Page 94 of Shadowface

I’m shaking, I realize, and he holds me for a few minutes, allowing me to ride my high, realizing I am in the arms of the man I am in love with.

One of them, at least.

And for whatever reason, I start to cry…all my emotions building up over the past few weeks pour out of me. He just holds me; he doesn’t speak, he lets this happen before he finally says, “They’re gone, Summer. They won’t be back as long as you’re with me.” His lips graze me. “You’re safe now.”

Safe… Am I actually safe with Lincoln?

Do I want to be safe?

I turn to face him, straddling him, squeezing his toned body between my knees. My body is in a cold sweat. Now that I have him, I have no plans of letting him go.

I run my fingers through his mussed hair. A flicker hints in his eye, and I bite my lip like I want to devour him.

Because I do.

He grabs my hands and interlocks his fingers with mine, and I can feel his arousal. “You shouldn’t be here. You’re making this really hard for me.”

I secretly keep waiting for him to call me pretty girl, but he doesn’t. Which means this is all Lincoln. And that’s okay with me, because Lincoln fascinates me just as much as Mikael does.

“Making what so hard?” I ask as I grind on him.

He pulls me into his strong sexy arms and runs his hands down my legs, his hands resting on the side of my thigh. “I’m trying to avoid you, Summer. But when you come into my house, looking the way you do, it’s nearly impossible to keep my hands off you.”

My lips part as I sink my hips further into his lap. I stare deeply into those eyes, trying to find a flicker of anything. No longer are they translucent. If Mikael is here, he is hiding. Lincoln’s eyes are deep, dark, captivating, and familiar, as I’ve seen them so many times before.

“Then why did you invite me to this party? The invite showed up at our door.”

He sighs and his shoulders slump. “That wasn’t me; it must have been Xander.”

“Why would you want to avoid me?” I tease, and my lips find his ear. “You certainly weren’t avoiding me earlier today.” I grip his arms and dig my fingernails into his skin.

He rests his hands on my hips, and I kiss him. The coolness of his glasses hits my face. When I pull up, I see that flash I was looking for. The monster within isn’t too far away, and I really want to draw him out.

Lincoln arches his brows. “I’m afraid that wasn’t me, either. You must be mistaking me for someone else.” I can’t tell if he’s teasing anymore.

We’re dancing around Mikael. Always dancing around Mikael. “I’m still bleeding from that,” I tell him, grinding on him. “Want to see?”

His body jolts and he sighs before delicately moving me off his growing erection. “I really don’t want to see you dead tonight, Summer. You should probably go.”

My heart rages out of control, and I sit cross-legged on the bed and cross my arms. “I’m not leaving,” I say stubbornly. If he knows me so well, then he should know this about me.

He sighs and runs his hands through his hair, rises and pulls me to my feet, grabbing my hand. “Fine. Come on, let’s go to my room.”

I clutch him as the drugs course through my system. I really wish people would quit drugging me, but I’m getting used to it. I’m starting to enjoy it, especially if I get to play with him every time.

“Where is your room?” I ask, peering around. Since there are no personal items, this room is clearly a guest bedroom.

He tilts his head down before finally meeting me with his shadowed, emotionless eyes. “The basement.”

Of course it’s the basement.

I pause as heat fills me before a moment of panic. “How do I… How do I know it’s you, Lincoln?” Perhaps I’m not ready to draw Mikael out yet. I have too many questions for Lincoln.

He takes a step into the dimly lit hallway, and I keep myself pressed against him, not wanting to break skin to skin contact with him.

He looks both ways, the hallway empty on both sides, before he says nonchalantly, “Because you’re not dead yet.”

Is that the difference between Mikael and Lincoln? Sure death…