A banked ember bursting into eternal flame, he burned for her.
Had always burned for her.
Would burn for her to the end of time.
Her body vibrating with need, Becca couldn’t get close enough to Jay. There were too many layers of clothes between them. Too many obstacles. Too many words.
She didn’t want words. She didn’t need them.
She couldn’t think about always and forever. Not now. Not when her pussy blazed so hot, she couldn’t think about anything at all. No, not true. She could focus on his tongue. Feel the way he licked his way inside her mouth. The way he dominated, teased, withdrew and came back for more.
Familiar—yet different. Comforting—but also new and exciting.
“Tell me what you want, baby.”
More. More Jay. More friction. More skin. More everything. More. More. More.
She tried to tell him through the bite of their kiss, opening herself to him, putting her faith and trust in him, just like she always had when it came to sex. He responded with a low moan, and backing her into the wall, he held her up, his body the support she needed to stay on her feet.
Their kiss turned rough, desperate, and when he withdrew, she felt his loss, an acute ache resonating from her core. A sound of protest ripped from her chest, and like the pull of a magnet, her body followed his.
“Take this off,” he ordered, yanking on the hem of her sweatshirt one-handed. With him assisting, she did as he asked, and the bulky hoodie landed at their feet. “You don’t hide.” He pinned her back to the wall once again. “Not from me. Not ever. I know who you are, sweetheart. What decorates the outside makes no difference whatsoever in terms of how I feel about you.”
“Jay—” Her protest died in her throat as he skimmed his fingers up her arm.
“That’s right, baby.” His gaze locked on hers, he left a trail of tingling skin in his wake as he traced over flower and leaf from wrist to shoulder. “I’d know you in a thousand years. In a hundred different bodies. Reincarnation after reincarnation, I’d find you, again and again. You should know by now, there’s no beginning or end to us. We’re the definition of infinity. In every life, every universe, in every bit of dark matter to ever exist, our souls are connected. Nothing will change that. You were made for me, and I was made for you.”
He caressed along her collarbone, his hand flattening against her chest before his palm smoothed upward to wrap around her throat, covering her bruises with the gentlest of touches. Too close to the edge, she shuddered and slammed her eyes shut.
“Look at me.” The liquid fire coursing through her too much and not enough all at once, she ground herself against his erection and squeezed her lids tighter. “Look at me,” he repeated, and the bite of command forced her eyes to pop open.
Oh God! She wanted to wail and cry. Beat her fists against his chest. Open him wide and crawl inside. She felt everything he’d said down to the marrow of her bones. It thrilled her, and it scared her, because a love like theirs consumed.
Everyone—and everything—burned to ash around them.
His hand slipped to the back of her neck, and fingers wrapping around her braid, he pulled her head back until her chin lifted, her mouth parted, and her body lay flush against his. “You’re mine,” he growled, a monster unleashed as he slammed his lips against hers.
Ow. Oh, shit! The sting of pain from her healing lip reminded her of everything that had happened. Yeah, she’d almost forgotten. Jay had shot Roman, and she’d left him to die. No remorse. No second thoughts. Who was the monster now?
They were the same.
One mind. One body. One dark and depraved soul. Her inner beast unleashed; she clawed at him. Raked her nails over his scalp, pulled at his hair, left scratches at the base of his neck. Their tongues tangled. Dueled. Fought for dominance.
He won.
He always won.
Because she wanted him to.
“If you don’t want this, Becca, tell me to stop.”
Her panic engulfed, and her grip tightened as she pulled him closer. “I want this,” she huffed between panting breaths and thrusting tongues. “I need you to touch me,” she begged, scrabbling at the Velcro straps holding his arm hostage in the sling.
He helped her set him free, their fingers locking together to rip the materials apart until the sling joined her sweatshirt on the floor. “Take these off,” he ordered, slipping his thumbs into the waistband of her leggings.
Her heart pumping hard enough to break her ribs, she did as he wanted, shimmying side to side in her hurry. He dropped to his knees, and with one hand on her calf, he pulled her ankle free. “Spread your legs.”
“Jay—”
