His eyes grow cold again, the fire from seconds ago draining out of them. He looks around at the carnage with that blank look in his eyes. Blood on the walls, on the carpet, on us.
"We made a mess," I murmur, taking his hand as he helps me to my feet.
"He was stronger than he looked."
I scoff. "It's all those suppressants. They're not meant for long-term use."
"Don't you start lecturing me, Juney." But his hand is gentle when he ruffles my hair, leaving red streaks in the dark brown strands. "Come on. We need to start the cleanup."
"But it's such a nice room." I run my hand down his chest, feeling his heartbeat still racing under the expensive fabric. Blood always makes me feel alive, makes me feel real, makes me feel... "And you know what blood does to me."
"Juniper." But his protest is weak. It's always weak when I touch him like this. "This is a Level 2 cleanup, best case. And I still have to overwrite the security feeds when the guards change shift."
"Please?" I push him back onto the bed, right into the crushed rose petals. "Just once? Then we can be responsible contract killers, scout's honor."
He blows a puff of air through his nostrils, but his hands settle on my hips, fingers digging into the thin fabric. "You were never a Girl Scout."
"You don't know that," I say pointedly. "We met when we were teenagers."
"You would've been kicked out," he says with unearned confidence, pressing a kiss between my breasts. "You would've bitten someone on your first day."
"You're so mean," I whine, even as I sink to my knees between his legs, working at his belt buckle. His hand finds my hair, gentle as always, even now. "Just one little orgasm, then we'll clean up."
He gives a sigh of defeat. "You know I can't say no to you."
His cock is already hard when I free it, and I take him into my mouth like he's my favorite food. He tastes like winter and want, and when I look up at him through my lashes, his silver eyes are soft in a way they never are for anyone else.
I suck on the tip like a lollipop, then flick my tongue against the slit the way that always makes his eyes roll back into his head. After a few minutes of teasing and worshiping in equal measure, he pulls me up, onto his lap, and his fingers find my panties under the blue dress. "You're already so wet," he accuses, pushing two fingers inside me.
"I told you what blood does to me."
He kisses my mouth like he owns it, and pulls his fingers out only to adjust me so his crown slips past my soaked panties and presses against my entrance. He slides into me in one smooth thrust, and I moan at the fullness. This is what I need. This is what keeps the shadows at bay. My hands free his hair from its tie as I ride him, all that black silk spilling over his shoulders.I dig my fingers into it greedily and pull until his moans pour down my throat.
We fuck like the world is ending, like the dead man across the room might get up and object, like this is the only real thing in a universe of lies. He flips me onto my back, driving deeper, and I wrap my legs around his waist to keep him close.
Something moves in the corner of my vision. A shadow that shouldn't be there, shaped like hands and hunger and?—
Felix stills on top of me, in absolute control even in the throes of passion. "Are you alright?" His hand cups my cheek, thumb stroking over my cheekbone. "Are you seeing them again?"
"No." The lie tastes like copper on my tongue. "No, I'm fine. Please don't stop."
He searches my face for a moment, then kisses me deep. The shadows retreat, chased away by his touch. They always run from Felix. Even the things that aren't real know better than to challenge him.
"Harder," I beg against his mouth. "Fuck me harder."
He gives me what I need, what I always need—his body and his violence and his unwavering focus. The expensive suite fades away. The corpse becomes just another piece of furniture. There's only us, only this, only the sweet destruction we make together.
This is enough to keep the darkness away.
Or at least, I want it to be.
Just the two of us against the world.
Chapter
Two
FELIX
