Page 64 of Us Defiant Few

But when you remove the nails, the holes still remain.

Khalani and Takeshi had been through so much. More than any couple should ever have to endure. If they remained together, they’d likely end up destroyed or in a body bag.

But he made her darkness brighter. Believed in her when she’d lost all hope.

Khalani saw the goodness in him. Even if he didn’t.

“I think I’m okay with that,” she whispered.

They were inches apart, drawing closer without realizing it.

And without a hint of self-preservation, Khalani leaned forward and kissed him.

17

I never noticed the empty spaces between my fingers until I met you.

Khalani didn’t stop to contemplate the consequences.

Pure instinct drove her.

Her lips brushed against Takeshi’s, coaxing his unyielding mouth open. He was frozen, his muscles stiffer than the walls surrounding them.

She kept her hands by her side, knowing that if she moved even an inch closer, something terrible might happen. But when she swept her tongue across his lower lip, he took a huge breath, inhaling her very essence.

Takeshi practically vibrated with tension, his tightly held composure perilously slipping through his fingers.

And when she did it again, his restraint shattered.

Takeshi gripped her throat.

She gulped as his fingers squeezed and caressed her fragile skin. In such a precarious position, he could easily snap her neck, but his tongue slipped into her mouth, and he pulled her closer, as if the space separating them was offensive.

She gasped as his mouth clashed with hers in a fiery battle, giving and taking in equal fashion.

The kiss wasn’t sweet or loving. It was pure domination.

He devoured her fear. She drank in his intoxication.

He bent her back, his other hand still fisted by his side as he kissed her like a man possessed. Khalani moaned between his lips with the same carnal need.

For that one dark moment, their bodies intertwined, and she forgot all the reasons they’d been separated.

He was simply hers.

Irrefutably.

He chased the sounds of her surrender, and the second he felt her stop breathing, his fingers softened, massaging her throat, coaxing her to inhale for him.

So he could take more.

Make her his sustenance.

Unable to contain her writhing need any longer, Khalani wrapped her arms around his neck. But as soon as she touched him, Takeshi abruptly pulled back.

His chest heaved in the same fashion as hers, the vehemence in his eyes staggering.

She stood motionless, staring into his wide eyes.