“No. You just need to…” She takes another gasping breath, then turns to look at me again full on, her eyes glassy and far away. “Touch me, Draegan,” she whispers, guiding my hand lower, her hips arching closer.
Is she really asking what I think she’s asking?
“Miss Avery, I—”
“I need you to touch me,” she says, her voice a desperate plea. “It’s the same thing that happened with Auggie, and I… I know I sound like a crazy person and I’ll explain later but right now just… Do this for me? Please?”
“No. Absolutely not.”
“Auggie tried to help… I thought I was okay, but I guess it wasn’t enough… I’m on fire. Everything inside me is burning up and… Please, Draegan. I need it. I needyou, just this once.”
Fuck.
The heat of her touch, the urgency in her words, the soft breathy sounds she’s making beside me… All of it is conspiring to ruin me, just assheis conspiring to ruin me.
I don’t know what the fuck has come over her, but there’s no mistaking what she’s asking for now.Beggingfor. Every instinct I possess is telling me to pull away. To put both handsfirmlyon the wheel and shut my damn mouth until we’re safely back at the manor, where she can go to her room, I can go to mine, and we can both forget this momentevercame to pass.
But then, there it is. One last breathy plea whispering through her lips. One last desperate tug on my wrist.
And no matter how terrible an idea Iknowthis is, I’m powerless to refuse.
Chapter Twenty-Four
DRAEGAN
“Donotread into this, little mortal,” I say firmly, as ifshe’sthe one who needs the warning.
She shakes her head vehemently, the intensity in her eyes sealing a promise I’m not sure I want her to keep.
“Unzip your jacket and lean back,” I whisper. “And close your eyes.”
Because if I have to see the look in them when I make you come, I’m fairly certain I won’t be able to stop with merely a touch…
Once again, she obeys my commands without question.
After another silent argument with myself about crossing lines and making foolish mistakes and spending every night for the rest of bloodyeternityalternately regretting and fantasizing about this moment, I hit the button to recline her seat back a bit, and then…
Fuck.
I finally give in to her demands.
It starts with a gentle caress, fingers spanning her taut stomach. She’s only wearing a sports bra underneath the jacket, her hoodie gone.
“Thank you,” she whispers, and my touch circles lower, lower still, until I’m finally dipping inside the waistband of her loose pants, skimming over the lacy undergarments beneath.
Heat radiates from between her thighs, a tantalizing invitation I can’t resist, and I glide even lower, the pad of my middle finger brushing the lace over her clit, making her shudder, making myself nearly drive off the damn road. She’s so soft and warm and…fucking hell, the scent of her has my cock stirring to vicious life, wishing like hell I could shed the human glamor, give the gargoyle free rein, and just fuckingclaimher.
“Draegan…” Her voice is a quiet sigh as she clutches my forearm and urges me lower, already arching her hips for more—more of the very touch I’ve been fantasizing about since I first took her into my arms atop the bell tower, drew her close, and leaped into the night.
“Just relax, little mortal,” I whisper, finally working my way inside her panties. “I’ve got you.”
“Thank you. I swear this isn’t—”
“Shh. No more talking. Just spread your legs for me, love.”
I’m the one who’s desperate now, aching to slide into her, to feel her body clench around my fingers until she’s quaking and gasping and…
Fuck, it’s wrong. Every one of my dark, depraved thoughts is wrong. I know she wants this release—needs it—but she’s no longer the only one harboring such cravings.
