Shadow's Kiss (Monstrous Hearts: Fleur's Story)

Chapter Twenty

Once more, Fleur found herself woken up while tangled in bedsheets. Once more, her bleary mind tried to make sense of why. Only this time, it wasn't from her mother calling. It was because Dario had given her a light shake and remained standing in front of her. "Good morning. We're going running."

"What?" she said, but her senses were taking in how he wore jogging shorts and shoes. No shirt, though, and her libido spiked while she pushed herself upright, finding herself at eye-level with the sharp lines of his hips. Her fingers reached out for the enticing bulge behind the navy fabric. "Why?"

His smile was as hot as ever but also decidedly wicked as he put a tied pair of running shoes in her hand instead. "You wished me to take over, didn't you?"

She collapsed back in bed, drawing the covers over her head. "I thought that meant getting fucked a lot and sleeping the rest of the time."

He just laughed and pulled the sheets completely off her. As she groaned, afraid to look at the clock and see how early it was, he said, "Would that really feel better than you doing whatever I want?"

Her hair was in her face, having slipped out of its sloppy bun, but she knew he didn't need to see her expression. Even if he hadn't been able to feel her flare of arousal over the words, the way her thighs immediately clenched together gave it away.

Then he added, "Besides, I saw your happiness while playing lacrosse. Even when you didn't win, you smiled—genuinely."

"You found the home videos of me?" she shrieked, bolting upright. "You saw what I looked like with braces?"

"Yes. It was cute." Then he nodded toward the doorway and left.

The thing was, his easy confidence made the idea of jogging with him all the more alluring. The fact that she had given him control had been exciting from the start, but she hadn't known what to expect other than that it couldn't be any worse than Hayley's passive-aggressive bitchiness or her parents' silent but rigid expectations. Could being told what to do really feel this lighthearted, without any looming threat? Because somehow, she knew she could argue with him. She could see what happened if she stayed in bed. But the hot throb between her legs suggested his response might be even better if she didn't.

After a moment, she got up, already smelling coffee and hearing the telltale hissing and spitting of frying eggs. He was even going to feed her first.

To her surprise, her stamina wasn't as shitty as she expected. They started at a slow pace beneath the bright blue sky of a summer morning. The pavement smelled like tar from the oncoming heat, but they soon turned onto one of the many trails that wound away from suburbs and into parts of the wilderness left protected, and the scrubby oaks shaded them from the glare of the sun.

By the time sweat trickled down her back, she had settled into a good rhythm, lungs working easily and feet sure against the red dirt. It felt as good as it used to, and yet Dario's presence kept her mind from sinking into the sour memories of her final weeks training and playing. They passed a few other people walking their dogs or riding bikes, and she grudgingly acknowledged them with a nod whenever he did.

Dario remained quiet but must have been paying close attention, because as soon as she began panting hard, he slowed their pace to a walk. He was also sweating, drops running down his golden skin and darkening the hair dusted along his lower stomach. His sweat smelled clean, masculine, and Fleur swallowed hard despite her dry throat.

He smiled wryly and handed over a water bottle. "Enjoying yourself?"

Despite herself, she grinned back. "Like you can't sense the answer."