Hundred and five

Hundred and five
RIVEN BLACKWOOD POV

My head throbbed, and as I stepped into the house—my eyes searching the space for Hazel and not finding her—the feeling got worse.

Father's threat rang in my head, and the more I thought about it, the angrier I got.

Damn the old man. I guess because I agreed so easily to let Ethan live, he thought I was still under his control. He had another thing coming if he thought I was going to let Ksar live just because he was Victor's son.

Damn it, I wanted to punch something.

No, all I need is Hazel.

"Where are you, Hazel" I whispered, yanking the door to the studio open and slamming it shut when I didn't see her.

I checked the tracker, my brows arching when it showed that she was at the back of the house.

"What are you doing outside..." I mused. Feeling impatient, I reached for my phone to check the camera, then remembered that she'd told me in the morning that she was going to spend the whole day painting. "Is that what you're doing right now?" I asked, then grinned, the thought of her making me feel better.

I walked up the stairs, stepped into our bedroom, and then walked onto the terrace to get a glimpse of her.

She was right where the tracker said she would be, and for a moment, I just stood there, my tense shoulders relaxing as I stared at her.

Even from a distance, she looked ethereal. I didn't think I could ever get tired of watching her.

She was sitting at the gazebo, her hair framing her face like a halo.

She had headphones on and I wondered what she was listening to as she moved the brush rhythmically over the canvas.

Was it her favorite boy band, or was it heavy metal?

I grinned, remembering how shocked I'd been when I went through her song playlists. She had so many layers to her, and every day, I discovered something new.

My fingers twitched, the urge to go to her and touch her overwhelming, but I stopped myself, choosing to bask in her aura instead.

The longer I watched her paint, the more peaceful I felt, all the negative energy from the shitty day I had disappearing without a trace.

As if sensing that someone was watching her, she turned away from the canvas, her face tilting and her eyes moving exactly in my direction.

Even from a distance, I could see her face light up, a smile spreading on her lips as she saw me

It was infectious and I found myself grinning back, my pulse picking up.

She got up from her stool, took off her headphones, and then waved at me.

I waved back, my heart clenching as her smile widened.

She started to move and I raised a hand for her to stay put.

"Stay right there, I'll come up to you," I said, moving away from the terrace and rushing back down the stairs, my excitement growing the closer I got to the door that led to her.

Taking a deep breath as I reached it, I yanked it open and then gasped as she jumped into my arms, her arms wrapping around my neck and her legs lifting from the floor.

Holding her up was effortless, but the beat of my heart was going crazy from having her wrapped around me.

"I've been waiting all day... I missed you so much Riven"

Her words stole the breath right out of my lungs and I pulled her even closer, rubbing my hand against her back and inhaling her scent deeply.

"I missed you too, babe," I said, nuzzling my face into the crook of her neck and taking in greedy drags of her scent. "You smell so good... I can't get enough," I murmured against her hair, and her hold around my waist tightened, her breast rubbing against mine as she laughed.

It was both euphoric and torturous.

"Really?" She asked and I nodded, tracing her curves with my fingertip.

"But it's not just your scent. I love everything about you," I said, and she grinned, then pressed a kiss to my chest.

I groaned, my blood heating up.

"That was really sweet Riven. I didn't take you for a poet, though," she said, pulling back to stare at my face.

Holding onto her waist with one arm, I lifted my hand, then cupped her cheek.

"I guess I was just hoping to seduce you for a kiss," I said, staring into her eyes, loving the way she looked at me, with yearning in her eyes, as if she couldn't wait for it.

I leaned in, my eyes fixed on hers and then I kissed her.

The connection was all I needed to feel complete.

Her breathy moan had my skin tingling as we kissed, the euphoric feeling spreading heatedly through my veins. I sucked on her lips, my tongue slipping inside her mouth, her sweetness driving me crazy.

Our tongues tangled, our breathing labored as our mouths moved in unison, the pleasure surging through me and making me more frantic, more desperate.

We pulled apart, both of us panting for air.

I pressed my head to hers, my thumb caressing her cheeks as I rubbed my nose against hers.

We stayed like that for a few seconds until we both calmed down, then I backed up a bit.

She smiled as she met my gaze, her cheeks flushed and her mouth swollen. "That was something. Why did you stop?"

I took her hand, my gaze moving to her dainty fingers, then I smirked. "You know why."

Her blush deepened, then she pouted. "It's because you have no self-control."

"No self-control, huh? So what do we call what I am doing right now?" I asked, my brow arching and she laughed, then she yanked on my hand.

"Come, I want to show you my painting," she got out excitedly, and I let her drag me, loving the feel of her hand holding mine.

No one's ever held my hand so lovingly before.

"What do you think," she asked, and I blinked, my gaze darting to the painting in front of me.

"I worked on it all morning and then I started missing you the longer I worked on it..." She trailed off, her eyes moving to mine.

I stared at the swirls of color, my heart pounding suffocatingly. "You painted me?" I asked, not quite believing that she'd spend her whole day working on drawing me.

She nodded, her hands rubbing at the side of her dress. "I mean I am not done yet... I still need to add a few finishing touches... Um, but you like it, right?" she asked, the shakiness of her voice catching my attention.

Our gaze held, her eyes darting between mine, the nervousness she was feeling visible in her eyes.

"You're not saying anything... Does that mean you don't..."

I grabbed her hand, stopping her words. "I love it," I said, hoping that she saw how much her painting meant to me. "I'm just surprised and overwhelmed that that's how perfect you see me... No one's ever done something like this for me before"

She smiled, her eyes brightening and drawing me in. I couldn't fucking breathe.

"I want to do a lot of things for you, Riven," she got out, her throat moving as she swallowed. "I want to make you happy... I want to show you how much I love you"

I glanced at the painting, then faced her, my hand cupping her face. "I can see it very clearly baby. Thank you for thinking of me all day long. I love you so much, Hazel. Don't ever leave me."

She nodded, then hugged me, her face pressing into my chest.

"I love you too, Riven. Let's be happy together for a long time."

I stroked her hair, my hand moving through her beautiful strands.

"Don't worry baby, I am going to make sure nothing ever comes between us. You and I, we are going to be together, forever."