Chapter 5: These Treacherous Feelings

“Please, Zarion…” I moaned, my pink lips parting as a soft breath left me before he tempted me once more.

A shudder rakes down my spine. Running the tip of my tongue over the opening of my lips, I let out a sigh of relief when the side of my bed pushed down because of his weight. 

Zarion’s thoughts were lewd, I know. He wanted me so badly just like what I wanted. I’m innocent and young, yes, even a virgin. But this thirst flooding my soul…he’s the only one who can quench it. He needed me so much, wanted me so much. I can feel he never wanted or needed anything or anyone so much in his life the way he needed and wanted me. 

For him, I was his personal sanctuary—the only one he could go to and feel calm, relaxed. Just being around with me was enough to take him out of his worst moods. 

Slowly, his hands covered the right side of my neck as the tip of his nose traveled down the nape of my neck. Erratic pulses of my heart beating from my chest resound in my ears. There’s no turning back now. The moment his lips were to touch mine…I would surely fall to his feet. His hands uncurled around my dress, experimentally flattening on my abdomen. 

I felt myself stiffen, my stomach coiled as he dragged his fingers below to where my thighs met—to which part of my body nobody has ever explored but me. These treacherous feelings were all strange to me. I could feel the rapid pulse when his finger finally touched my core. 

I let out a moan. Something exploded in me, and I could feel like I was on cloud nine. His fingers started circling the tip of my breasts like he was playing the strings of a guitar. 

“Must’ve been a nice dream,” a voice, not mine, whispered. 

I froze, slowly sitting up on my bed a heartbeat later. I can still see his mysterious cold eyes as they fall on my face before staring down at my body. 

I only realized now that I was only wearing my white silky dress that clearly exposed my breasts. 

“Oh God, no.” He must’ve seen the hard tip of my breasts. That dream was so damned hot I couldn’t help myself but to be turned on.

Now, I’m feeling more like a mature woman. 

And just realized that I wasn’t dreaming all along.

Zarion let out a sexy laugh when he saw my shocked reaction. His lips pressed into a thin line and bit his lower lip with his thumb as if he had seen a funny scene before him. A quick flash of lust hidden in those ember green eyes that I find myself getting lost on more than just a few occasions. 

“Do elaborate on what you meant by ‘Please, Zarion,’?” he asked, arms crossing across his chest.

I smiled, my face getting that perfect shade of red due to embarrassment. 

“Oh, and in full detail. Please,” Zarion added. 

At his words, I was shot out of my seat. My breathing is heavy and something tells me that it’s not only because of the dream I just had. His voice is sinfully seductive and sexy. Even without a mirror, I could feel that I’m blushing—my cheeks were burning as bright as flame. I was so embarrassed that I just wished a hole would appear on the ground and swallow me whole. My eyes went wide, lips parting and closing as if I was contemplating how to respond to Zarion. 

I shouldn’t let him control me. I must not. I grin as I breathe in deeply. My skin scorching with desire the moment our eyes met. Holding contact with him, I drew my arms over my chest and finally found my voice. 

Clearing my throat, I asked. “What are you doing here? How did you get past the window?!” 

            Zarion let out a sigh before he pushed both of his hands inside the pockets of his gray sweatpants. When he stepped forward, my body automatically jolted backward.  I groaned when my head bumped into the back of my bed. 

“Ouch!” I massaged the back of my head. 

“Hey, you okay babe?” His voice seems to be miraculously full of worry. In a matter of seconds, he was now sitting beside me. My heart jumped fifty yards the moment our hands met. 

I looked away from his gaze. “Get off my bed!” 

“Sorry.” He went back to where he was before realization kicked in my gut—near my arched window. “Enough with the teasing!” Looking up at him, I asked. “Seriously, Zarion, what are you doing in my bedroom? How did you—” I was startled for a moment when I heard a loud clang downstairs. But then my mamita shouted that it was just her being stupid. 

I chuckled softly. Stupidity did really run in our family after all.

Inhaling, I put my slippers on instead and lunged at him. “You should get out of here.” Before he could say anything, I went to my wardrobe closet and found the closest size of my winter jacket, to no avail, and only got something that is half of his size. 

“I don’t need that.” Zarion’s husky voice stopped me from finding another winter jacket he needed because it’s freaking cold outside. “Yes, you do,” I countered. “There’s a blizzard outside, and you need to get out of my room before my mamita finds out!”

“She won’t,” he’s still grinning sheepishly. “Trust me.”

I scoffed and glared at him, “Why would I trust you?” 

We both fell in an eternity of staring contest afterward.

I nodded and sighed. “Fine. Do whatever you want. For the third time, Zarion, what do you fucking want from me?!”

Oops. Is that the first time I muttered the F word?

“Why did you not visit me in the cabin?” 

Damn it. Damn it. Damn it. Damn it!

 Am I hallucinating? Am I still dreaming? Is this still part of my fantastic, erotic imagination?

I see his facial reaction closest to begging. Oh. My. Goodness. 

Please, that one did not just make me turned on but it made my crevice tightened even more. I looked away from his sinfully glorious and slapped my hand to my forehead, begging myself to be snapped back to reality. “Of course, you’ll ask a random question instead of answering mine.” 

“So?” He folded his arms across his chest.

This man…is really something else. “And so, let me answer your question, then…” I said in a high-pitched tone, gathering all the strength left within me. I am close to losing all the strands of my patience. I looked at him with anger blazing in my eyes. Biting my lower lip before speaking, he cocked his head to the side, already prepared to hear my rants. 

Lengthy rant. Okay, maybe not.

“It’s simple, Zarion. I did not visit you anymore because you clearly told me not to.” The way my fingers and hands danced in front of him to prove my points makes me sane for a moment. He was just there, standing and leaning on my window, enjoying every piece of my facial reactions as if he, too, was immensely amused. 

I inhaled deeper this time. “You called me names. You even called me a kid! Do you know how insulted I was because of that?”

“It’s true anyway. You’re a kid, even now.” Zarion’s pair of lustful eyes shone, glancing here and now at my heaving breasts.

“Shut up!” I demanded, fists clenching. He nodded, lips curling and uncurling. This man is trying so hard not to laugh, which makes me more irritated and agitated. “You clearly drew a line between us. I thought I was doing you a favor by saving your life, but what did you do fucking selfish bastard?! You never reciprocated the gratitude I’ve shown to you nor my feelings—” 

“Feelings?” His eyebrow shot up. Now, his face looks unabashedly enraged. I was caught off-guard because of what I said too. “I mean…” I was trying to make excuses even though I know it’s too late. With my chin hoisted, I said with confidence. “Yeah, feelings. Like romantic feelings towards you. You don’t think I was just doing that to help a strange wolf—man, don’t you?” My throat bobbed in response to my own words. “I—I actually…like you.” There, I said it. I let it out. Oh my Heavens. 

It was such a relief, to be honest. I’ve been hiding that for a couple of days and now— 

My eyes darted to his face again. He looks stiffened. His shoulders squared, and his stance was more aggressive. Damn it. What did I say, again? Oh, God. That was it. I’m freaking done here! 

He knew I had feelings for him. Still, he confirmed it—he needed to confirm it—in the most awkward times of this week. Was that the reason he came here to my room? “You mean to say, Cassidy, that you have romantic feelings towards me?” The way he pronounced every word was carefully thought as if he, too, was afraid of what he might utter. 

“Y–yes,” I whispered. He’s so close to me, so near. I saw the lines forming on his forehead while looking down at me. Gosh, he’s unbelievably tall. “I like you, Zarion,” I reiterated, swallowing these treacherous feelings. “I don’t know why but—” 

“You do know what having a romantic feeling means, right?”

“Yes.”

“Then do you know about sexual feelings, too?” I tried to hide my gasp when his hands slid into my tiny waist. 

“Z-Zarion… what are you doing?” 

Of course, he never replies to my questions unless he’s interested in answering it. 

“Do you know the difference between sexual and romantic feelings, Cassidy?” Zarion whispered in my ears like he was making love to me. I melted inside like frozen ice basked under the heat of the scorching sun. My legs wobbled from how husky and sexy his voice is.

My legs gave up as, in a blink of an eye, I found myself kneeling on the floor, my hands clinging to Zarion’s broad and tensed arms.