Skinned

¤ Carnal Pleasure I ¤

¤ ¤ ¤

Killian nudged the front door open as he kept a secure hold on my weight, but as soon as he stepped foot inside my den, the strong scent clinging to the walls of the cabin had rendered him immobile.

Beneath the palm of my hands, I felt his muscles turn rigid, his fingers digging into my skin for a brief moment as he tried to ignore the lure of my nature.

I clutched onto Killian's damp shirt and inhaled deeply, my action kept steady and unnoticeable as I fed my mind's desire. The smell of him was intoxicating, and the way it crowded my senses coaxed me to relish it completely.

My mouth fell agape, eyes closing as I greedily basked myself in Killian's overpowering scent, and as soon as my heated breath hit the tender flesh of his neck, he snapped out of his daze and fixed his hold on my weight before proceeding to carry me over to the bed.

Killian bent down to grab my duffel bags and threw them onto the floor before carefully lowering me onto the soft mattress, my body immediately curling as he tugged on the blanket and draped it over my exposed form.

I felt my heart drop when he turned around to leave, and before he could take another step away from me, my hand immediately came up to land a desperate grip on his wrist while completely disregarding the aching pain surrounding my joints.

Killian's posture tensed, and he turned his head slightly over his shoulder to acknowledge me.

I swallowed hard, my widened eyes completely failing to hide the fear I felt for the absence of Killian's solace; I couldn't let him go knowing that my peace could only be granted by him. And no matter how hard I tried to conceal my weakness, a tear had managed to slip out of the corner of my eye.

I couldn't bear to be alone again.

"Please don't leave me."

I was pleading him, my voice thick with despair as I let him hear me without hiding behind a facade made of strength and nonchalance. It was foreign for me to express vulnerability, but at that moment, he made me feel utterly weak and desperate for his presence.

Killian's warm hand circled around mine, his gaze warm as he urged me to let go.

"I'm not leaving," he said with a voice that was soft enough to be disarming, "I need to start the fire. Where are your clothes?"

A trembled breath of relief escaped my mouth as my hand on his wrist lost its pressure but still remained intact from the doubt sitting in the pit of my stomach.

My gaze drifted over to the duffel bag on the floor. "It's in that bag."

Killian followed my attention and took the bag before handing it over to me.

"You can get dressed and go to sleep," he told me, his eyes going through his surroundings with a hard look on his face, and I continued to look at him warily. He couldn't move, not when I still had my hold on his wrist.