Touch of Innocence

10

"What does this mean for us?"

"I'm not exactly sure. You aren't 18 yet."

"Why do I have to be 18?"

"That is when you will be of legal age as a human."

"Legal age to have... sex with?"

Clay nodded. "Not just sex, but anything with you, even kissing."

"Can I tell you something?" She asked, turning around on his lap so she faced his chest.

"As I've gotten older, my feelings for you have developed, and I'm very attracted to you." Her face was bright red as she revealed that.

"I was hoping you would be," Clay said as a smile formed on his lips. His hands rested on her hips.

"I don't mind that I'm not 18," she said quietly, feeling flustered thinking about the idea of anything romantic between them.

"I mind, baby. I'd feel as though I would be taking advantage of you."

"You can't take advantage of me, Clay. Not when this isn't some human relationship. What we have completely transcends any human relation. I don't think human social constructs have a say in our mate-ship."

Clay didn't reply. His dark eyes grew darker as he stared at Hadley's. He wanted more than anything to kiss his mate for the first time, to feel her lips against his, to finally feel the touch of his mate after knowing her for fourteen years. But he couldn't.

"I can't."

She sighed, feeling defeated as her shoulders slumped. She leaned her head against his hard chest. "Six months won't make a difference. My feelings for you won't disappear."

"Once you turn 18, human tradition can be ignored. But currently, you are only 17 and a human, and therefore human constructs apply."

She sighed again but nodded her head. "Is this what you and Ace discussed this morning? Is this why you were so upset?"

"Yes," he replied as he rubbed his hands up and down her back. He couldn't kiss her yet, but he could hold her as much as he wanted to. "He was trying to pressure me into telling you soon. I told him the same thing I told you, I wanted to wait until you were 18."

"That didn't work out so well," she teased.

"No, it didn't."

Clay's muscles felt very tense. She looked up and saw his jaw was clenched. To an outsider looking in, Clay was perfectly fine, nothing bothering him. But she knew Clay and his subtle signs of distress. He was not open with his emotions and always maintained a stoic expression. Unless he was with her, then he let some of his emotions seep through. Amaryllis always compared him to Ulric in that they were both bad at conveying their feelings.

"What's wrong?" She asked, rubbing her thumb across his jaw to smooth his muscle out.

"I wish we didn't have to wait," he said, pulling her tighter to him.

"We don't have to wait." He simply stared at her, unimpressed with her efforts to sway him on his decision to wait.

Hadley closed her eyes and smiled as she breathed Clay's scent in. She felt very content at that moment. For the entire duration of her life, she had felt this inexplicable pull to Clay. It frustrated her sometimes as she couldn't understand why she felt this way. She couldn't understand why she's never had a crush on a boy like Paisley always talked about. She couldn't understand why she had no desire to have a romantic relationship with any boy other than Clay. She couldn't understand why Clay was the one constant thing always on her mind.