Bound to the vampire I must kill-Chapter 35: Rock hard

Chapter 35

He chuckled, clearly enjoying the sight of her flustered. "Oh? Did I hit a nerve?"

Seraphina scowled, trying to wriggle free from his grip, but his arm only tightened, pinning her closer. The warmth of his body seeped into hers, and she cursed her own racing pulse.

"Relax," he whispered, his voice low and rough from sleep. "I’m not complaining."

She glared at him, but the effect was lost when her gaze dropped to his lips—soft, slightly parted, and far too close. She jerked her head away, mortified that she’d even noticed. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

He noticed. Of course he did. A wicked glint sparked in his eyes. "You’re staring, princess."

"I am not," she shot back, forcing herself to sound more confident than she felt. "Don’t flatter yourself."

His smirk only grew, and he shifted slightly, his thumb brushing lightly against her waist. "You know," he murmured, "if you wanted to cuddle, you could’ve just asked. Throwing yourself at me in the middle of the night was a bit dramatic."

Her mouth dropped open, and she shoved at his shoulder, but he didn’t budge. "I did not throw myself at you! You’re the one who... who..." She trailed off, realizing she didn’t actually remember how they ended up tangled together on the floor.

His eyes softened, and the teasing faded just a little. "You were exhausted," he said quietly. "Practically fell over. I didn’t want to move you, so I stayed close. Just in case."

Her indignation faltered, something warm pooling in her chest despite herself. "You could’ve moved me to the bed," she muttered.

"Didn’t think you’d appreciate waking up with me on top of you," he replied with a wicked grin, his voice dropping to a teasing purr. "Though, I could make an exception if you’re into that."

Her cheeks flamed, and she hated how easily he got under her skin. "You’re annoying."

"And yet, you’re not running away," he pointed out, his gaze dropping to her lips just long enough to make her breath catch.

She didn’t trust herself to speak, not when his hand moved to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear, his fingertips brushing against her cheek.

"Still tired?" he asked softly, his tone gentler now, as if the teasing had melted into something more sincere. "You looked worn out last night."

"I’m fine," she mumbled, hating how breathless she sounded. "Just... didn’t sleep well."

He hummed in acknowledgment, his thumb tracing light circles on her waist. "You sure? You can rest more if you need to."

"I’m fine," she repeated, but the way his touch lingered made it hard to remember why she was supposed to be annoyed.

"Good," he said, dipping his head closer until his nose nearly brushed hers. "Wouldn’t want you passing out on me again. Though, I wouldn’t mind catching you... every single time."

She swallowed hard, feeling heat coil in her stomach as his lips ghosted over her cheek, barely brushing her skin. Damn him for being so effortlessly charming.

Finally, she mustered enough willpower to push against his chest again, though it was weaker this time. "Get off me."

His lips twitched with amusement, but he leaned back, loosening his hold just enough to let her sit up. "You really are adorable when you’re flustered, you know that?"

"Shut up," she muttered, refusing to meet his gaze as she scrambled to her feet.

He stretched languidly, giving her a lazy grin. "You didn’t seem to mind a few minutes ago."

She shot him a glare, fighting the urge to throw something at his smug face. "One of these days, I swear I’m going to—"

He cut her off by reaching out and hooking his finger under her chin, forcing her to look at him. "What? Lose your mind every time I touch you?"

Her breath hitched, why was he always so shameless. She slapped his hand away and stalked toward the door, her heart pounding like a war drum.

Behind her, his low, satisfied chuckle echoed through the room, and the sound of it made her stomach flutter so hard. Ignoring everything, she rushed out of the room.

As soon as she had left, the smirk on Rhydian’s face disappeared, replaced by a tense, almost frustrated expression. His chest rose and fell with each shaky breath, his pulse pounding so hard it felt like his heart might burst right out of his ribcage.

What the hell was wrong with him?

That little stubborn witch was messing with his head—and his body. Just having her that close, her scent wrapping around him like a damn spell, had him losing all control. He gritted his teeth, cursing under his breath as he glanced down, where the undeniable problem made itself known—he was rock hard, and it wasn’t going away anytime soon.

How was it even possible? All she’d done was squirm in his arms and shoot him those fiery glares, yet his body had reacted like a damn teenage boy. He groaned, dragging a hand through his hair, frustration mixing with the undeniable heat pooling low in his abdomen.

He could still feel the warmth of her body pressed against his, the way her breath had hitched when he’d teased her, the way her cheeks had flushed so prettily. She’d looked so damn vulnerable, wrapped up in his arms, glaring at him like she wanted to both slap him and melt against him.

A low, bitter laugh slipped from his lips as he leaned back against the wall, trying to will his body to calm down. Great. Just great. Not only did she make his heart race like a fool, but now she had him worked up to the point of madness.

And the worst part? He wanted more. Wanted to see how far he could push her until she stopped fighting him and gave in to the tension crackling between them. Wanted to see her lose that fierce composure and look at him with something other than stubborn defiance.

Rhydian clenched his fists, jaw tight as he tried to shake off the thought. It didn’t help. The image of her flushed and breathless kept invading his mind, and he knew one thing for sure—he was completely and utterly screwed.