Page 62 of The Fall

Whether she knew that was a different story.

But last time hadn’t ended the way Kerr had hoped, either. Lusa had told her they couldn’t do that again. Kerr needed to try something different.

Picking up Lusa’s hand, Kerr placed her fingers around her artificial forearm. “Pull my arm away if you want me to stop.”

Lusa glanced down at her arm, her fingers holding tightly. “How much can you feel?”

Kerr raised an eyebrow. A deflection, but she hadn’t pulled her arm away either. Squeezing a little tighter just to make sure, Kerr revelled in the way Lusa gasped. God, her mouth looked delicious.

Testing her luck, Kerr inched closer. “Can I kiss you?” Lusa’s eyes widened. Whether that meant Please do, or Fuck no, Kerr couldn’t tell. “Pull my arm away if you want me to stop, remember?”

Lusa nodded as much as she was able.

Kerr angled her head. The ferocity of their kisses in the closet had been earth-shattering, but it had been harder to see. Here, with the light playing across dark umber eyes, Kerr found something beyond a need to get off. There was something else here. Kerr needed to know what it was.

And whether Lusa would let her find out.

To Thine Own Self Be True

Lusa tried to sit up, but Kerr’s hand remained in place, like an iron shackle at her neck. Helpless. The rush that followed – not rage, but something lower down confirmed what Lusa had been dreading.

She liked it. Really liked it.

Lusa liked the feeling of being overpowered. Liked it when Kerr took what she wanted. And most of all, liked it when she wasn’t responsible. If she lost control, it wouldn’t be her fault. In the trilling of anticipation, her lungs couldn’t get enough oxygen.

Breaking the kiss, Kerr looked at her. Saw her. Knew that she had permission to continue, even if Lusa’s pride wouldn’t let her say it.

She tilted Lusa’s head, staring into her eyes, combing for the words Lusa couldn’t speak. “Open.”

Her lip felt too heavy. Lusa let it fall, along with the tiniest sigh of surrender. Her eyes never left Kerr’s.

That was all the consent Kerr needed. Crashing against Lusa’s teeth, her tongue forced its way past pitiful defences. Lusa nearly choked. Kerr grinned devilishly at the bobbing of her throat against the sensor pads on her palm.

She pushed Lusa deeper into the wall, pulling away. “You can hate me later, if it makes you feel better, yeah?” Kerr released her grip. Lusa nodded. There would be a clear imprint of her fingers on her neck tomorrow.

“Good.” The corner of Kerr’s eye wrinkled delightfully. “Because I’ve been wanting to do this for so long.”

“You’ve known me two days.” Why she’d decided now was the time to bring that up, Lusa didn’t know.

But Kerr indulged her. “You did this to me years ago.” Kerr wriggled her artificial digits against her skin “And I thought you were hot then too.”

Lusa’s eyes widened. “You thought I was…”

Kerr stopped her mouth with a kiss, brutal and possessive. Lusa understood it well. Aggression served as a good cover for the embarrassment of admitting she’d been fighting hate and desire for this long.

But it no longer mattered. Eyes opening with immense effort as Kerr broke away. “For so long,” Kerr repeated against her lips.

Kicking her remaining objections away, Lusa threw her arms around Kerr’s neck, expecting to pull her in, but she was stopped, wrists pinned above her head. Lusa arched her back, struggling to move. Why wouldn’t Kerr let her touch her? A whimper escaped, but she didn’t recognise it as her own. She’d never made that sound before.

Kerr raked her teeth across her bottom lip. “You have no idea how hot this is, yeah?”

Lifting her hips to throw Kerr off balance, all Lusa did was give her a silly bucking bronco ride. Elbows locked, holding her effortlessly, Kerr pinned her firmly in place. Her grinning dripped with a mixture of amusement and lust. Even more maddening was the rush and flutter below her navel. Part of her still refused to believe she was into this. Even as her body screamed for more, Lusa tried a different tactic. “I thought you wanted this.”

Kerr grinned wider. She had a gummy smile that Lusa hadn’t noticed before. “Oh, I very much do.”

“Then why,” Lusa tried to buck in vain, “Why won’t you let me…”

Cut off by Kerr’s hand at her throat again, Lusa could only stare. “Because I make the decisions here. Because you’re mine.” Repeating her claim from the club, Kerr’s tone carried none of the protectiveness.