Chapter Forty-Seven
Allie
I’d never been the type of woman to let a man take care of me. Sure, I’d had a few boyfriends, but I’d never been able to fully rely on them. Two were human, so I’d known those relationships wouldn’t last long. Eventually, a human would have figured out I was different, so I’d never completely opened up to them. Then there was Chad, who’d always been somewhat embarrassed by me.
Even my own father hadn’t been around too much when I was growing up. That wasn’t completely his fault, since my mom didn’t want him involved, but I always got the impression it was easier for him not seeing me often. That was why I wasn’t very close to my half-sisters. Sure, we got along fine, but I hadn’t called to tell them about what was going on, and none of them had called to ask if I was okay. My father would have told them about the murders and me being a potential victim. Mel had six half-sisters from her mom’s first marriage to my uncle, Demetrius, and they were all close, like sisters should be. My three sisters were nice to me, and sometimes they even invited me to do things with them, but we’d never be true sisters.
“What are you thinking so hard about,” Dylan asked as he carried me into his home.
“My sisters,” I admitted.
“Strange thing to think about at a time like this,” he mused.
“My mind is just taking a rambling journey.”
Dylan carried me upstairs to his bedroom, where he laid me on the bed, then leaned down to kiss my nose. “I’ll be right back,” he said as he disappeared into the bathroom.
I heard the water, so I knew he was running a bath and wondered if Dylan was planning to seduce me in his bathtub made for four. Tempting as that might normally be, I wasn’t sure I had the energy after what had almost happened at work tonight.
A few minutes later, Dylan returned wearing only his dress pants. Seeing him shirtless and barefoot, I was beginning to believe I might be up for a little seduction in the bathtub.
“Your bath is ready,” Dylan said as he leaned down to scoop me up in his arms again.
“Is this just your attempt to get me naked and wet?” I asked with a smile—it was a little wobbly, but still a smile.
Dylan chuckled. “It’s good to see you’re getting your sense of humor back.”
“Who said I was joking?”
“You’re taking a bath, nothing more,” he insisted. “It’s been one hell of a night, and you need to relax.”
“Will you at least join me?” I asked as Dylan set me on my feet and reached behind me to unzip my dress.
“You’re going to be the death of me, sweetheart,” Dylan said with a groan as he handed me the wrist cuffs I wore when I showered. “I’m trying to be a gentleman, and that’s not going to be easy with your naked body pressed against mine in the tub.”
After a pause, I decided to be completely honest with him. “I really need you to hold me.”
When I looked up, I was met with Dylan’s shocked expression. “I’ll give you anything you need,” he promised before helping me undress and then lifting me into the bathtub.
Dylan slid in behind me, and I rested my head against his chest, sighing at how good it felt to just have him with me like this.
“Thank you for coming to get me at SpellBinders,” I said, and I felt him relax even more behind me.
“I’ll always come get you when you need me,” he told me, his hands sliding around to rest on my waist. “Don’t ever forget that, Allie.”
We soaked in the tub in silence for several minutes. Dylan’s hands remained on my waist as I stroked his thighs with my own. All the while, I could feel his erection throbbing against my back. The only sound Dylan made was a strangled moan as he fought to maintain his self-control. As for me, feeling Dylan’s body pressed against mine in the warm water was causing a dull ache of arousal to start in my core.
“I need you so much, Dylan,” I breathed out, and this time, his moan was much louder.
I felt Dylan’s power flare, wrapping around me and sliding along my skin. It wasn’t like when he was trying to seduce me, even though it did have the same effect on my body in many ways. What I felt was Dylan soothing me, and then I realized it was more than just his power flowing over my skin; my own power was reaching out to his, and both were moving along not only my body, but Dylan’s, too. He was just as turned on as I was, but he was also feeling the same dazed sense of peace. The combination was strangely erotic, and I suddenly lost all interest in my bath.
“I want to feel all of you inside of me,” I practically pleaded, and it went beyond just the need for sex, delving into something much deeper.