dry.

She narrowed her eyes against a wave of want. “Since you caught me in the bath that time, I wasn’t wearing anything.”

“Exactly,” he purred.

Why was he doing that? It was too much, too soon. She couldn’t seem to draw enough oxygen into her lungs. Here he was, half naked in this small space, with her. If she only reached out, she could touch the hard expanse of his chest, she could run her hands over the mountains of his shoulders...

Turning away from temptation, she went to her bedroom. “I’m going to set these to dry,” she said as she hung his garments in the drying cupboard. “For how long were you walking out in the rain?”

“Don’t know, quite a while. It took me some time to find this place.”

“You should give me your trousers too, as they seem to be wet as well.”

“Are you sure you want me naked in your bedroom? I’m happy to oblige,” he asked glibly as his hands moved to the waistband of his trousers.

His voice came from right behind her. She turned to find he had followed her to the bedroom and was standing way too close for her sanity.

Her mouth dropped open as conflicting emotions warred in her brain and robbed her of the capacity for speech. “W-what?”

“My trousers.” He gestured to them. “If I remove them, I’ll be naked.”

Yes!the wicked, starved part of her brain screamed.

Not yet!her rational mind reprimanded.

“Wait!” She put out her hand, palm out, as if to stop him. He walked right up to that hand, pressing his chest into it. And her traitorous hand, instead of pushing, caressed. He closed his eyes in a stuttering inhale.

“We should talk first,” she said. Her voice sounded far away, even to her own ears. As if she were in a dream.

“We can talk later. For now, let your hands do the talking. Yes...” He groaned as her other hand came up, jealous of the first one for having the privilege of touching him. They both ran over the hard muscles of his chest, re-learning his geography.

“We are not acting wisely,” she protested, but without conviction.

“When have we ever?” He grabbed her waist to bring her flush against him.

His body radiated a tantalizing heat that was impossible to resist. Even his wet trousers, which should have been cold, were almost steaming with the heat coming off his skin.

“Kiss me.” The words escaped her mouth without her permission, and his gaze fixed on her mouth with the intensity of a predator. The next second, his lips captured hers in a kiss of possession.