Exile in the Water Kingdom (The Elemental Phases Book 3) (16 page)

And
he wanted her, too.  A lot.  Ty could feel it all around her, inside and out. 
As amazing at it seemed, Gion wanted her with a focused, primal reverence. 
Pent up desire went into every stroke as he explored her breasts, seeming to
memorize them.  There wasn’t a spot Gion didn’t touch and claim.  He found her
nipple, again, tugging at it gently and Ty gasped.

Gion
let out a long, shaking breath at the sound.  He looked as if he’d been
suffocating for a long time and someone had just given him oxygen.  Wonder and
greed and gratitude were reflected on his face.  Like Ty was precious.  Like he
couldn’t believe she was letting him touch her.  Like he never, ever wanted to
stop.

Ty
felt something melt inside of her.

She
leaned forward and very softy kissed the underside of Gion’s jaw as he caressed
her.  That move was --without a doubt-- the most forward thing that Ty had ever
done in her life.  It was the first time she’d
ever
instigated anything
with a man.  Gion wanting her, his obvious admiration, made Ty braver than ever
before.

She
absolutely couldn’t have found a more appreciative recipient of boldness.

Gion’s
icy blue eyes went molten.  His turned his head to capture her lips, again, his
dominant mouth slanting across hers.  His energy slammed out and drove their
passion to new heights.  Ty’s nightgown was already hitched up and he found the
inside of her knee, pushing her legs open so he could stand between them.

Ty
wasn’t so sure about that maneuver.

She
gave an anxious whimper as she felt him pressed against the thin material of
her panties.  She broke contact with his mouth.  “Gion?”

The
energy drowned her in pleasure.  She didn’t want to stop, but visions from her
past temporarily took over and Ty felt vulnerable.  Gion was so much stronger
than her.  He could do anything he wanted and Ty would never be able to stop
him.

She
wanted Gion.  And she’d never wanted
anyone
before.  But, memories were
crowding in on her desire, overtaking her pleasure and causing Ty to panic.  Or
maybe she was just
expecting
to panic and creating it herself.  Ty
hadn’t been this close to a man since Parald and Parald hadn’t felt this way. 
When Parald touched her, it had felt wrong.  Tainted.  She’d always fought
against it.

But
being near Gion was a drunk, syrupy pleasure.  Ty absolutely didn’t want to
resist him or the pulse of his energy.  When he touched her thigh like that, though,
it set off alarm bells.

Turquoise
eyes nervously found his.

Gion
might not have understood the back story, but he knew what she wanted.  He
didn’t step away from Ty, but he did remove his hand from her leg.  Gion’s
intense blue gaze regarded her solemnly and Ty flushed.  She didn’t want to explain
that having someone forcibly spread her legs apart panicked her, so she didn’t
say anything.

A
few seconds passed and then Gion bent down to kiss her, again.  He moved very
slowly, as if he expected her to recoil.

Ty
smiled in relief and leaned up to meet his lips.  She really didn’t want this
to end.  Scientifically speaking, sex was the closest she’d ever get to Phazing
and Gion was the only man she ever felt any desire for.  She didn’t really
understand it, but Ty had spent her entire life being practical and safe.  Look
where
that
had gotten her.  Just once she was going to enjoying doing
something impulsive and illogical.

Gion
had obviously been expecting Ty to call a halt to their session.  When she
kissed him back, he groaned out something that sounded like, “Thank you.”  Ty
wasn’t sure if he was addressing her or Gaia, but she supposed it didn’t
matter.  Caught up in the hazy, pink cloud of unexpected longing, she was
willing to follow Gion as far as he wanted to go.

His
energy got faster, pulling her, tempting her and Ty didn’t resist.

She
let more of her own powers go.  Lowering the barriers between them seemed
natural.  For Matches, that would have been the next step before her energy
combined with Gion’s and made them one symbiotic whole.  Ty wasn’t sure how
regular sex worked, but it just seemed like the thing to do.  A biological
imperative.

Except,
the Water energy abruptly faltered as if it hit against the walls of a cage.

Too
much.

Suddenly,
it was too much.

Something
was wrong.

Ty
pulled back with a gasp.  “No, wait.”  Trying to break free of whatever spell
Gion’s powers had cast, Ty dropped her gaze to his shirtfront.  Her breath came
in quick pants, from fear and an unfamiliar wash of lust.  “I can’t.  Something’s
wrong.  I’m… I’m sorry.”

Gion
was breathing hard, too.  Next to her, on the piano, his hand clenched so
tightly that his knuckles went white as he struggled to pull his energy back
under control.  Gion’s powers had created an orchestra without straining, but
now he seemed stretched to the breaking point.

And
the worst part was, Ty wanted to keep going, too.  She could have dealt with
the panic.  It was already receding.  Her memories had threatened to pull her
under, but just so Gion kept waiting for consent, Ty would have edged out to
meet him.

But,
something else inside of her was wrong.

She
sensed it.

Knew
it.

The
further they went and the more their energy connected, the more her powers
seemed blocked.  Like Ty needed a password to access anything beyond a certain
point.  Her not-so-spectacular energy felt bigger and trapped.  Caught in a web
or something.  That couldn’t be right.  She’d never heard other Phases who’d
had sex talking about their powers being hindered, so this wasn’t normal.  She
and Gion had to stop until Ty figured out the problem.

Ty
certainly wasn’t going to ask Gion for his opinion, though.  He didn’t like
talking about their connection, at all.  And he didn’t seem to notice the Water
power’s sudden problem.  Which either meant that Ty was broken internally or
that she was the most inexperienced idiot outside of a Victorian novel.

Damn
it.

“It
wasn’t wrong.  Just… unexpected.”  Gion got out raggedly.  “Your energy
touching mine… I mean, it’s
always
unusual that we can do that.  But, I
didn’t anticipate the kind of… combustion it would set off when we were
kissing.  Not without a Phase-Match.”  His jaw clenched.  “Just give me a
second here.”

Ty
braced for some kind of furious outburst.  He didn’t want to stop.  She could
tell.  If it was up to Gion, they would have had sex.  “I’m sorry.”  She
repeated, faintly, pulling the edges of her nightgown back together.  “I got
scared.”

Gion
reached over to touch the side of her face and Ty reflexively cringed sideways,
anticipating a blow.

He
froze.

For
a second, neither of them moved.  Ty might have almost died at the hands of
that mob during the Fall, but this was a more intimate retreat than she would
have had from a flashback of that attack.  It was the small, instinctive recoil
of a woman who’d been hurt by another man.

“Son-of-a-
bitch
.” 
Gion bit off harshly.  His palm fell away from her face and seized her arm,
instead.  “Who the fuck hit you?”

Ty’s
eyes widened at his incensed tone.  Gion never sounded like that.  He was
always so cold and reserved.  “It doesn’t matter.  I’m sorry.  You weren’t
going to strike me.  I know.  I just…”

“Who
hit you?”  Gion interrupted, giving her a small shake.

Ty
tugged against his hold.  “Let me go.”  Gion wasn’t hurting, but that didn’t
mean he could manhandle her to get his own way.  “I told you to stop trying to
intimidate me.”

He
carefully released Ty’s arm and pushed away from the piano, giving her room. 
“Was it Parald?”

“Parald
is the only other man I ever kissed and he once got very angry when I told him
to stop.”  Ty grudgingly admitted.  “Not that it’s any of your business.”

Gion
studied her for a beat as if he needed to get his emotions in check.  Since
when did he even
have
emotions, anyway?  “Angel, did Parald…?”

“No.” 
She shook her head, knowing what he was about to ask and not wanting to hear
the words.  “He didn’t rape me.”

Gion
relaxed slightly, but he didn’t let it go.  “Did he
try
?”

Ty
flinched.

Gion
must’ve understood her reaction, because his power slipped.  A windstorm
crashed against the walls, sending paintings and artwork falling to the marble
floor.

Ty
jolted, more from his loss of control than from the noise.

Gion
snarled another oath and pulled back on his energy like he was worried that
he’d frighten her.  “So, you stopped him from raping you and he beat you for
it?”

“I
don’t want to talk about it.”  Ty didn’t like remembering this.  She busied
herself by fixing the neckline of her nightgown, rebuttoning the tiny pearl
buttons.  “It’s over.”  She’d never shared what happened with anyone before. 
Not even Nia.

Gion’s
gaze went to Ty’s lap as if recalling her sudden tension when he touched her
thigh.  “Parald tried to pry your legs apart, didn’t he?”  It wasn’t a really
question.

Ty’s
lips firmed together.  “I don’t want to talk about it.”  She repeated.  “It’s
over
.”

“Obviously,
it’s
not
if you’re still terrified of him.”  Gion retorted, repressed
fury in his tone.  “You should have told me this back then.  I would have
protected you.”

“You
were an Air Phase.”  Ty’s own temper sparked.  “You
worked
for him.  And,
most of the time, you act like a snide, heartless, jerk towards me.  Why would
I come to you for help?  You were on
his
side, not mine!”

Gion
didn’t respond to that, but his body went stiff.

Ty
had the strangest sensation that she’d just injured his feelings.  “I’m
sorry.”  She said, again, her flash of irritation fading.  She didn’t want to
hurt Gion.  It wasn’t his fault that Parald brought out the worst in her.  “I’m
just going to go back to bed and…”

Gion
sighed, cutting her off.  “Angel, you never have to be sorry for
anything
.”

The
nickname got Ty to look at him faster than anything else could have.  For so
long, Gion had been her enemy.  Things were changing so fast, she couldn’t keep
up.

Pale
blue eyes caught hers, burning into her soul.  “I wanted you when you were
eighty-four.”  He continued conversationally.  His voice became a calm contrast
to the intensity of his face.  “I was serious earlier.  The first time I saw
you in that damn white dress, I wanted you.  I came to every concert that the
Water House held, just so I could see you.  I wanted you for myself, before
Parald even knew your name.”

The
words poured over Ty like a balm, soothing places inside of her that she hadn’t
even known were sore.

“I
didn’t know your exact age.”  Gion shrugged.  “But, I knew that you were too
young.  You weren’t ninety-three yet and it went against our laws.  I knew
that.  And I wanted you, anyway.”  His gaze slid over the folds of her
nightgown as if amazed to be living out his “white dress” fantasy, at last.  “I
would have traded all my powers to have you, just for one night.  I still
would.  Gladly.”

Ty
swallowed.

Gion
seemed to take her silence as a good sign, because he kept going.  “I waited
over a decade to touch you.  And it was worth it.”  He quietly murmured.  “I’ll
wait another eleven years to do it again, if that’s what it takes.  I’m
surprisingly patient when it comes to you.  And I won’t ever,
ever
, hurt
you.  So, don’t be sorry.  I’m sure as hell not.”

Ty’s
mind stayed utterly blank for a long moment, just staring at him.  In her
entire life, she’d never been so surprised.  This was
Gion
.  The man who’d
tormented her for years.

Only
he was an artist.

And
he had a sense of humor.

And
he said such beautiful things to her.

How
could she have never seen this side of him?

Gion’s
mouth quirked upward at her bafflement.  He carefully adjusted the edges of her
robe, retying it, and then lifting her off the piano.  “Go back to bed, now.” 
The colored stripes at Phases’ temples were always more sensitive that the rest
of their hair.  He lifted a hand and brushed her turquoise streak, giving her
plenty of time to avoid his touch.

Once
before, he’d touched the highlight at her temple.  Last time had been in the
Air House dungeon, when Gion was trying to snap her out of a panic attack.  Ty
had told him to stop touching her and he’d dropped his hand.  Now, Ty didn’t
move as his thumb slid against her curls.  Pleasure hummed through her at the
brief contact and she leaned her head into his palm.

Gion’s
expression softened and his fingers slowly fell away.  “Goodnight, Ty.”  He
turned and headed out of the music hall, again.