Read Awakened for Free Online

down, spreading part of his plaid out over the moss. “Have a seat, Z.”
    “Don’t mind if I do,” I said, curling up beside him. Stark pulled me into his arms and flipped up the edge of the kilt over me so that I was warm, cocooned in what felt like a lovely Warrior-and-plaid sandwich.
    We lay there like that for what seemed like a long time. We didn’t talk. Instead we sank into a beautiful, comfortable silence. It felt right to be in Stark’s arms. Safe. And when his hands started to move, tracing the pattern of my tattoos, first on my face and then down my neck, that felt right, too.
    “I’m glad they came back,” Stark said softly.
    “It was because of you,” I whispered back. “Because of what you made me feel in the Otherworld.”
    He smiled and kissed my forehead. “You mean scared and freaked out?”
    “No,” I said, touching his face. “You made me feel alive again.”
    His lips went from my forehead to my mouth. He kissed me deeply and then, against my lips, he said, “That’s good to hear, ’cause the whole thing with Heath, and almost losing you, has made me know something for real that I only kinda knew before. I can’t live without you, Zoey. Maybe I’ll only be your Guardian, and you’ll have another consort or even a mate, but whoever else you have in your life won’t change who I am to you. I’ll never get pissed and selfish again and leave you. No matter what. I’ll deal with other guys, and it won’t change us. I swear.” He sighed then and pressed his forehead against mine.
    “Thank you,” I said. “Even if it does kinda sound like you’re giving me away to other guys.”
    He leaned back, frowned at me, and said, “That’s just bullshit, Z.”
    “Well, you just said that it’s cool with you if I’m with—”
    “No!” He shook me a little. “I didn’t say I was cool with you being with other guys. I said I wouldn’t let it break up what we have.”
    “What do we have?”
    “Each other. For always.”
    “That’s enough for me, Stark.” I twined my arms around his shoulders. “Would you do something with me?”
    “Yep, anything,” he echoed my answer, making both of us smile.
    “Kiss me like you did before so that I can’t think.”
    “I can handle that,” he said.
    Stark’s kiss started out as slow and sweet, but it didn’t stay that way for long. As his kiss deepened, his hands began to explore my body. When he found the bottom edge of my T-shirt he hesitated, and it was during that tiny moment of hesitation that I made my decision. I wanted Stark. I wanted all of him. I pulled away from him so that I could look into his eyes. We were both breathing hard and he automatically leaned toward me, like he couldn’t stand not being pressed against my body.
    “Wait.” I put my hand flat against his chest.
    “Sorry.” His voice sounded gruff. “I didn’t mean to come on too strong.”
    “No, that’s not it. You’re not coming on too strong. I just wanted to … well…” I hesitated, trying to make my mind work through the fog of desire I was feeling for him. “Ah, hell. I’ll show you what I want.” Before I could get shy or embarrassed, I stood up. Stark was watching me with an expression that was curiosity mixed with heat, but when I pulled off my shirt, undid and stepped out of my jeans, the curiosity went away and his eyes seemed to darken with the heat. I lay back down within the safety of his arms, loving the sensation of the roughness of his plaid against the smoothness of my naked skin.
    “You’re so beautiful,” Stark said, tracing the pattern of my tattoo that wrapped around my waist. His touch made me tremble. “Are you scared?” he asked, pulling me closer.
    “I’m not trembling because I’m scared,” I whispered against his lips between kisses. “I’m trembling because of how much I want you.”
    “You’re sure?”
    “Totally sure. I love you, Stark.”
    “I love you, too, Zoey.”
    Stark took me in his arms then,