Page 52 of Forsaken
Her mouth watered as her heart thundered inher chest, but she didn’t dare move. If she moved, she might startrubbing herself all over him like a cat. According to the rednumbers of the clock on her nightstand, she had a couple of hoursbefore she had to return to the gallery, but she’d never fallasleep again now.
She didn’t realize her fingers were strokinghis chest until she felt the bristly hairs beneath her. Forcing herfingers to still, she flattened her palm against his flesh as heturned his head to nuzzle her temple.
His warm breath against her ear caused anache to spread between her legs. She so badly wanted to give in toher desire for him, but her brain retained a small semblance ofcontrol over her heart and body, and it was screaming at her thatthis was a bad idea.
“Are you going to leave again?” she asked.She couldn’t stand the idea of being the girl with daddy issues,but that’s exactly what she was.
“Only if you tell me to go,” he said.
Beneath her ear, she listened to the solid,reassuring beat of his heart; she loved that sound. And she lovedthe man the heart belonged to. When Julian played with her hair,she closed her eyes. She couldn’t recall the last time she feltthis safe or happy, and she was terrified something would rip itaway from her.
Julian ran his fingers up her spine andthrough her silken hair before skimming them down her slender backagain. His hand stilled on the hollow of her back, and he rested itthere. The thin material of her shirt felt like the thickest woolas it kept him from touching her silken skin.
“I believed I was doing the best thing foryou when I left before; I won’t do it again,” he said.
“Why didn’t you talk to me about it?”
“You’d already told me you wanted a normal,human life. I will give you anything you ask for, but I can nevergive you that. I will always be a reminder of what you endured onthe island.”
She hated that he thought of himself in sucha way. “You’re not a reminder.”
“Then what happened when you felt my fangsyesterday?”
“It’s not you…”
Her voice trailed off as she tried to figureout how to explain it to him, but everything that ran through hermind would make it sound like itwashim.
“I want more than friendship from you, Aida,and I can never change what I am.”
Aida tilted her head back to look at him. Hislapis eyes burned with an intensity she’d never seen before. Heseemed to be willing her to accept him, and to say she wanted himtoo. He’d never looked so desperate and needy before, and she woulddo anything to comfort him.
“I don’t want you to change what you are,”she said.
“Can you accept that I’m a vampire and akiller?”
“You’re one of the kindest men I’ve everknown, and you have an amazing heart—”
“There’s a darkness in me too,” heinterjected. “You have to know that I’m not the same boy who leftMaine.”
She started to deny his words but bit backher protests. After witnessing what he could do, and feeling theviolence radiating from him, she couldn’t deny he changed while hewas gone.
He’d grown into a man who strained to controlhis malicious impulses. Yet, as she lifted her fingers to run themover his trim beard, she was buoyed by the knowledge those impulseswould never turn on her. He’d kill himself before he hurt her, andhe’d destroy anyone who ever tried to harm her.
“You’re not the same boy,” she admitted. “Butyou’re a good man. I want you in my life, but if you leave again,I’llneverforgive you.”
“I’ll never leave again.” Julian searched hergolden-brown eyes as he spoke. “I’m as in love with you now as Iwas then.”
He loved herthen? He loved hernow? Before she could wrap her head around it, he kissedher. It was impossible to think when his lips were setting fire toher body and his tongue was entwining with hers in a bone-meltingway.
Julian threaded his fingers through her hairas he pulled her closer and shifted so she was on top of him andflush against his body. Through the fabric of her shirt, hernipples and lush breasts pressed against his chest as his cocksettled between her thighs.
When he woke to discover her draped acrosshis chest, he also discovered he was harder than ever before in hislife. The demon clawing at his chest demanded to be set free toclaim what he denied it for years, but Julian refused to rush this.As much as being this close to Aida tormented him, it also helpedto soothe the beast.
Unable to take the constant need of her body,Aida cleaved to his shoulders as she ground against his thickshaft. Julian groaned when she rotated her hips in a circle, andrealizing he enjoyed it, she did it again. She smiled when his hipslifted to meet her movements.
Her smile vanished when his next movementmade tingles of pleasure race down her legs. All her nerve endingscame alive, and her T-shirt was suddenly too confining. It took allshe had not to rip the thing off her. She had to feel this maninside her, possessing her and caressing every inch of her.
Julian slid his hands down to grasp her waistas she rotated her hips again before pushing against him. Herfingers dug into his flesh as her movements became more frantic. Hemanaged to keep his fangs restrained, but he couldn’t stop hishands from digging into her shirt and tearing it apart.
