“Anna, I do not think—”
“Please, Lucian. I want to know what it feels like for my next painting.”
He breathed out a long breath, loud even over the wind. “I suppose.” He didn’t move to help guide me toward him.
Raising my arm until the backs of my fingers brushed against something firm, I stopped and laid a palm against his skin.
He sucked in a breath.
I slid my fingertips along his jawline, feeling the hard bone under the skin, the beginnings of sharp bristle under the pads of my fingers.
Electricity traveled through my limbs. Being this close to him, high above the world where no one could see, feeling his flesh beneath my touch, awoke something wild and dangerous within my chest.
I swept my thumb across his lips, reveling in the softness of the skin. “I knew you had to be beautiful,” I murmured.
He remained frozen.
Not giving him another moment to object, I put my other hand up and traced his thick, luxurious eyebrows. His hair was soft and fine, shorter on the sides and longer on top. Moving down his high cheekbones, I drew a picture in my mind of his strong neck, down to his collarbone, to his thin shirt where hard washboard abs met my fingers.
“That’s enough.” Gently, he grasped my wrist and placed my hand on his shoulder, the muscles bunching underneath my touch.
“Lucian.” I closed my eyes and cupped both of his cheeks, pulling his face toward mine. “I lo—”
“Stop,” he gasped, firmly gripping my shoulders. “We can’t. You’re too young, and I’m—”
“What are you so scared of?”
“I am not afraid ofanything.” He moved away, pushing my hands from his frame. “You and I…” His harsh breathing seemed to slow. “Anna.” He spoke my name with such pain and sorrow, it nearly ripped my chest open. “My world is not something I would ever willingly bring you into. I do terrible things, deal with wretched souls and demons. I’m not someone you should care about because it will only bring you pain and regret.”
“Howdareyou make that decision for me.” I crossed my arms over my chest. “Don’t you think I have an idea of the people you deal with? You’re the devil, I’m fully aware, just like I’m quite aware I’m blind.”
It always boils down to this, doesn’t it?I tried to swallow the hard ball of pain in my throat.
“You’re right. I should not be assuming certain things. But trust me in this: if you were to view me in my true form, you wouldn’t like what you saw.”
“I would never reject you, Lucian, not in a million years. But I guess it’s a moot point, isn’t it, since Ican’tsee you.” I faced away from him, ready for the ride to be over so I could go back to my room and hide from his rejection and lick my wounded pride.
“Anna… Fuck.” He grasped a shoulder and twisted me to face him, the swaying motion of his movement pressing me close to his chest. “You stubborn, amazing, relentless woman.”
I splayed my fingers against his chest, confused with his sudden turn of emotion and the gruff, dangerous growl of his voice. “You make me happier than anyone, Lucian. No matter what you look like to others, you’ll always be beautiful to me.”
His finger slid along my jaw until it rested under my chin, then he firmly tugged my face upward. “I would burn this entire world if it meant keeping you happy.” The pressure of his forehead pushed against my mine. His fingers shook as they slid to the sides of my neck, and he let out a shaky breath. “Damn the bloody consequences.” His fingertips lightly pressed against the back of my neck. “God help me.”
My senses overloaded with his presence. I was drowning in him, yet he was the lifeline, the buoy keeping me afloat in his intense, all-consuming presence.
Warmth and wetness pressed against my lips as his hands tangled in my hair.
I gasped, clinging to his neck, shock and elation sending my heart into overdrive. A blaze of heat spread through my body to pool in my lower belly. A riot of colors bloomed in my head, from crimson, amber, and silver to electric blue and bright green. Lucian’s kiss created an entire explosion of feelings and hues in my head, lighting my murky world into a crystal rainbow.
His kiss, hungry and urgent, was everything I’d imagined it would be and more. He devoured me and I surrendered to his probing tongue, wanting nothing in that instant but to be his for eternity.
I hugged him closer, praying this moment would last forever, that somehow, my beautiful, proud angel would find one lonely blind girl worthy of his time and attention.
Chapter 14
Lucian Elysium
One Year Ago
