“I want the monster.” The truth of it startled me. “But you’re so much more than that.”
His eyes glowed, twin rubies trained on me. “I’m your monster.”
I nodded.
And I wanted my monster. The one who had protected me time and time again. The one who was ruthless. The one who still scared me a bit.
I was done treading water. I surged forward, crashing against him as I pushed from the water. I wrapped my knees around his hips, the soaked chemise riding up around me. It didn’t matter. Nothing mattered except pulling my arms around him. He caught me, hands at my back keeping me steady.
I kissed the monster.
He tasted of sea salt and brine and darkness, just like the night. I pressed closer. Raphael deepened the kiss, and I didn’t shy away. Didn’t hesitate. I wanted him, wanted the way he groaned against me. Wanted to live in the moment his eyes had flashed with surprise when I wrapped my legs around him. Raphael was so powerful, so dangerous, but there was another side of him, one that I got to unleash.
Above the water, the chill of the evening hit my wet skin, but it didn’t matter. My body was hot, aching, and needy. I wanted more than the kiss. I tugged at his lips, liking how he jolted slightly at the movement. It wasn’t any true pain, just surprise.
I liked surprising the vampire king.
“I warned you I bite back,” he growled against my lips.
I lapped up the drop of blood, feeling bold. “What if you did?” My throat felt loose with desire. “What if you took my blood?”
He pulled back, and I saw a silent war wage within him. His throat bobbed once, as if unable to restrain his gaze from dropping to the column of my throat.
“Not tonight.” The words were a dark promise. Not tonight. But on another night, he planned to bend my neck and drink deeply.
Not tonight also meant he didn’t realize this was just for one evening. But I had no chance to correct him. He hoisted me higher on his body, his legs keeping us afloat.
The scrap of fabric was no protection. He pulled the chemise down, my puckered nipple exposed. He bent down, capturing the stiff peak with his mouth. He sucked it, and need exploded through my body. His tongue circled my areola, expertly teasing the nerves there until every fiber of my being was confined to that one point.
Then he nipped at me.
I gasped. He hadn’t pierced the skin, but the jolt went through me like lightning. He tugged again, with his teeth. Biting back indeed.
He followed up with a long, slow suck, the pain dissipating, sharpening with pleasure. “Raphael.” His name was a ragged plea.
“Just like that,” he growled against me. “Just keep saying my name like that.”
He switched sides, a fresh canvas to play with. My fingers dug into his shoulders as I arched against his mouth, throwing my head back. The fireworks continued overhead, rushing higher and higher through the sky, but as much as I’d marveled at them, it didn’t compare to how my body felt now, like I was living in the second before they exploded, the same way I’d felt free-falling when I’d jumped from the cliff. I panted, rasping Raphael’s name over and over between breaths, my ankles hooked behind him, as if he might be in danger of leaving.
His movements didn’t slow, didn’t speed, no matter how I urged him. I ground my pelvis against him, aching for more. More friction, more touch. My chemise rode up, skin on skin. The tip of his erection grazed me, and another level of awareness hit me. It was one thing to know Raphael wanted me, but feeling the proof of his desire, illicit, hidden by the water, when I could touch him without shame, made me ache in new ways.
“Fuck,” he hissed, pulling away.
He captured my lips again. The kiss was different from before. More raw, more feral. I pulled one hand away, massaging my breast and tugging at the skin as if to create an echo of his mouth.
He maneuvered us through the water, hoisting me onto the landing of one of the boulders, then kissing me once more. I didn’t care about the rough stone against my back. I wrapped around him more tightly, desire blooming through me, overpowering every other thought. With the boulder holding me up, his hands were free to roam. They were everywhere at once, brushing my hair back, running over the side of my neck, tweaking my breasts as they ventured lower.
“More, Raphael,” I pleaded against his lips. “I need more.” More touch. More sensation. More him.
He was wedged between my hips, but he forced my legs wider, pressing his hand in the space between us. He grazed my inner thighs, trailing his fingers over. This time when I clenched, it was involuntary, but he was too strong for me to move.
His fingers finally dipped lower, trailing over my sex. The excruciating touch sent tingles through my stomach. He did it again, coating his fingers. We were both dripping from the water, but I realized it wasn’t the only source of wetness. He moved between my folds, lightly grazing the sensitive flesh. My body was slick with need, coating him.
“Sorry.” I pulled back. “I’m making a mess.”
He kissed the side of my lips, a rough chuckle in his throat. “The mess is the fun part.”
He lifted his hand, and I whined at the loss of the touch, until I saw what he was doing. He lifted two fingers to his lips and sucked deeply, holding my gaze.
