Page 54 of The Rat King
I traced my fingers across his grimace. “I promise you won’t hurt me.”
His hands wrapped around mine as I ran them up his hard chest. He’d changed into a linen ensemble which I determined was his around the house clothing and the feel of his strong body beneath the soft fabric was delicious. I had the sudden urge to taste the salt of his skin. I ran my tongue along the edge of his exposed collarbone and up the side of his neck. He heaved a breath trying to grab my hands between us, which I glanced at.
“Nigh, what’s wrong?” I asked, not understanding. He appeared to have cleaned any blood off of them and he wasn’t injured as far as I could tell. I didn't see what the problem was. The fact that he was actively resisting made me nervous, and I didn’t like that one bit. I needed him, to feel him and to let him show me that everything was all right. A chill shot through me. Was he upset with me for shutting him out? Surely not. “You’re not upset with me, are you?”
“Nothing is wrong. You were the one upset with me only hours ago. I don’t want to take advantage of you.” He pulled my hand up and kissed it.
“Well, I want to take advantage of you. Right now,” I said, letting insistence flood my voice. I wrapped his hands around my waist, and he teetered forward. I wanted him to know he wouldn’t hurt me. I liked how he’d made me feel, the ache and oh how I craved more. Goddess, I was aching and this hard-to-get thing he was doing was killing me.
“Nigh, I need youright now,” I demanded since he didn’t seem to get it the first time.
That seemed to snap his control. He groaned as his hands ran down the outside of my legs. He caught the edge of his borrowed shirt, pulling it up as his palms rubbed back up my thighs. When his hands reached my ass, his big fingers wrapped around me and he squeezed so tight it almost hurt as he pulled me against him. I gasped in his mouth.
“Yes, that’s what I need.”
The way he kissed me, I knew he had given in to whatever he had been fighting. His misplaced guilt at being with me after what he did this morning and then the weight of the disapproval he knew I felt. But sharing this right now was the healing I demanded. Lifting me, I wrapped my legs around his waist as he carried me to the bedroom.
“You look so fucking hot in my shirt,” he said, laying me down on the bed. He pulled his own shirt over his head, his muscles flexing and rippling. I was drooling. Then he kicked off his boots and peeled down his pants before crawling over me. I started to lean up so he could pull his shirt off me, but his rough hand shoved me back down to the bed. “I want to have you while you're wearing it.” He pulled it up so it was resting just under my breasts and the soft curve of my stomach could be seen. Then he moved a leg between mine, nudging it out, so I was spread wide for him.
His dark eyes licked across my skin before his fingers followed them. Chills traced behind his touch and he gave me a wicked grin as he watched them erupt before lowering himself onto me. Then he once again claimed my mouth as he thrust himself against me.
I was practically panting when I pulled my mouth away from his and demanded, “Inside, right now.” I didn't think I could take anymore foreplay.
“You’re still mine?” he asked, sucking at my earlobe as he brought my hand over my head.
“Yes,” I breathed.
“Swear it?” He raised my other hand to join it and he pinned both of them there with one of his.
“Jesus, yes, Nighval. Please,” I begged.
“Don't you dare shut me out like that again. Not knowing what you were thinking made me fucking crazy. I don't know if I can handle it again. Do you understand me?” he asked as he used his free hand to pull my knee up and then grab his length, positioning it at my entrance. His head brushed through my wet folds, and I whimpered. Geez, it had only been for a few hours, making we wonder what he’d be like if we ever had a real blow up.
He nudged me before pulling right back out and the sounds that came out of my throat were more animal than human. “Do you understand me?” he demanded, his grip on my wrists tightening.
“Yes, Nigh, yes, I understand,” I eked out between ragged breaths.
When I finished, and he was apparently satisfied, he rewarded me by slamming home.
Chapter 39
Nighval
Astheweekspassed,I could sense the curse breaking words on the tip of her tongue. I thought what she witnessed would have at least slowed down progression by a month or two, but it seemed to have the opposite effect as she had somehow accepted my darkness. Surrendered to it, and I found that intoxicating.
I was a lucky bastard. There were a few hours where I convinced myself I had royally screwed everything up. Since then, I’d broken my vow not to have her in this form. Repeatedly. But how could I say no to her? She had not only forgiven me, but she had been wet and wanting. And I’d been so hard, and she begged so prettily. After that first time I’d slipped, every time after that got easier to give in to my desire.
And each time I collapsed on top of her with her arms wrapping around me pulling me close, I sensed she was spiraling as intensely as I was.
The question was, how much longer did I have until it happened? Until she realized how she felt, and everything changed. Three words spoken from the heart were all it would take. I narrowly held her off the realization at the full moon party.
At first, I’d been angry with myself for keeping the words at bay, but since I’d given into my weakness and we had make-up sex, as she called it, I was enjoying showing her how very thoroughly I planned to love her. With each encounter, my regret seemed to fade since I greedily enjoyed everything she gave me during this stolen time.
Still, I needed to hold it off until our wedding night, which was at the end of this week. It made me a manipulative asshole, but I wanted to make sure she was bound to me before those words crossed her lips and my world came crashing down as the realization of what I’d done mowed her down. Tying her to me would give me time to re-win her heart and rebuild the trust I destroyed.
That thought made my stomach clench, but I should enjoy this, enjoy her and what we had before Samara robbed another thing from me. “Kiss me,” I said.
Avery stood on to the tips of her toes, wrapped her fingers around my neck and pulled me down for a mouthwatering kiss. Everything between us was so new that each time our mouths met, my thoughts immediately jumped between my legs. It took an absurd amount of restraint to stop from taking her every chance I got.
