I nod, struck mute, powerless to resist.
“I have never known love before you came into my life, and if ever we’re parted, by your choice or some other circumstance, I shall never know love again.” He brushes a thumb across my lips, making me shiver. “And now I find myself in quite a conundrum, because the monsters who wish your family imminent harm are still out there. Because I’ve just learned that the demon lord I toil for is leading a rebellion against humanity. Because Hell is fracturing, the fate of the entire world is at stake, and yet all I can think about is how it felt to hold you in my arms tonight. The silk of your hair in my hands, the taste of your breath on my lips. Every moment away from you is a torture worse than any I’ve endured in Hell, and I’m terrified that I’ve broken us beyond repair, before I’ve even had the chance to properly kiss you. So I’ve one final request, my wild, darling witch.” He closes his eyes and presses his forehead to mine, our breath mingling. “Even if it’s only to cast me away, please don’t torment me with silence.”
Warmth emanates from his touch, his sincerity flooding me, melting me. I wait another beat, just to catch my breath. And then…
“Give me your hand, Merrick.”
He opens his eyes. Holds out his hand. Waits for me, his face flooding with hope.
With a soft smile, I lace my fingers through his. Squeeze tight.
And drag him straight up to my bedroom.
Spoiler alert: Dr. Merrick Sutherland isnotthe quickie-with-the-T-shirt-still-on kind of guy.
He is the kind to savor and devour, to tease and torment in thebestpossible way. I’ve lost track of how many agonizing moments have passed since he stripped me of my pajamas and guided me to the bed, but as I lie on my back in the cool air, my skin is prickled with gooseflesh, my nipples hard, everything inside me throbbing with need.
The promised kiss hangs unfulfilled between us.
Still fully clothed himself, the cheater, he stretches out on the bed beside me.
“You take my breath away,” he whispers, trailing his long, elegant fingers down my face, then along my collarbone. “I could stare at you for an eternity.”
I laugh softly. “You could also do other things to me, if you’d rather.”
“Hmm.” He brushes a thumb back and forth across my nipple, his touch soft and maddening, his grin mischievous. “Wouldyourather?”
“Is this a trick question?” If he slid his hand a little lower, he’d find outexactlywhat I’d rather. There’s no hiding how turned on I am right now.
But then the grin fades, and the gold light in his eyes intensifies. “Just… let me touch you. A little more. I want… I need to feel your skin. Close your eyes, darling.”
A sigh of pleasure escapes my lips, and I do as he asks. He slides his hand down to my stomach, fingertips circling my bellybutton before shifting to linger over a hip bone, then slowly dancing back up to my breast. I arch into his touch, hot and needy, yet he continues his painstaking explorations, skating over every inch of my bare flesh. His hand sweeps across my lower belly, then dips lower, grazing the apex between my thighs. I let out a gasp, and his weight shifts toward me, his hot, seductive mouth closing over my nipple, tongue flicking the stiff peak.
“Merrick,” I breathe.
He sucks harder, fingers gliding ever so close to my aching core, but not close enough.
Then, in a dark whisper, “Open your legs for me, Elizabeth. I need to feel more of you.”
I obey at once, my thighs easily parting for him. He trails his hand down between them, thumb caressing my clit, winding me tighter with every stroke. A soft whimper escapes my lips, and he increases the pressure, dipping two fingers inside me, a slow descent that makes my thighs tremble.
“Fucking Hell,” he hisses. “You feel… you feel so good.”
I don’t know if Merrick has ever been with anyone before—as a human or a demon—but he touches me like he’s never felt anything so amazing in his life. Like he wants to remember every sensation, every sound, every scent, for all eternity.
I feel like a goddess.
He strokes me deeper and leans closer, his mouth grazing my jaw. A series of delicate kisses, lips and breath, as he inches his way to the corner of my mouth.
He hesitates. Sighs.
I amburningfor this man.
“If it’s all right with you,” he whispers, still stroking me with his fingers, bringing me closer to that white-hot precipice. “I’d very much like to kiss you now. And I don’t want tostopkissing you until I’ve made you shatter for me.”
“God, yes,” I whisper.
I’ve got just enough time to draw in another breath before his mouth is on mine.
