Only desire.
He was utter dominance, a man who knew and claimed what he wanted.
Just as he’d told me.
Or maybe I should say warned.
We stood feet apart, studying each other, maybe eager to see who would make the first move. When he slowly lowered his gaze, the way his nostrils flared forced another wave of quivers. His presence alone was that powerful.
His eyes settled on the book in my hand, a hint of amusement returning to his chiseled face. He took deliberate steps toward me and with every breath, I was even more captivated by him in ways no one else could understand.
Including myself.
We’d lost ourselves to the hunger between us, a mindless fall into the depths of darkness that threatened to devour our souls. The fine line between love and hate was exhibited in every embrace, every act of desperate passion. Yet this wasn’t love, but a slow and steady descent into accepting the borrowed hours because nothing good would come from twisted needs and ignoring the embrace of good versus evil.
Only I was no longer certain if I should be considered virtuous.
Reaching out, the brief touch of his hand seared my skin, the gentleness allowing me to ignore reality.
“You didn’t disobey me.” He seemed amused that I hadn’t.
“Were you wishing that I had?” Something playful awakened inside and I pretended as if I was going to run away, only to have him grab my wrist, dragging me against the heat of his massive body. The feel of his continuing desire for me, the thick bulge pressing between my legs and the wetness that followed was a reminder that I’d allowed him to get too close.
“You should know better than to tease a tyrant.”
“Ah, at least you’ve clarified who and what you are.” I rubbed my hand down his arm, never growing weary of the excitement he brought or the need furrowing deep inside.
“That should have been clear to you.” He glanced at the book still in my hand, the corners of his mouth upturning. “Dracula.”
The single word was whispered, the sound deep and unnerving.
“I thought it appropriate.”
“Do I appear to be a vampire or is it about the city and the underlying evil lurking in the shadows?”
“Merely a tortured man.”
My summation brought a smile, light forming in his eyes. “Aren’t we all tortured in ways we’d prefer never to share?”
“Sharing can bring acceptance as well as change.”
He took the book from my hand, flipping through the pages. The loss of his touch was startling. I continued to remind myself that while some might consider the time shared a fantasy, in reality it was something else entirely.
Wrong on every level.
I was an officer of the court pretending as if I could shove my oath to secure justice aside. Maybe it was already too late.
“That would imply I wanted to change, which isn’t true. Don’t read too much into items found in my house, my sweet angel. If you’re searching for decency, you’ll be sorely disappointed.” His tenderness shifted as it always did, his grip on my jaw biting. As he lowered his head, I pressed my hand against his chest, still questioning both his motives and mine.
Yet his scent was as unforgettable as it was irresistible. The descent that could cost me everything I’d worked so hard to achieve in my life needed to end.
“Are you ready to discover all the dirty little secrets you’re so certain I have locked away?” His heated breath cascaded across my skin, the hum of his voice tingling my inner ear.
“What happens if I discover evidence of a crime?”
He rubbed his thumb across my face, his chest rising and falling as he contemplated whether to tell me the truth or provide me with what I wanted to hear.
“Then I guess you’ll be required to do your civic duty. Won’t you?”
