Total pages in book: 113
Estimated words: 107209 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 536(@200wpm)___ 429(@250wpm)___ 357(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 107209 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 536(@200wpm)___ 429(@250wpm)___ 357(@300wpm)
For the first time since he’d heard she was out there alone, the furious storm inside him shifted from anger to something else.
Hunger.
* * * *
Lyrica’s breath came in short, shallow bursts as Vero’s lips moved against hers, demanding and consuming. The weight of his body caged her in, pressed her against the desk, and shock slammed through her at how much she wanted to let him take over.
How much she wanted to trust him.
She plastered both hands against the hard muscles of his chest, and that defined masculinity made her knees weak. “Vero. What do you want?”
“You. All of you.”
Panic jerked her shoulders toward him. “It’s too much.”
Slowly, he shook his head, his callused fingers brushing her bare abdomen. “No. There is no ‘too much.’”
She gulped, her lungs on fire. Her entire body felt like she’d been dipped into a volcano, and every time she breathed in, she breathed him. Male, wilderness, even the snow. “This isn’t sane. We barely know each other. Mating was an accident.”
His hands stilled on the sweater, his fingers merely touching her skin and shooting sparks of electricity to her clit. “My people? They believe in fate.” His gaze darkened to the blue of twilight just before the darkness smothers the day.
Her heart hitched and her brain rebelled. “Fate? That’s just a cop-out. An easy way out of taking a risk. Of taking responsibility.”
He whipped the sweater over her head, tossing it across the desk. “I’m taking responsibility. And I’m sure as hell taking a risk, woman. The question remaining is whether you have the guts to do the same.”
“That’s a dare,” she whispered, her eyes widening. “Give me a break. I know what I’m doing.” But did she? Really?
“Do you?” he asked, his tone cutting. “Because I’m not seeing it. What I see is someone who thinks she can take on the world alone, who refuses to acknowledge her own vulnerabilities.”
Her lips parted to argue, but no words came. His gaze pinned her, sharp and unyielding, and she hated how much truth there was in his words.
“I’m not alone,” she said finally, her voice trembling despite her best effort to sound strong. “I’m here. With you.”
“Yet you’re still fighting us,” he said, his voice softening. “Still trying to prove you don’t need me.”
Her stomach twisted, the weight of his words hitting harder than she wanted to admit. She’d spent so long fighting for every scrap of independence, every shred of control over her own life, that letting someone else step in—even someone like Vero—felt like giving up.
“I don’t know how to let someone in,” she admitted, the words spilling out before she could stop them. Her voice cracked, and she hated herself for the vulnerability that crept in, but it was the truth.
Vero’s expression softened, though his eyes remained intense. “Baby, you didn’t stay in this territory because you wanted a job.”
Her mouth dropped open and she quickly shut it. Had she been that transparent? If she truly looked at herself, if she finally went for honest reflection, she’d been falling for the deadly warrior since the first day they’d met. That timeline she’d put on her job here had been to protect herself.
“I felt it too.” He cupped her face with one hand, his thumb brushing her cheek. “Dreamed at night about you. Wanted you. But I figured that I’d be dead soon, so I didn’t let myself dream in the daylight. Now, I can.”
His vulnerability, true honesty, halted any retort she might’ve made. “But your so-called fate took away those thoughts.”
“Fate just spurred me along,” he countered, one finger releasing her bra. “There was no turning back for either of us, but we just didn’t know it. I’m never turning back.”
The promise held weight. “What are you saying?”
“I mated you as a demon. There’s no going back from that.” He kissed her again, scraping his fangs along her neck. “I want to mate you as a Kurjan. I am going to do so.” He flicked her ear, his chuckle low when she shuddered. “But not until you ask nicely.”
She couldn’t think with his mouth on her skin. “I, ah, I wouldn’t, um, hold your breath.”
“Kurjans can hold their breath for hours.” Slowly, his fangs sank into her neck, right as his hand shot into her pants, cupping her.
Her knees went weak.
He licked the wound. “You taste like berries. Sweet with just a hint of sass.” He slipped inside her panties, brushing easily through wetness. “For now, I want a promise that you won’t go into danger again.”
Her breath stopped. If he just moved his hand slightly upward, she might orgasm. “I’m not, I mean, I don’t answer to you.”
He paused.
Awareness ran through her.
His free hand jerked her pants and panties right down to her ankles. “We can do this one of two ways. You’re gonna want to answer to me right about now. Promise me.” He plunged two fingers inside her.