Blue // Daniel Seavey

Chapter 32

Tori

The last time I woke up beside another's body, to what I recall, was the following morning after a thundering night, with rumbling clouds and striking lightning, when I used to climb into my parent's bed as my younger self was too scared to handle it. That is the last time I opened my eyes to warmth beside me; and that is why waking up next to someone else feels so strange. With long, heavy arms wrapped tightly around my torso, a hard chest rising and falling ever so slowly against my back, I awake to the glimmering rays of sun shining brightly upon my face, my eyes fluttering open.

After taking a moment to come around, I inhale a deep breath, my body warmed by his sleeping embrace. For some reason, I feel... happy. In fact, exceptionally happy.

Suddenly, I feel him shift slightly, telling me that he's awaking also, before the large hand on my waist moves to the front of my stomach, sending a flood of energy through my body as I'm being pulled closer to him - so close I can almost feel the carving of his abdominal muscles on the small of my back. And of course, a small, shaky breath leaves my lips, I'm still not used to his touch and I don't think I ever will be.

"Morning, Tor," he speaks quietly, shattering the silence, his lips moving against the top of my ear slowly. His voice... it must be because he has literally just awoken, but it's so... deep, husky, raspy... sexy. The first time I've ever heard it to this extent. Goddamn.

Feeling not only nervous, but slightly heated too, I inhale a deep breath and close my eyes, pretending I'm still asleep. But that is pointless as his fingers begin to trail patterns on the skin on my stomach, making me shiver.

"I know you're awake, Tori," he teases, a hint of mischief in his voice that is so alluring, I feel as though I have to control myself. I screw my eyes tighter, trying to ignore the feeling of his hands on my body.

"Don't pretend." he adds a few moments later, along with a seductive bite of his teeth on my earlobe, that familiar vibration cascading straight through me. With all my willpower, I'm able to ignore his action, my eyes still closed and body tense. It's at that moment I begin to feel his hand brush past my navel, trailing further down me, my eyes flying open. Quickly, I grab his wrist, stopping him.

"Daniel." I say in an attempt to scold, but instead, my voice has a strange amount of vulnerability laced in it, my breath staggering. My fingers remain curled around his wrist as a deep chuckle invades my ears.

"Don't ignore me then." he responds, his voice turning stern and demanding, not in a cruel way, in a hot way.

"I-I wasn't ignoring you," I falter, nervous breaths coming out of my mouth one after the other.

"How are you feeling this morning?" he questions, dismissing the previous conversation, his tone neutral.

How am I feeling this morning?

Good...

Extremely good.

"Good." I answer quietly, a little sore, but he doesn't need to know that.

"You..." he begins, hesitance seemingly appearing in his voice. "You don't regret last night... do you?"

"No," I reply immediately, vigorously shaking my head, my back still facing him. I'm not sure why I answered so quickly. "I don't regret it at all, Daniel. Why would you ask that?"

"I... I don't know. I guess it's just because I don't know how you feel about me."

I haven't told him how I do feel.

Because I don't know.

I haven't thought about it properly, and I know even if I did know, I wouldn't be ready to tell him. The thing I do know is the type of feelings I experience when he simply comes near me.