AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I thought I did,” she admitted. “But you have to accept me as I am, too.”
“I do.” He moved closer to take her hands. “The world isn’t black-and-white. Especially not this world. It is painted in shades of gray, an infinite number all blending together to make a pattern. I think we understand that better than most.”
“Maybe you do. I’m still trying.”
“Then keep trying, my love. I need you to truly see me. To understand that I do what I do to keep the serpent at bay.”
“Surely there’s another way,” she said, hating that he had to fight and kill to keep that darkness from overwhelming him.
“Perhaps. But I’m not going to seek it out. There are some rules in this world of ours, and one is to move through it with the serpent harnessed. There are those who don’t subscribe to that rule. Who kill humans with glee and torment their own kind. Those who haven’t tried to subdue the darkness within. I hunt them down, Sara. I hunt them, and I kill them. Which is no more than they would do to me.”
“I get that, Luke. I do. But it still doesn’t make it right.”
“And that’s the fundamental difference between us. You see right and wrong while I see an evil that must be stopped.” He took a step toward her, his body tense, his expression dark. “I was once the very thing I now hunt. And make no mistake, that darkness lives in me still, and one day I may not always be strong enough to contain it.”
“You are,” she said, her voice weak, her mouth dry. “You will be.”
He caught her wrist and pulled her close, then bent down to whisper in her ear. “Are you certain?”
There was danger in his voice, along with a warning. She didn’t heed it. Instead, she embraced it, her pulse quickening, her skin suddenly so very sensitive. “I am,” she whispered.
His hand went around her back, and he pulled her toward him until their bodies ground together. “You play with fire, Sara, and yet when I’m around you, the serpent sleeps. You soothe me. But right now I don’t want to be soothed.”
His mouth crushed hers like an invader, vanquishing whatever remnants of hesitation remained within her. His tongue plundered her mouth, and she met him stroke for stroke savoring the taste of him. Scotch and heat and pungent desire.
His hands gripped her rear, drawing her closer, fitting her tight against the erection that strained beneath his jeans. She whimpered, her hands clutching the material of his shirt, holding tight against the rising sensations that filled her, claiming her and leaving her begging for more.
She broke the kiss, tilting her head back to look into eyes that reflected the depths of her own desire. “Luke.” It was a plea, a prayer, and an invitation, and he accepted, scooping her into his arms and carrying her into the hall and down the stairs as if she weighed no more than a feather.
“My room,” he growled. “My bed.”
A huge bed dominated the room, lit by moonlight streaming in through the window. She still had enough of her sanity left to look for the shutters and found the metal blinds tucked in at the sides, ready to close as dawn threatened the sky.
“I’ve missed the feel of you,” he said, laying her gently on the bed, his large hands struggling with the tiny buttons of her blouse. “Screw it,” he said, then grabbed the material and tugged, sending buttons flying and making her laugh as the cool air brushed over her naked skin.
His finger caressed the lace of her bra, tracing the swell of her breast against it. “So beautiful.”
“Touch me,” she begged, longing to feel his hands on her breasts and the weight of him pressing down upon her. “Touch me now.”
He wasted no time fulfilling her command. His hands grazed down her belly, finding the button on her linen slacks. He tugged them off, taking her underwear at the same time, until she found herself naked from the waist down, clad only in her bra and her open blouse.
“Beautiful,” he whispered, his hands caressing her thighs, stroking the soft skin and sending ribbons of white-hot heat curling throughout her body. “Clothes,” she said. “Off.”
He took care of that quickly, stripping naked as she watched, his body as magnificent as she imagined any god’s could ever be. “Better?” he asked, sliding once more to brush his fingers up her legs.
She couldn’t answer. Could only moan, the ache growing between her legs forcing her silence. She craved his touch, the velvet stroke of his fingertips, his breath against her clit, his cock filling her. She wanted everything—all of him—and she was absolutely certain that she would die of frustration if she didn’t have it all right then, right there.
“Here,” she said, taking his hand from her thigh and pressing his palm against her sex. “Now, please, now.”
A low growl rose from his throat as his finger slid inside her. “You’re wet for me, Sara. Tell me how wet you are for me. How much you want me.”
“I am,” she said, spreading her legs, giving herself to him. “I do.”
He moved up her body, exploring her with his mouth as he went. With deft fingers he unfastened the front clasp of her bra and released her breasts. His mouth closed over her nipple, laving it with such intensity she thought she might come right then.
He pulled away, leaving her mourning the distance, then twined his fingers in her hair. “Kiss me,” he murmured even as he descended hungrily upon her. She matched him, their mouths meeting, warring, claiming.
Between her legs, his erection twitched, hard and ready. She reached down, lifting her hips, her hand finding him. He was velvet steel beneath her fingers, and she guided him to her core, straining up, silently urging him to take her. To fill her.
