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"Maybe it would have two months ago." I shrug, not sure that's strictly true. If he were anyone else, it'd probably terrify me. But he isn't just anyone. If I am cursed like Merry always said, I think maybe he's the think meant to break it. Isn't that how it works in fairytales? My life may not be one of those, but if ever a storybook hero existed, I think it's him. He's a warrior.
"But not any longer?" he asks.
"I've seen evil now," I whisper into the inky dawn. "I've lived in fear of it. I know what it looks like and how it beats in your chest. You aren't that, Constantine. You're something else."
"What am I, Aurora?"
"Inevitable." I don't know why I say it, but I think maybe it's the only word that fits him. He's inevitable. For those who cross the people he cares about, he's the inevitable, foregone conclusion. You don't tempt fate, not if you want to survive.
"Jesus," he rumbles, shifting closer. His lips settle against mine in a soft kiss. He intends it to be short and sweet, a simple gesture of gratitude, I think, but I'm quickly coming to learn that I'm starving for any little piece of this man he's willing to give. If he gives an inch, I'll take a mile.
That's exactly what I do.
I press my tongue to his bottom lip, eager to taste him and the forbidden fruit dangling in front of me. A pained groan rips from deep within his chest before he hauls me on top of him. My legs slide against the expensive fabric encasing his powerful thighs as I straddle him, our mouths working together as if we're both starved for the taste of one another.
"Starlight." His fingers sink into my hips, pulling me deeper into him. One hand slips into my hair, cradling my head as he deepens the kiss. His tongue strokes against mine, drugging me. "You taste like trouble, baby girl."
I shiver at the rough rasp of his voice. At the thick bulge nestled between my thighs. At the way he holds me as if I might shatter if he presses too hard. A thousand different sensations swarm me, each one new and more exciting than the last.
"Constantine," I moan, caught in a maelstrom of ecstasy.
He groans like a dying man, reluctantly breaking the kiss. "We have to stop before I lose the will to stop at all, starlight."
My heart plummets. I don't want to stop. I want to glut myself on him until I'm so full of his heat that it burns away the last two months entirely. If freedom has a taste, it's his lips.
But I groan and slowly pull back. At least I try. He kisses me again, softer this time. Slower. He sinks into me as if he's submerging himself in holy water. I drown with him, sinking to the depths, only to reemerge as something else. Something new.
His. God help us both, but I think I belong to this man.
Chapter Five
Constantine
"Starlight, this is Belle and Dante Arakas," I murmur gently, introducing Aurora to Dante and his curvy wife. She woke us up fifteen minutes ago, well past noon. Since Belle is a doctor, Dante sent her to check Aurora over for me. "She's a doctor."
"It's nice to meet you, sweetheart," Dante says, leaning back against the wall beside the front door. He maintains a healthy distance, giving her plenty of room to breathe.
"Arakas." Aurora eyes him speculatively. "You're the man everyone whispers about."
Dante cracks a smile. "Probably."
"Is what they say true?"
Dante looks at me, arching a brow.
I shrug one shoulder. She's curious about everything and asks questions fearlessly. I'm not sure if it's shock or if she's always been that way, though I have a feeling she's always been that way. The thirst for knowledge, the desire to explore the world and know everything lurks deep in her gaze.
"Depends on what they say," Dante finally says. "If they say I'm anything like the man who kidnapped you, the answer is no, little one. What they say isn't true. I'm just a man. Some of us just sin more than most."
That answer seems to satisfy her. She nods once before glancing at Belle.
"Hi, Aurora. It's good to see you again." Belle smiles at her, a gentle, reassuring smile. She's the light to Dante's dark, saving lives where he ends them. I never could figure how that would work, but it does. The love they share is apparent.
"You two know each other?" I ask, glancing between Belle and Aurora.
Belle nods. "Aurora attended the hospital gala with her father right after I moved here. I didn't know anyone, and she was avoiding the billionaires, so we talked about her fear of needles."
"You're afraid of needles?"
Her brows wrinkle in disgust. "No. I'm not afraid of them. They make me nervous."
