[Music recommendation: Mountains of the moon- Shape]
Her heart did a proper somersault, and Ivan heard it loud and clear. She looked down, avoiding to meet his eyes even though she was clutching onto him like her life depended on it, because in the moment it did.
And Ivan didn't like it one bit. Her sudden quietness and refusal to meet his gaze unsettled him.
So he demanded, "Look at me and answer the question."
She pressed her lips together, stubborn and silent. Still not looking up, still hiding from him.
He tightened his grip on her waist and he dipped his head lower, and said in a deep voice close to her ears, "Look at me, Evelyn"
And Evelyn's heart did another wild leap at hearing her name being uttered from his lips for the first time in real life, spoken in that sinful voice of his that sounded far too good for her own sanity. It did something to her...it unraveled her resistance, compelled her to obey. So she did. Slowly, almost reluctantly, she lifted her head and met his intense, molten red eyes.
Breeze swept through, making their hair intertwine in a slow, intimate, dance yet everything seemed to have stilled for both of them.
They didn't know who leaned in more, but their faces inched closer until their noses nearly touched. Warm breaths mingled with each other, yet neither pulled away…nor looked away.
Evelyn heard Ivan ask in an unusually deep and husky voice, "Why have you been ignoring me, Evelyn?"
And as she heard her name slip from his gorgeous lips again, her eyes inevitably moved to them and almost as if in a trace, she blurted out in a breathy whisper, "Because..you've been haunting my dreams every single night."
Hearing her confession, Ivan's eyes widened slightly. Curious about the nature of her dreams, he pressed on in a low voice, "What kind of dreams?"
She tore her gaze back to his eyes.
Getting lost in the magnetic pull of his gaze and their impossibly close proximity, she replied, "It starts with me in your room… and then you come incredibly close to me…"
"Close.. like how we are now?" Ivan asked, his gaze unwavering.
She gave a slow nod, making their nose innocently brush at the slight movement. Her breath hitched, electrifying the tension between them.
Ivan continued studying her beautiful features, her innocent big blue eyes still staring at him, guarded, yet somehow under his spell. When one his hands subconsciously moved slightly up her back, he heard her heart tremble. Her lips parted and the way her eyes dilated just a little. Every tiny reaction from this princess fascinated him in ways he couldn't explain.
He wanted to know more so he asked, his voice barely audible, "And what happens next?"
"You.. You come to me like you want my blood…" she said softly
"And?"
"And.." Eve felt her throat go dry. She gulped quietly, finding it harder to confess the next part.
Before she could say anything more, he asked again, "Did you readily offer your blood to me?"
Eve's eyes widened, a flush rising to her cheeks as a wild thought crossed her mind, 'Can he read my mind?'
Unable to bring the words to her lips, she simply nodded again. And as she did, a slow smile began to form on his lips. The kind of smile she had never seen before. The kind of smile that could bring any woman to her knees before him.
He was just so beautiful. 'Oh God, how can someone look like that? He's really going to be the end of me. Maybe… maybe this is the moment I finally give in and let him ruin me.' Eve thought, as she gazed at his devastating smile.
"So, did you run away from me with every chance you got because you thought I'd ask for your blood… or because you feared you'd offer it willingly?" He asked in a low and undeniably seductive voice.
'Oh lord, what is this? Is he trying to seduce me?' Eve screamed inwardly
Knowing any lie would be instantly caught by this devil, she chose to stay on the fence, "I don't know," she whispered.
"You don't know," he echoed her words slowly, and the smile on his face widened.
He pulled her closer than she already was, and she gasped softly.
Her eyes met his in slight panic as she asked, "Wh-What are you doing, P-Prince Ivan?"
"You do know what I can actually do, should you lie to me, Evelyn?" he said and her grip on him instinctively tightened as she heard him.
"I-I am telling the truth.. I just feel.. I feel we should maintain some distance. Didn't you tell me to keep my distance from you?" A slight frown began to form on her face, which was still incredibly red.
"Hm, so you remember."
Saying that, he leaned in and tilted his head close to her neck and inhaled a lungful of air. He didn't touch her, but his little action made Eve tilt her face subconsciously to the other side, as if she was giving him more access, just like she did in her dreams.
As Ivan took in her scent, he said "You still remember my payment, don't you, Princess?" His low voice fell on the shell of her ear, sending a delicious shiver down her spine.
Evelyn's mind screamed warning, yet her body was betraying her. She didn't know exactly what was happening between them but she knew it was a line they shouldn't cross.
When she didn't respond, he slowly lifted his head from the crook of her neck and looked at her and she looked so surreal. So hauntingly beautiful, fierce and fragile all at once.
He could hear the wild rhythm of her blood pulsing in her veins so loud, so alive. He slid one hand from her waist to place it under her chin and slowly turned her face towards him. His touch was firm, possessive…and she let him.
When his red eyes met her blue ones, Ivan saw how she was silently begging him not to unravel her anymore.
"Tell me, Princess, do you?" He asked her in a seductive whisper.
Eve finally gave a slight nod and when she did he spoke again, "My payment would be…your blood."