Page 140 of Merciless

I should feel elated that he’s kissing me and claiming me with his mouth. Instead, my heart breaks, and a small cry escapes me.

He pulls away, his eyes hooded as he looks down at me. Silence stretches between us before he turns and leaves the room without saying a word.

Tension fills the air, electrifying and raising the hairs on my nape.

I turn to Asher and glare at him before rolling onto my side, giving him my back.

“Leave me alone.”

“No.”

“I’m angry with you.”

“Then be mad at me.”

I get more comfortable on the mattress, hating how it’s like lying on a cloud. It dips beneath Asher’s weight, but I refuse to look at him. I gasp as he grabs my hips and rolls me onto my back.

“What are you doing?” My eyes widen as he pulls out a pocketknife and flicks out the blade.

He looks at the knife before turning to me.

“Are you going to hurt me?” My voice comes out in a squeak.

“No.” He grabs my ankles and wiggles the blade beneath the ties before flicking his wrist and cutting through them. My legs fall open, and he tosses the knife aside on the bed to spread me wider.

“Don’t touch me.” I kick his hands away.

He catches me by the thighs and drags me toward him.

“You can be mad at me all you want, little ghost. I need a taste of you.”

I shake my head.

Asher jerks my legs apart and trails his fingers up my thighs. “Are you done pretending? Because there’s no room for that.”

I swallow hard and stop kicking him.

Asher smirks and peeks at me from beneath his lashes. “There’s my good girl.”

My heartbeat thuds in my ears as he pushes my skirt around my waist. He holds my stare as he slides my panties to the side, exposing me to him. Asher’s gaze rakes down my body and stops between my legs.

“Do you want to know why I call you little ghost?” he murmurs. He tilts his head and moves onto his stomach, his face inching closer to my pussy.

I bite my bottom lip and nod.

I understand why Elijah calls me birdie. He doesn’t have to explain since it’s in the name. But little ghost never made sense.

He catches the end of his sucker between two fingers, then pulls the candy out of his mouth. He twirls the stick, and the blue top spins, entrancing me as I watch the movement.

“It’s because you’ve haunted me for years.”

His blue-coated tongue peeks from between his lips, wetting them. His gaze flicks up to my face for a moment before turning back to the candy, and he smiles.

“The taste of you was like candy on my tongue. So sweet. So ripe and needy. I couldn’t get enough of you that night, and I still can’t get enough, no matter how many times I lick your pussy.”

My eyes widen.

“It was you?” I breathe.