∞ The Tethered Ones ∞

Chapter 46

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• Luna •

"Beautiful," Amir said, emerging from the dim hallway.

"What is?" Luna's brows rose.

He gave her a face. "Do you even have to ask?"

"Yeah. I wasn't sure if you were talking about the drain or something."

He laughed. "Everything is ready. I even found a box of candles." Amir lit a few of them and placed them around the room. "I have a surprise for you. The water is warm."

"Really?" Luna scooted to the edge of the bed and gaped. "You have to explain how that is possible."

He gave her a sly grin. "I have my ways." Amir carried one of the lanterns into the bathroom and set it on the counter. "I tried out a skill of mine."

Her mouth dropped open. "What?"

"You remember when we were fighting those Defectives at Dr. Kim's?" The water turned on, drowning out whatever else he was saying as he sat on the ledge of the bath.

"Yeah?" She stood up, her steps a little wobbly as she made her way to the doorway.

"I absorbed their electric power." The lantern didn't do much to combat the darkness of the small room, but it did cast interesting shadows along the back of his shoulders.

"We both did."

"That's right." Amir reached over and turned the water off. "Do you want to watch how I do this?"

She took a step behind him, shuffling forward. "How are you going to heat it?"

"It's like boiling water," he said, placing his hand in what had to be freezing temperatures. A faint burst of white light powered down his arm as he lazily trailed his hand through the water. "That's it. There you go."

She squinted as she heard the gentle rumble of water and saw bubbles spring forth from his fingers before she could speak. "Amazing."

He drew his hand back. "I don't know why I hadn't thought of it since we arrived, but oh well, we can have hot water whenever we want it."

She smiled and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you, A."

"And here I thought I'd be called, 'Mister.'"

"I could always address you as 'Sir.'"

His brow arched. "You have no idea what went through my head. It was undoubtedly a filthy place."

While holding a candle, she bit her lip. "Then let it be."

Amir rose fluidly, and with Luna so close to him, there was very little space between them. She had to crane her neck way back to see his eyes. She felt nervous all of a sudden. Not the bad kind, but a strange mix of hope and anticipation. She yearned for . . .

She wasn't sure what she yearned or wanted other than him, and she could tell he was about to leave the bathroom to give her space.

"Show yourself," she blurted, and his brow creased. Her cheeks flushed as she shifted from one foot to the next. "Your aura. I'd like to see you bring it out."

"Hm. Moon wants to play hide-in-seek."

She smirked and playfully jabbed at his arm. "You know I wasn't trying to be filthy."

One side of his mouth curved up.

"And you shouldn't grin at me like that," she added. "You know what it does to me."

"I have a pretty good imagination." The smile grew. "Do you need any help?"

She raised her brow.

"Dirty mind," he murmured, his half-grin reappearing. "I was talking about the bath."

She looked around the bathroom, a flash of light bouncing off the candles and lanterns. "I'm all right."

"You could always let me be helpful," he insisted, a smirk sporting his mouth. "Do you want me to stay . . . with you?"

"I'm afraid to say no."

He snickered. "You can say yes."

"You're such a feisty husband."

"I agree. I'm almost too much to handle."

Amir went to get some body wash and a loofah. Her face cleanser. A large fluffy towel.

"I'd like to wash my hair," she said.

"Got it." He took two bottles from the shower caddy. "I'll get you a pitcher."

She stepped aside and waited for him to exit the bathroom before turning to the bath. Taking a seat on the ledge, she buried her toes in the plush mat. The water was hot to the touch, but she figured in a few minutes it would be cool enough, especially if she rinsed the shampoo and conditioner out with cold water.

Stepping in, she sank into the bath, sucking in a sharp breath at the shock of the hot water. Her skin took a few seconds to adjust, and then . . . goodness. She almost moaned as the heat of the water invaded the stiff muscles along her back when she leaned backward until her shoulders were underwater. Everything was relaxing, so she closed her eyes.

When she glanced to her right, she saw him standing in the doorway, holding a large white cup in one hand and a large plastic storage container in the other. He didn't move. She wasn't sure if he was breathing as he stared at her with jewel-like pupils.

Her heart was still pounding. "The sauna called to me, and I couldn't refuse."

"I can tell."

"It feels good." He laughed and said only three words, but they were so full of desire and need that she shivered. She took a deep breath. "I'd like your help in washing my hair. Just in case I miss a strand."

All Amir did was set the cup on the counter, the container on the floor near the tub, and then back up to the doorway.

"And I figured since you heated the water, you should be able to enjoy it while it's still warm. The tub is big." The tub wasn't a Jacuzzi or anything, but it was significantly larger and longer than a standard tub. "I could use the company."

He opened and then closed his mouth. He took a breath. "Perhaps I shouldn't."

She hadn't expected that reaction.

At all.

A different flush swept over her skin, unrelated to the heat of the water or the fact that her body was on display for him to enjoy. Her nerves rattled after his response.

"I shouldn't have said it like that," he cut into her thoughts. "I don't believe we're just going to bathe together, Luna. I know it's silly because we're married, but my body will react physically to you. And it might be a little embarrassing for me. I want . . . I must respect you and not take advantage of anything you may be going through."

He paused, and then continued. "I'm probably making no sense, but making sure you and Sarah are taken care of is my top priority. And tonight . . . You almost died. I'm still reeling from it. I should be stronger than that, but I'm not. My entire world was about to be ripped away from me in an instant, and I don't think I could have survived. Not if you died."

Her brow perked. "You think you'll be embarrassed if I notice your . . . arousal?"

His body stilled. "That's all you got out of my speech?"

"Nope. You said you were worried I wouldn't make it, but I did. You rescued me. My guardian angel."

"Luna . . . I . . ." He stopped before walking closer. He muttered as he averted his gaze, "I'm picturing you covered in cow dung. That way, my physical reaction will disappear."

She laughed. "Cow dung? Seriously?"

Heat licked his eyes, intensifying the caramel hue and turning them into a brilliant cocoa shade. "Seriously."

Her cheeks flushed, and something far warmer and headier crept through the rest of her. "Wow."

"Indeed," he growled, his eyes alight with fire. "So, if you're okay with your husband having unexpected physical reactions to you, I'm more than willing to assist you in cleaning your body." His lips curved upward on one side. "You have no idea how eager I am."

She smiled. "Just be you. I don't mind."

"Thank goodness." He took a step back and reached around to the nape of his neck, grabbing a fistful of his wet shirt and tossing it to where he was standing.

Her eyes lingered on the lean length of his torso as they swept over his bronze shoulders and defined chest.

He made her want to do very bad things—

She quickly refocused her attention on something else. "Could you . . ."

"Could I . . . ?" When he leaned in, the movement did interesting, sinuous things to the muscles along his arms and shoulders. "Could I do what, Moon?"

She frowned, her arms wrapped around her bent legs and her gaze above her shoulders. "You read my mind sometimes, but now you aren't?"

His lips curled up even more in amusement. "Your shield is up."

She wasn't sure she believed that. "Could you tell me why . . . why you were murmuring in your head for me to stay alive?"

"Did I do that?"

Her eyes narrowed. "You know you did . . . Sir."

He bit his lower lip while dipping his chin. "You chose this moment out of all the others to address me as 'Sir.' I think I will enjoy hearing that one word from you."

She scoffed. "Well then, you can just listen to it on repeat in your mind."

"Right." He groaned. "I don't want to make you mad, so to answer your question, you were affected by what came out of those doors. It scared me."

She gave a small shake of her head. "There's more to it than that. You begged me to stay behind this morning. It's as if you knew something was going to happen. And that's not the only time." She inhaled and continued. "Even when you were sick, you kept talking about my funeral."

He moved away from the door, lowering his arms as he took a step forward and came to a halt in front of the vanity. "I'm curious as to why you're naked and thinking about something I said in my sleep or my head. Not that I'm passing judgment. I'm just wondering why you're so focused on it."

"Because . . ."

"That's not an answer, Moon."

Luna sighed. "You just kept talking about it. That's all."

He slowed down and stared at the shadowed wall, wiping his hands on a towel. "I just want us to get out of here alive and find a nice place to live with Sarah." His lips twitched with that thought. "How do you feel about that?"

She wasn't sure how to respond because moving somewhere else was something she hadn't even considered. So she decided to be truthful. "I don't know." She considered all the places she'd seen on TV that had been destroyed and were unlikely to be recovered. "I'm not sure I'll ever want to leave this place. At least not yet."

"What about in five years? Ten? When we're no longer dealing with BARDA and it's just us and Sarah raising koalas?"

The fact that Amir was planning so far ahead, even though they were dealing with a destructive organization, made her heart skip a beat. Not only did he believe there was a future for them somewhere on the planet, but he also believed there could be a future for everyone that did not involve being caught in the middle of a fight for freedom—

Wait.

"A group of koalas?"

He shrugged. "I've always thought having a koala as a pet would be cool."

She smiled. "Both Sarah and I like koalas."

"I know."

She laughed when she imagined them with a small house and a koala-filled yard. A whole zoo. It was the most ridiculous future, but Sarah would have fun with it.

A beautiful future.

She saw everything even with only the light of the candles. Her skin felt as if it had been electrically heated, just like the water. It wasn't their first time in the tub together, but it was for him. Deep down, he barely remembered anything and his mind was sometimes jumbled. There was a palpable sense of anticipation and yearning between them.

She began to move forward, but Amir's hand on her shoulder stopped her. He kissed her as he knelt on the tub's edge. "Let me wash your hair first."

"You don't have to." Her heart pounded. "I was just messing with you."

"Were you trying to get me naked?"

She nodded. "You're naked now."

"For you." He held the cup. "But I want to do it. It'll give me some breathing room."

"For what?" She remained hidden as she watched him from her curled-up position. It felt more amusing that her husband's intriguing bits were concealed by the tub's wall.

"So, I don't make a fool of myself."

When Luna finally understood what he was getting at, all she could utter was a faint Oh.

Amir took his time and worked quietly as he washed her hair. He warmed each new batch of water, taking care not to tangle his fingers in her strands, and made sure that none of the suds or conditioner went down her face but instead into the container he had brought in so that they wouldn't be soaking in the used water. She wouldn't have considered that.

"You're great with washing hair," she said.

"Anything for you, Moon."

"I'm just . . . overwhelmed with how things went tonight, and now I'm getting spoiled by your hair washing techniques. You could probably change careers."

He smiled. "And what would that be?"

"Barber. I think you'd be good at assisting other men on their hairstyles."

"I'm not sure about that."

Her eyes widened as he rose unexpectedly.

She did look away this time because he was . . .

Every inch of him was a work of art, a gift from Allah.

"Science is my passion."

She looked over at him because she had no sense of etiquette whatsoever. He dipped his head under the sink to wet his hair and applied some shampoo, followed by a dash of conditioner. Without worrying about tangles and knots the size of her hand, he had cleaned his hair in the sink in less than ten seconds.

Such a man—a man with an exquisite backside.

"Are you going to come in?" She hoped her plea sounded sultry and seductive rather than high-pitched and squeaky as it did in her ears.

He answered, "Nothing in this world could stop me. Not even a crowd of people galloping down the street."

"People?" She scooted forward and laughed. He entered the tub behind her and sat down as the water splashed her back. "They'd probably enjoy what they saw."

She turned, slightly flushing.

"You like what you see, right?" His breath touched her neck. "And feel?"

Luna lowered her brow to her knee. "Every part of you is a beautiful creation from God."

"You, too, are a beautiful creation." His legs brushed up against her hips, the hair on his calves sending shivers down her spine. "Even our daughter. You two are incredible."

She took a deep breath, lifted her head, and leaned back just enough so that her face wasn't stuck to her legs. He brushed her wet hair over one shoulder and lowered his hand down the center of her back. A heartbeat passed, and she felt only the tips of his fingers sliding up and down her waist. His lips touched the nape of her neck, causing her to bite her lower lip. She wrapped her fingers around his hands and led them forward by straightening her legs, slowly uncurling them.

"You're spoiling me," she whispered, then added, "You're making it difficult for me to not get used to it."

"I aim to please, Baby Luna."

She sneered. "Don't start."

His slippery, soapy hands continued, moving down across her lower abdomen and then back up her arms. He only took his hands off long enough to soap them up again before continuing to linger until she was clinging to his legs and exerting all of her strength to stay still.

He spoke into her ear, "Making sure you're extra cleaned."

He chuckled deeply as his hands slid into the water, and then he was retracing his steps, washing away the soap with a washcloth from the vanity. The material did strange and interesting things to her skin, but he soon had that soap back in his hand.

"Sit back." His request was harsh, but she immediately complied.

"Yes, Sir."

The contact of her back to his chest and her hips against him was a wonderful, exquisitely pleasing sensation, but it was quickly overshadowed when his hands moved over her hips and legs. He lifted one leg, hooking it over the edge of the tub, and then his fingers slipped between her thighs, running his hand up and down.

Her heart pounded as she kicked her neck against his shoulder. "You're trying not to miss a spot, Mr. Khan."

"I sure am." His voice floated like smoke. "I'm a stickler for detail."

Her hips shook as she rose out of the water, a sharp, intense throb coursing through her. She reached back and clasped the back of his neck with one hand.

"I need to make sure you're spotless," he whispered. "So make sure I'm doing this well."

You are, A.

Her gaze was fixed on the lantern light flickering over the water and their legs. She was focused on the way the tendons in his hand flexed as she yanked on his hair. He didn't back down, kissing her earlobe and then tracing a line up along her jawline. His lips brushed against hers, and his kiss was passionate.

She turned, her hands on the ledge, and slid her knees on either side of his legs. It was far from graceful. Her right knee smacked into the tub as water spilled everywhere. His hands landed on her hips, balancing her.

"Mmm. Thank you, Amir." She shifted her hands to his shoulders. "This feels good."

His cheeks were fanned by thick lashes. "I should be the one saying thank you."

"I didn't do anything, A."

"But you have." Amir's hands flexed but remained on her hips. "You're giving me everything I've ever wanted. You always have."

His words rocked her to her core, and she was still for a brief moment. Her heart was squeezing and expanding in the best way possible because she knew he wasn't talking about just this. He was telling her about everything he'd done with her, which meant the world to her.

They would have immediately leaped out of the tub if she had had any reservations about what they were going to do, but she didn't have a single doubt or hesitation. Every part of her knew they both needed this. Despite the hell they've been through, making love to him felt right. Everything just felt natural and pure, a consensual moment in bliss.

Their lips met, and this kiss was as powerful and deep as the others, but it was different. There was a sense of urgency, which caused the muscles in her lower abdomen to curl. She instinctively moved in response, and when his hands slipped past her hips and pulled her closer, she felt the same ferocious intensity growing inside of him. His trembling against her almost gave the impression that his self-control was a thin veneer that was about to break.

"Are you okay?"

She nodded, his chest rising and falling against her. "I am," she said. "We can keep going. This would be a first for us."

Amir's hand swept up her back and curled around the nape of her neck. "We've never had sex in the bathtub?"

She shook her head. "We just bathed. Even at our first safe place."

"Luna . . ."

She trembled as she lowered a hand under the water and then down his wet chest. Stroking his skin gently with her palm, his back arched and he kissed her flesh as he repeated her name.

"I want . . . I want to respect you."

"And you are, Amir. I want this."

"Even after what you've been through tonight?"

She nodded. "Yes. If you're so worried about the pain from the Hisyl, you could always heal me."

"Oh, Moon, I'd give everything in the world for you to never feel pain again. That's such a cliché response."

In his embrace, she laughed. "There's nothing wrong with a few cliché moments in our lives."

Leaning forward, she kissed him, taking a shallow breath in. Both of his hands tightened, one tangled in her hair at the back of her neck, the other digging into her body.

"Moon. God," he breathed, shuddering when she moved tentatively. "I want . . ."

Her hands were back on his shoulders. "You want?"

"I want to make love to you until you can no longer walk straight." His lips brushed against hers. "You are extraordinary. It's just that I imagined how this moment would feel with you. I'm sure I thought about it a little too much." He drew her closer to him, eliciting a gasp from her and a groan from himself. "But I had no idea it could feel this way. Absolutely no idea. None."

Once their mouths had touched again, she started to move more gently as she attempted to process how he felt against her and inside of her and how every inch of her skin had grown sensitive. She was completely unprepared for the dizzying wave of emotions that seemed to wash through her, through their souls.

"I love you, Moon." His hips were chasing the beat of her body as he held her so tightly to his chest with one of his arms curled around her waist. "No matter what happens moving forward, our souls will remain connected to each other. I'll always remember that about us. I won't ever forget you."

Her fingers dug into his shoulders and then tugged at his hair. "Tethered," she said, opening her eyes to lock with the raw stare of his.

"Souls . . ." he whispered.

There was no sense of rhythm at that point, no thought of the water swelling and falling, only to rise again, spilling over the rim. The slowly swaying bathroom door rattled and creaked. She looked down at Amir, beyond their chests, to where a constellation of dark dots appeared along her stomach, moving and twisting with her body—with their bodies.

"In sync." His hand found and followed the spots on her hip. "You're absolutely gorgeous."

She felt like that at this moment. How could she not? And there was no time to say anything. The light they both possessed lit up the very air they breathed, making it seem as though the bathroom had suddenly become full of a thousand fireflies, a stunning display of how powerful their love really was. There was only them and how they felt for one another, and that became a potent force, electrifying the space until the air cracked around them.

Their souls were truly . . . synchronized.

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