But if Natalya didn’t want to, wouldn’t she just say that? Rather than worry?
“You won’t hurt me,” Evie said, voice almost inaudible.
Natalya kept looking at her, violet eyes shining. She didn’t break eye contact, didn’t move away. Didn’t take her hand off Evie’s.
“This stops if you become unresponsive.” Natalya’s voice had a new tone to it. A commanding cadence. Hearing it made an excited shiver run down Evie’s spine.
“If you feel pain or start to feel weak, you let me know,” Natalya said. “Bite me, hit me, or yell. Whichever is easiest.”
Evie was so tense her muscles hurt. She was shaking, and it was making her breathing uneven. It would probably make her voice tremble if she spoke.
When she didn’t say anything, Natalya leaned closer to her. “Do you understand?”
“I understand.” Surprisingly, her voice didn’t waver in the slightest. Her gaze flicked from Natalya’s eyes to her mouth and then back again. She was just as tense as Evie.
She had seen Natalya be many things. Frightening, stern, worried. She hadn’t seen her nervous. It hadn’t occurred to her that Natalya could be scared. Scared of hurting her.
After a long moment, moving slowly and with great hesitation, Natalya leaned forward. She paused when her lips were an inch from Evie’s, warm breath hitting her skin. A scent of lavender engulfing her. Then Natalya closed the gap, pressing against Evie’s lips in a touch that was so light it was barely there.
The act was unlike any kiss Evie had ever had. At first, she only noticed how soft Natalya’s lips were. How perfectly they molded to fit hers. Then she noticed the same tingling sensation that always came when Natalya touched her. A soothing, familiar feeling that filled her with calm.
Natalya deepened the kiss, tongue easing into Evie’s mouth. There was a tightening in her muscles as an otherworldly calm rushed through her, meeting resistance in her body. It dismantled the tenseness limb by limb, leaving her feeling warm and alert. A startling feeling. Evie let out a small gasp.
Natalya quickly pulled away. “Are you alright?”
“Yes,” Evie said breathlessly.
“You don’t feel weak at all?”
“No.” Evie could taste Natalya on her lips. Smell her lavender scent.
There was a tension building between her legs. She’d felt it faintly a few times since she moved into the high-rise. Desire and want. Before, she’d ignored the feeling. Now she didn’t want to.
“Can I touch you?” Evie asked.
Natalya looked hesitant. It wasn’t until Evie noticed her quickened breathing that Evie realized why. She’d been holding back. She was still scared.
Even now, all Natalya worried about was if Evie was hurt. She took a deep breath.
“I’m okay, Natalya.”
Natalya was quiet for a long moment before she nodded, her body still rigid. “Be careful.”
Slowly, Evie reached out and touched Natalya’s arm. Sudden energy, like a spark of static electricity, rushed through her hand. It left a faint tingling sensation that was as strange as it was pleasant. With her other hand, she ran her fingers up through Natalya’s long brown curls. When she reached hershoulder, Evie put her hand on Natalya’s neck and drew herself into a kiss.
Evie took a sharp intake of breath as their lips met. A piercing surge rushed through her, more intense than before. It sharpened her senses, and the tingling in her fingers expanded to take over her entire body. She tightened her grip on Natalya, letting out a soft moan.
Natalya abruptly ended the kiss. “You’re still frightened.”
“I’m fi—” Evie stopped herself. She’d almost said she was fine. Natalya looked serious.
“Try again.”
Evie’s breathing was oddly labored. She was almost panting. “I want to keep going. Even if I’m scared.”
“Keep going how?”
It was obvious Natalya knew what she meant. She wanted Evie to say it. She didn’t want to assume.
