But, true to form, Josie had to add a little drama to the situation.
“I’m mad at you,” she declared, as if I hadn’t noticed.
I groaned inwardly, knowing that this could be a long night. “Oh?” I asked, feigning innocence. “And why is that, Josephine?”
I placed her on her feet, facing me, and cupped her face, trying to keep a straight face as she accused me of what I had no clue.
“You know why,” she slurred. “Ares.”
I couldn’t help but smirk.
Leave it to Josie to be jealous of a woman who meant nothing to me.
“Josie, look at me.”
Shaking her head, she grumbled, “I don’t wanna.”
“Please?”
Sighing, she took a deep breath and looked up at me.
“She wasn’t the one I wanted.”
Gazing up at me, she gulped. “She wasn’t?”
Lightly stroking her cheek, I muttered, “No, she wasn’t.”
Her eyes, liquid pools of remorse, searched mine, seeking an answer to a question she was too vulnerable to ask aloud. I brushed away a tear that escaped the corner of her eye, feeling the weight of her sorrow and the fragility of this moment.
“Josie,” I whispered, my voice a gentle caress. “I only wanted you.”
She closed her eyes, her body relaxing slightly as the tension melted away. I could sense the war within her, the struggle between doubt and belief, but her heart wanted to trust, to hold on to this moment of raw truth.
“I don’t believe you,” she murmured, her voice trembling.
I leaned in closer, my forehead resting against hers, sharing the warmth of our breath. “Then let me show you.”
I didn’t wait for a goddamn invitation. My hands were already on her, a desperate hunger pulling her against me. The scent of her skin, warm and musky, a heady perfume against the sharp tang of the night air, sent a jolt straight to my groin. I cupped her face, my thumbs tracing the delicate curve of her jaw, and then I was devouring her mouth.
A savage, desperate kiss that stole the air from my lungs and left me breathless.
This wasn’t just a kiss.
It was my claim.
Fuck.
The taste of her—a wild blend of sweet and sharp, a taste that burned and lingered, a taste I’d craved since the first time I ever laid eyes on her—drove me wild. She tasted better than I imagined. Her lips, unexpectedly soft, parted slightly under mine. A gasp escaped her, a delicate sound against the storm that raged within me. Her sweetness was unexpected, a stark contrast to her usual fiery spirit. She ignited a deep hunger. I knew this was only the beginning; a prelude to a passion I knew would consume both of us. It was a goddamn oath whispered on a tongue slick with desire.
Her whimper, a desperate, strangled sound, vibrated against my lips even before my tongue found the sweet surrender of her mouth. A heady mix of innocence and seduction, laced with the hint of desire ignited a primal hunger within me.
My arm, a vise around her waist, crushed the soft curve of her ribs against me.
Fuck. I was claiming what had been mine all this time.
The frantic beating of her heart, a wild drum against my chest, mirrored the savage rhythm pounding in my own. Thiswasn’t just possession; this was a brutal, beautiful claiming of something fierce and untamed, something I craved with a ferocity that terrified and thrilled me in equal measure. Her touch sent a jolt through my body, and I responded without hesitation.
I pulled her closer, feeling the warmth of her body against mine. Her legs locked around my waist as I lifted her up, her arms still wrapped tightly around my neck. I could feel her heart racing, matching the rhythm of mine. The room around us seemed to fade away. The only reality existing in that moment was the two of us entangled in each other’s embrace.
