Page 94 of Burned

He rises with me in his arms, and I cling to him as he carries me to the small sofa against the wall. Not our room, not our bed.

God, Cass will kill me.

He sets me down and kneels between my knees.

The sight of him there nearly ruins me. His hands slide up my thighs.

I stare at him.

This impossible, brutal, scarred, controlling man.

Then I reach for the hem of my sweater and pull it over my head.

Lucian’s breath catches.

The sound makes me feel more wanted than any words can.

I remove the rest slowly. Not performing. Reclaiming. Piece by piece, I take off the clothes and let them fall around me.

Lucian does not touch until I am bare.

His eyes move over me.

There is rage there still. There is hunger. Possession. Grief. Love. He leans forward and presses his mouth to my knee.

Such a simple touch.

It almost breaks me.

Then higher.

My thigh.

The soft skin near my hip. When his mouth reaches my stomach, I thread my fingers into his hair. He kisses the inside of my thigh.

I tremble.

Another kiss.

Higher.

Then his gaze lifts to mine, and the words come without hesitation.

“Erin. I love you.”

My heart turns over.

His mouth lowers.

The first stroke of his tongue drags me under.

I fall back against the sofa, one hand in his hair, the other gripping the cushion beside me. He takes his time at first, and I hate him for it. Love him. Need him to stop being careful and keep being careful all at once.

My body wakes under him.

Not all at once.

In pieces.