Kanej

Chapter 25

Inej

Inej woke up with a pounding headache. She blinked sleepily and stretched, the sheet slipping from her shoulders and exposing her back. She groaned and threw an arm over her face covering her face, as she buried her head beneath her covers. She didn't realize she wasn't alone until she heard Kaz's voice behind her saying in an amused tone, 'Sleep well?'

Inej's eyes snapped open and she raised her head, eyes wide as she turned to face Kaz, who was leaning against the open doorway of the bathroom. His gaze casually flickered from her face, towards her throat and shoulders and to the sheet which was carelessly thrown across her chest. The heat in his gaze was enough for Inej to clutch the sheet tightly around her chest and squint at him suspiciously. 'What happened?' Her voice was thick with sleep but her eyes were awake and alert as she scanned the room with a puzzled expression.

She watched Kaz approach her, her mind fumbling over last night's event. She'd gotten in late after talking with Anya and... there had been drinking. Inej wasn't one to drink but she had had a pretty tough week. She remembered being wet. Did it rain last night and she got stuck in a thunderstorm?

Kaz handed Inej a glass of water which she gratefully accepted and sat next to her at the edge of the bed. Inej greedily gulped a few sips and placed the glass on the bedside drawer next to her. Her mind was reeling with scenarios and she glanced at Kaz, trying to remember if something happened last night that would explain why she was naked in bed, but she didn't have the courage to just blurt out her thoughts. Kaz looked intently at her, his gaze piercing through her as he asked 'what happened last night?'

She glanced at him in confusion. 'I was hoping you could tell me,' she confessed, her cheeks turning pink as Kaz purposely trailed his eyes over every inch of her bare skin.

He arched an eyebrow. 'You mean you don't remember ambushing me in the shower, pressing your lips against mine and then refusing to put your clothes on after we showered, then forcing me to get in bed naked with you, and letting me grope you? ' he asked teasingly, his lips curling into and amused smirk as inej dropped her head to her knees. Her hair covered her face but he heard her mutter, 'Saints! Tell me I didn't really do that!'

She looked at Kaz for confirmation and found nothing but truth mixed with mirth at her predicament in his gaze. His expression suddenly became serious, predatory as he stared at her lips and whispered, 'maybe I need to remind you of last night'.

Inej was confused about the events of last night but her mind was clearer than ever when Kaz closed the distance between them. His lips hovered a breadth away from hers, teasing her before she grabbed his jaw and pulled his mouth towards her in a hungry kiss. Kissing Kaz could never get old. He kissed her as though he was starving and she was the only available drink.

Inej felt her sheet loosen and slip around her chest and she gasped, trying to grasp them and Kaz slipped his tongue against her, relishing her taste and how kissing Inej felt as natural as breathing. Inej closed her eyes, tentatively wrapping her arms around Kaz's strong shoulders as he began to lower her to the bed.

Inej was breathing heavily, her chest rising and falling with every breath as Kaz hovered above her.  He supported his weight on his elbows, careful not to crush as he brushed the sheet at her chest. Inej wasn't sure where this was leading but for once she wanted to act first and think later. She could not recall there ever being such a time where she was so aroused and excited that she had to clench her thighs tightly together to suppress the throbbing that had started between her legs.

Inej took a deep breath before sliding the sheet down her body, exposing her breasts, waist and hips to Kaz's lustful gaze. She had a vague flashback of being in a similar position last night but that memory disappeared when Kaz made a low sound at the back of his throat.

Inej held her breath in anticipation, the pounding in her ears which had nothing to with her hangover increased as she fisted the bed spread. Kaz grabbed her hands, entwining their fingers together as he raised her arms to rest beside her head and she suddenly felt helpless in this position. Too many men had taken advantage of her in a similar position, using her body and draining her dry. The panic showed in her face for a split second but Kaz caught it. He leaned towards her face, eyes worried as he said 'Inej, are you okay?' She looked up at him unblinking, eyes bright with emotion and resolve and said strongly, surely, 'Make me forget. Please.'

Kaz didn't hesitate. He pressed his lips against hers in a chaste kiss and ventured toward her throat, his lips skimming across the erratic pulse of her throat. His lips pressed against her skin and she gasped in pleasure as he continued to press butterfly kisses across the length of her neck and collar bones. Inej was gasping in pleasure, her hands slack in Kaz's grip as she arched her back, brushing her chest against his.

Kaz lowered his head towards Inej's chest, his cool breath causing goosebumps to rise on her flesh as he pressed his lips against her chest, right above her thumping heart. He lifted his head, his gaze hooded as he rasped 'your heart is racing.'

'Only for you!' She answered breathlessly, sighing in pleasure as Kaz trailed his lips upwards, stopping to suck on her neck. It felt both strange and pleasurable. Her mind may have hated the terrible memories of the unwanted touches, but Kaz's touch was slowly, and surely replacing those memories.

She would have laid there forever, cocooned in the hazy bliss and ecstasy that came with Kaz's touch, and let him have his way with her if he desired, but he abruptly pulled away. Except for the heat in his eyes, and the stiffness around his groin, he appeared to be his normal calm and collected self. 'Well?' he prompted, as he laid next to her, entwining their hands together as he turned to face her.

'Well, what?' Inej sighed, avoiding his gaze as she adjusted the sheets to cover herself. 'What happened last night that made you behave so unlike yourself?' A sudden, irrational anger overtook Inej, her mind scrambling to think of a reason, any excuse except that truth, that would appease Kaz. But in a panic she blurted out 'Well maybe that is the real me. I've been living so many different lives in Ketterdam from the moment that you met me, that you can't even differentiate between who I really am and who I pretend to be!'

Kaz raised an eyebrow, seemingly unfazed by her outburst as he said, 'I know what you're doing Inej, but unlucky for you, I neither have the time or patience to indulge you today. When you're ready to talk, my door is open.' He leaned towards her, his eyes hardening as his forehead pressed against her, and Inej fleetingly wondered how a gesture could be both intimate and aggressive at the same time. 'I know you. The real you. Maybe it's you who needs to figure out who you really are. And when you do, I'll still be here, waiting for you because I...'. Kaz took a breath. 'I'll be here.' He released her hands then and walked off, the door shutting closed behind him, leaving Inej wondering about what Kaz really wanted to say.

...

I'm DYING to hear your thoughts 😅😊. This chapter is dedicated to the lovely @klausxloverrr. I know exactly how you feel 🥺. And the lovely @ilovekazzledazzle. Your enthusiasm and encouragement gave me the kick I needed to dive back into writing. And your comments made me laugh 😊.