Page 122 of When Ashes Fall

His smooth skin was surprisingly supple for a man who’d endured so many battles, and I savored the feel of it. When I trailed my nails down his spine, he shivered against me and groaned my name before our lips met.

Electricity sizzled through me as his kiss became a drug wrapping me within its dark embrace and dragging me into the depths of ecstasy… and Hell. I should have fought its pull; I didn’t.

One day, this man might destroy me, as I feared the only way our story would end was in mutual devastation. But right now, I welcomed everything about the oblivion he offered. After tomorrow, he’d have good reason to hate me; tonight, we had each other.

CHAPTER SEVENTY-TWO

Briar

When he moved, I didn’t realize where he was going until the mattress sank beneath me. Knox planted his hands beside me and his thigh between my legs as he pressed me back into the bed.

I gasped at the astonishing sensation of his heavy body encompassing mine. He was all I could see and feel, all I could breathe, as he filled my senses.

He made my body come alive in ways only he could as his fingers glided down my belly before unbuttoning my pants. With a quick jerk, he tugged them down. I lifted my hips to make pulling them off easier. Without breaking the kiss, we worked them off together.

As they hit the ground, he grasped my shirt, tearing away the buttons as he pulled it open. Cool air caressed my skin. I hadn’t bothered with a binding before coming here; I’d told myself it was only because I didn’t have time for one and would soon return to my room, but deep down, I’d known the truth.

I hadn’t bothered with a binding because this was exactly where I wanted to be. If I ever saw him again, things would be completely different between us. And there was a chance this was the last time I’d see him.

When sorrow threatened to overwhelm me, I focused my attention on him as his fingers grazed my aching breasts. The head of his cock glided between my legs, spreading my wetness, but he didn’t enter me.

Instead, his hand slid down my belly and between my legs. When his fingers found my swollen clit, he rubbed in a leisurely, torturous circle before pinching the throbbing nub.

Pain and pleasure rolled into an enticing aphrodisiac that had me begging for him to end this overwhelming, delicious torment. I hovered on the edge and lifted my hips, demanding more. My entreaties fell on deaf ears as his fingers slid away from my clit.

He dipped first one finger and then another into my pussy, stretching me further. My back arched off the bed when he rubbed his palm against my clit.

“So fucking wet and tight,” he groaned as he shoved into me again.

I ground against his hand as the coiling tension in my belly spread throughout my limbs.

“I’m close. So close,” I breathed.

I was teetering on the edge of bliss when he moved away again. Groaning in disappointment, I grabbed at his back, but instead of giving me what I wanted, his weight eased off me.

As he moved, he left a trail of searing kisses down my chest and belly before settling between my legs. My heart raced as our eyes locked and his mouth settled over my core.

With long, deliberate movements, he licked my entrance before nipping my clit. I bucked against him when his teeth scraped the bud before he drew it into his mouth. When he bit it again, my body shuddered in response before he eased the sting with his tongue.

“Oh gods,” I breathed as our eyes remained locked while he tongue fucked me.

He lifted his head as his fingers plunged into me, wrenching a startled cry from my lips.

“There’s only one god for you, Briar. Me.” My eyes widened at his harsh tone as he plunged into me again. “I’m the only one you’ll ever pray to again. The only one whose name will fall from your lips. If you cry out to anyone, you’ll either say Knox or God, because from now on, I am your god.”

My breath left me, but before I could truly absorb his words, his tongue settled back over my clit, and all reasonable thought vanished when he took control of my body. My breaths became pants as I grasped his ears, drawing him closer.

When his hands gripped my hips, he pulled me snug against his mouth. My head fell back, and my fingers bunched in the comforter as I arched off the bed.

“So close,” I panted. “I’m so close.”

And then he was tearing his mouth away as he lifted his head, rose, and settled over top of me again. The orange of his eyes burned so brightly that I was certain the fires of Hell lit them, and from what I knew of him, they just might.

While the sight should unsettle me, it sent a thrill of excitement down my spine. I sensed a growing unraveling within him, a loss of control that I never believed I’d crave, but I did. I didn’t want to have sex with the beast, yet I craved this wild side of Knox.

When his pupils slitted, self-preservation surged to the forefront. I almost rolled over to run, but his heavy weight had settled firmly over me, and if I tried to flee, I’d unleash the beast.

He’d have me back on this bed before I made it more than two feet toward the door, and then he’d be inside me, fucking me… claiming me. My heart thumped a little faster—in alarm and excitement.