“You tell me,” she said through clenched teeth. “You left me for days without a word, and when you turn up, you’re an asshole.”
Every word she spoke forced her lips to brush against mine until I couldn’t help but kiss her properly. A week of barely there patience had driven me mad. If I had it my way, she wouldn’t spend another second away from me.
A sharp pain radiated through my bottom lip as Quen bit down on it. I grunted and pulled back.
“You always did like it rough,” I said, chuckling.
With zero conviction and her gaze on my mouth, she muttered, “Stay away from me.”
“Is that really what you want?” I asked, cocking my head to the side and forcing an arm around the back of her.
She tried to press herself against the wall, but my fingers unclasped her strapless bra so that it fell between us. Quen raised her hands again, aiming a blow to my chest, but I gripped her wrists and pinned them above her head, feeling the cold metal against my palm.
“I want you as far away from me as possible,” she said, but the words were a breathy command that lacked punch. Her pulse thundered beneath her skin and her pupils dilated with the lusty haze I was used to.
Brushing a lock of hair away from her face, I rested my forehead against hers again. She wanted space, but I refused to give it to her. We’d had too much of it. Too much wasted time because I couldn’t resolve the unexpected issues that had arisen.
“Do you trust me?” I asked her, burying my face in the crook of her neck and breathing deeply.
Without her, my world lost vibrancy. There were days I would throw her from the cliffs at the back of my estate without hesitation for the way she spoke and behaved, but I’d always rescue her before she hit the abyss. I depended on Quentin’s existence to bring a semblance of sanity to my own.
My tongue ran over her pulse point, and her body shuddered, relaxing against my touch. She’d always been responsive in the most beautiful way.
“You told me I couldn’t,” she whispered. The words were strained as she fought against her waning resolve.
One of my hands trailed along her shoulder, across her collarbone, and rested on her breast. Her nipple pebbled beneath my touch.
“Forget what I said,” I told her. The pad of my thumb brushed against her nipple. “Do you trust me?”
“I shouldn’t.”
“But you do.” I smirked against her skin and bit down on her neck, forcing a gasp out of her. “You were waiting for me because you trusted me to come to you. And I did.”
“You haven’t explained anything to me.”
I pulled my face away from her neck and stared at her. Reflected in her eyes, I could see my own were fully black and the veins along my face and neck were the same onyx shade.
“You’re a smart woman,” I said, tapping her temple with my index finger softly. “You’ll figure it out.”
“I’m not playing games with you, Gray,” Quen snapped, looking like she was ready to bite my finger off. “Get me out of all of this and tell me what’s going on.”
“Not until you’ve calmed down,” I replied with a smirk.
I sank to my knees, her eyes following me as I settled on the floor in front of her. Gently, I pulled the heels from her feet, tossing them away, and Quentin shrunk to her true size. I dragged my nose along her leg, kissing and nipping the bare skin as I moved upwards. The sounds of her quiet gasps mixed with the scent of her arousal made it difficult to take my time.
“The easiest way to calm me down is to be honest with me,” she protested weakly.
“Not necessarily the best way.” Pulling the lace down her legs, I bared my goal. “Step out,” I ordered her. She didn’t move. “Quentin, I’m not in the habit of asking twice. Step. Out.”
This time she moved her feet, and I picked up the damp scrap of fabric.
“Now what?” she asked, looking down at me.
Two simple words filled with so much attitude. It was impossible for me to believe that they could kill her. Quentin had too much spirit, had survived through so many trials—so how could this be her ending?
A shrill squeak escaped Quen’s lips when I roughly lifted one of her legs over my shoulder, quickly followed by the other.
“Gray!” she called my name as I rose from my knees.
