Chapter 467: Waking up together

Viola was having one of the most peaceful sleeps of her life, so comfortable against the warmth she was lying on, when she felt butterfly-like touches against her face that woke her. The hand moved from her cheek to her neck and stroked it tenderly before trailing down her arm to her hip and settling against her ass, squeezing it teasingly. She opened her eyes to the faint smile of her husband’s face below the blindfold.

"Good morning," came his husky morning voice, sending a shiver down her spine even though it wasn’t the first time she’d heard it. Viola pursed her lips as she looked up at him, the thick blindfold still around his eyes.

"Good morning," she greeted back, settling her hand against his hard chest as she asked, "How did you know I was awake or that it’s morning when you can’t see?" She hadn’t thought he could sense anything through that thick cloth.

He smiled, revealing his teeth. "I felt it when your breathing changed and you stirred, and I could hear the sound of the busy morning outside. The walls are not soundproof here, and the birds have been making quite a racket outside." He told her, adjusting her on his lap and bringing her to rest more against his chest. But realizing something, Viola shifted back and asked worriedly,

"Are your legs okay? I mean, I’ve been asleep on you for hours, maybe I should get up and let the blood flow back into them." She said, beginning to swing her legs down to stand, but he pulled her back down, holding her tightly against him and dropping his chin against the top of her head as he assured her,

"My legs are fine. They won’t be fine if you get up now. I like your little weight on me and I want to hold you more. Stay here for a while." He dropped a kiss to her temple as she nestled back against him, letting out a sigh of contentment, her warm breath fanning against the skin on his chest through the gap in his shirt buttons and making his morning erection harden, sending arousal into his pulse. But Sebastian tamped it down, just to enjoy this tender morning moment they hadn’t had in a long time, knowing no matter how much his body reacted to her, it couldn’t take any action in his current state.

It almost felt like years had passed since he had last woken up with her in the morning. Even though this wasn’t a bed, he would make do with anything as long as she was there. He pulled her closer, and as she adjusted herself, she rubbed even more against his erection. He bit back a low groan as a burst of sparks rushed through his veins, but along with it came that familiar pain, like needles piercing his chest, triggered whenever he tried to fight the spell he was under.

Sebastian’s hands tightened around her body until Viola felt his discomfort and moved back to look at him with a small frown. "Are you all right? You feel tense..." she asked, placing her hand against his chest, where his heart was beating wildly.

Sebastian forced a smile and nodded, trying to tamp down his arousal to subdue the pain in his chest. It seemed the witch hadn’t only made him into a weapon meant to kill his mate; she had also made it so even his desire for her would become something forbidden, ensuring there would be no joy in their union to help them break the centuries-old curse.

"I’m fine. Just a morning erection, love," he breathed honestly.

He felt her move, and her hand slowly drifted lower. Unexpectedly, he felt her touch his groin, and his body stiffened. Though he couldn’t see her, Sebastian could almost picture the look on her face as she began to unfasten his fly. But he quickly reached out and stopped her before she could slip her hand inside his trousers to feel him; she didn’t need to, anyway, because the bulge was already obvious.

"I can help you with it," she said when he caught her hand.

For the first time since they had become comfortably intimate with each other, Sebastian shook his head.

"There’s no need. I just want to hold you. We can do that after I’m free and myself again." He pulled her back against him and rested his chin on top of her head. "Let’s save it for when I can see you again without hurting you. When I can touch, see, and feel every inch of your skin, we can go all night," he whispered huskily, his heart aching even as he spoke. Sebastian had fears he couldn’t put into words yet about what the witch had done to him.

"I miss it. I miss us taking showers together and waking up late. I wish we could go back to the first time we met. I would have done a lot of things differently, Seb. I won’t waste a moment pushing you away," Viola said in a reminiscing voice that mirrored exactly what her husband was feeling.

Sebastian smiled and whispered, "Me too. But don’t worry. Once this is over, we’ll make a lot of memories again, and hopefully this time with our young one on the way. What do you think? You, me, and our baby go on a trip. We can travel even outside the werewolf world. Name the place, and I’ll take us to any country you pick."

He whispered the words against her ear before kissing it, and Viola flushed with delight.

"I like the sound of that. A vacation. A family vacation," she murmured, curling her fingers against his shirt.

"Take your time picking places, and once we have the pup, we can go away there," he said. "Did you sleep well?" he asked softly, wishing he could see her face and kiss her good morning, just as they used to while talking about their plans for the future. A future that was beginning to seem uncertain.

"Never slept better. What about you?" She tilted her head back to look up at him.

Though she had been so exhausted last night after saving Laila, coming to sleep here had done her good. She felt recharged but insanely hungry, like she hadn’t eaten once in her life, and before Sebastian could part his lips to answer her question, her stomach rumbled in complaint, since she hadn’t sat down to eat and satisfy her hunger, especially now that she noticed she tend to get hungry often.

She felt Sebastian’s hand come to settle over her rumbling stomach as he clicked his tongue. "You sure as hell need food, love. Go eat and come back to me—"

"How about we go eat together? I’ll sneak you into the closest diner in the building and we’ll have a good meal, just the two of us. I miss the days when everything was normal, Sebastian. Can we pretend it is, for now?" She looked up at him, putting her hand against his shoulder and tracing her fingers along the thick, corded vines of his snake tattoo, so close to her now, waiting for him to answer.