I stared up at him. In this darkened red glow, his eyes seemed deadlier, his face harder, more frightening.
Beautifully frightening.
“No.”
Shoving his chest in my face, he brushed the back of his knuckles along my cheek. A touch so soft, so gentle, a sigh betrayed me, and my eyes fluttered closed.
I’ve never had a man touch me this gently before. The man who used to touch me, take me, was rough, abusive. He called me horrible names and yanked my hair. He bit into my skin and left me with temporary marks. Something to remember him by, he used to say.
Gentle, no. He was never gentle. Soft, no. He never was.
When I opened my eyes, Chad was watching me.
His eyes were no longer threatening, but warm. His face no longer frightening, but sympathetic, like he could somehow see my shame.
Irritated by this, I knocked his hand away from my face and tried to land him a punch with the other hand. But he caught my fist in his palm. Firm and easy. My other hand balled in a fist and swung up to punch the side of his head. And he caught that, too. Swift and easy.
Both my fists in his palms, I bent my right foot and aimed to knee him in the groin. But as smooth as the east winds, he shifted, and I missed.
That’s when I realized he’dletme beat him in the parking lot. Because I was no match for him. Silly me.
Crossing my forearms like a pirate’s sign, he spun me around and dragged me back against him, so my back was to his chest.
By this time, my chest was rising and falling in short heaves. But it wasn’t from the fight, and it wasn’t from fright. It was from want, need. It was because his body was so hard and hot behind mine. It was because he had an amazing scent. A mixture of male and musk, inevitability and destiny, love and war, answers and hopes. That scent, his scent, was spellbinding, convincing, coaxing.
And I sighed, letting my body relax, soaking it all up.
Chad hummed in approval, his chest vibrating with the sound. Uncrossing my arms, he brought them up and locked them around his neck.
As he trailed his fingers down my sides, I moaned and pushed back against him, feeling his erection, hard and probing.
I was so consumed. My mind foggy. Nothing but lust, desire and need. The dagger in my boot being a faraway reminder that I shouldn’t be doing this. Shouldn’t want this. That this was not the purpose of my being here.
But reason was hiding. Irrationality was upfront and personal. And I wasn’t going to stop.
In this moment, I wanted Chadrick Niiveux. Not dead, but alive. As alive as his cock behind me.
He was soft, and tender. And soft and tender was what I craved. His touches weren’t anything like I thought they would’ve been. His touches were different. They changed me. They changed my thoughts, my dreams. All I wanted to do was lose myself in him.
Lips dropping to my ear, his hot breath caressed my lobe as he said, “Renew the offer, Blood.”
And I did. Nodding easily, I told him, “Renewed.”
Before the word was fully out of my mouth, he spun me around and collided his hard, dissolute lips with mine.
Looping my hands up around his neck again, I pushed up against him and freely opened my mouth, letting him in.
Invited in, he entered, and roamed. Searched. Found. Stole. Invited in, he claimed, and owned.
This felt good. So good. So much better than in the parking lot. So much better than any other kisses I’ve ever had. This was the ultimate. This topped all. And all I could think was:I want more. So much more.
As if he could read my mind, Chad broke the kiss—much to my dismay—and swept me up off the ground. He carried me over to the sofa banquette and deposited me on my back, crowding down over me in the same flow. In no time, our lips were connected again.
His movements were sure and confident, like he knew just how badly I wanted him. Like he knew…everything.
Reaching a hand behind my neck, he tugged the strings of my costume bra and undid the knot. To help him get rid of it completely, I arched up my back and he reached behind me again and pulled the strings there, too, tossing the bra aside.
My nipples were hard and hot, like lava rock.
