Shadow Breeds

Chapter 9

August

"In her dreams," I said as I laughed at the idea of being with anyone who wasn't her. I've had plenty of healthy flings with people in the past, but none of them compared to her. I wondered if she felt the same. Walking quickly into the kitchen I quietly mumbled, "you'd have a much better chance."

I smiled as I remembered waking up earlier and feeling her squeeze my arm tightly while it was wrapped around her waist, the mental peace that comes when she's with me isn't comparable to anything else.

I was lost in thought, but aware enough to not burn the food I was cooking. I poured orange juice Ashe had hand-squeezed and stored in a glass jar, because we'd already had three cups of coffee each. As I finished setting the table, I heard the shower water stop so I went back to her bedroom to grab my own fresh set of clothes.

"Breakfast smells amazing," I jumped at the soft voice behind me. When I turned I felt my heart skip a beat as my eyes drank in the sight before me. Her silver eyes were glowing with mischief and her hair was slicked back, still drenched. "Your floor is um, getting wet," I said, trying to swallow my nerves. This was definitely new behavior from her, maybe she hit her head a little too hard when we came back.

"You just have that affect on things," she smirked at me, drawing my eyes to her mouth. I didn't understand what she was doing yet, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy it. I grinned, allowing my gaze to slowly check her out, quickly stopping momentarily and raising my eyebrows as I realize how small her towel actually is. It's only wide enough to barely cover her more private areas, my eyes slid down her legs and then all the way back up to her eyes again. Hadn't she taken clothes with her?

I cleared my throat and chuckled when I noticed the redness of her cheeks. I couldn't tell if we were still on joking grounds or if she seriously was trying to seduce me, I didn't want to push her too far by making assumptions though. I took a few involuntary steps forward and then stopped myself a few feet from her, searching her face for some kind of hint. I raised an eyebrow at her when I noticed the mischievous twinkle in her eyes were back.

"I want to say I already know the answer to this but just to clarify before I do anything further, have you ever wanted to see me naked?" She asked rather bluntly after a minute, catching me completely off guard but after another long moment of silence, I slowly nodded anyways.

What on earth was going on in her head and why did I just admit to that? It must have something to do with her supernatural gifts getting stronger as we neared her twenty first. She chewed her bottom lip for a second before locking her eyes with mine as that mischievous glow became even brighter.

I didn't dare remove my eyes from hers as the towel she'd been wearing fell to the floor. It felt like my eyes were going to pop right out of my skull at the realization that she'd done it on purpose. Was she trying to test me for some reason? She giggled and I almost broke eye contact, "what're you doing Ashe?" I asked as calmly as my racing heart would let me. She took a step forward, causing me to hold my breath, she took another step and I forced myself to look away completely.

"You can look if you want to," she spoke softly and gently placed her fingertips on my chin to turn me back towards her. I couldn't keep myself from checking her out at that point, I put my hand on the back of hers and turned my face into her palm as I inhaled a deep breath. "What have I done to deserve the Gods blessing me with such an ethereal view?" I only half-joked while closing my eyes to relax a little. I still didn't fully understand her intentions but, my heart fluttered at the idea of them being exactly what I was hoping.