Kanej

Chapter 18

Kaz

It had been three days since Kaz had found Inej, fast asleep in her old bedroom.

He felt a tug in his chest, wondering if she was so upset that she reconsidered moving back to her room. But it was only that one night. Kaz felt a little too relieved when she slept in their bedroom the next night, realising that he'd become so accustomed to sharing his bed that it didn't feel right when she wasn't in it. Even if all they did was sleep.

His mind wandered to their intimate touch. Their kiss. His mouth went dry as he recalled how soft Inej's lips were and his lips parted in desire. Hunger and longing coiled in his stomach as he wondered when and if he could kiss Inej again.

He could still feel the soft silkiness of her neck and as his mind drifted about how soft and smooth the other parts of her body would be, he unconsciously licked his lips. He was still dreaming about Inej and her body when she slipped in the bedroom through the window.

Kaz whirled to face her, even though she had snuck in quietly like a cat. His eyes flashed with guilt, his neck reddening as he remembered what he'd been thinking about, but Inej didn't notice. She gave him a small smile, and his eyes immediately zoned on her mouth, his eyes memorising the shape and curve of her lips when she began talking.

With steely determination, he forced his gaze to her eyes and tried to pay attention to her words but he couldn't stop staring at her lips. Inej noticed Kaz was distracted and stopped talking.

'Kaz, are you even paying attention?' she asked impatiently, a little surprised by his lack of focus but he began stalking towards her, coffee eyes smouldering with suppressed desire. Inej's eyes widened and she was about to step back, unsure of Kaz's motive but his eyes pinned her with their intensity.

Her heart began the familiar thump thump beat every time Kaz stared at her with a mix of yearning and desire. She was quiet when he faced her but when he lifted his hand and hesitantly cupped her jaw, she asked breathlessly 'what are you doing?'

It was an effort to keep her voice neutral and unaffected but when Kaz softly grazed her cheekbone with his thumb, she imperceptibly leaned in his touch. Kaz traced the outline of Inej's cheekbone with his finger, marvelling at the smoothness of her skin before his thumb drifted to her lips.

As if on cue, Inej's lips parted slightly and Kaz slowly brushed his fingertip across her lips. Her breath was warm against his skin as he returned his hand to her jaw and leaned close to her mouth, giving her time to push him away and stop him. But Inej didn't pull away and as Kaz lowered his head to meet her lips, she tilted her face up, meeting him halfway. Their lips touched simultaneously and all hell in Kaz broke loose.

His eyes closed on their accord, his hand drifting from Inej's jaw to the back of her head, holding her captive to his uncertain mouth. He felt Inej give in and melt to his body the second their lips brushed. She wrapped her arms around his neck, her chest nearly brushing against his as she reached towards his mouth, straining on her toes to be as close to him as possible.

Kaz was lost in the sensation, at the taste and feel of Inej's lips and he wondered for a fleeting moment how he had survived without this. Without Inej and her enticing kisses. And as he continued pressing desperate, fervent kisses across her jaw and throat, his chest tightened and he couldn't breathe.

The mere thought of separating from Inej felt like a physical blow to the gut, and he was suddenly overwhelmed with crippling anxiety. It wasn't enough. At that moment he went from the traumatised boy who couldn't bear touch to the man who now wanted, no, craved it. He dropped to his knees, barely feeling the ache in his leg as he looked up at Inej.