His tongue thrusts rhythmically into me, and my inner walls clench, trying to draw him further inside. An ache builds low in my spine until it radiates out, consuming me. I roll my hips into his face, his nose pressing into my sensitive bundle of nerves with each motion. “Fuck, I can’t,” I cry needily.
My stranger pulls back, and I knot one hand into his hair, trying to bring him back to fill the emptiness he so suddenly left. “Breathe, little bug.” He grins, my arousal glistening around his lips. Words try to come out, but I choke on them as he dives into me again.
Spots cloud my vision as the storm building inside me swirls into a hurricane of ecstasy. My back arches, thrusting myself into him, and my head hits the pillow. My hands fist the sheets as moan after moan pours from me. If I have to die, surely it’s better to go out this way, letting him suck the life out of me.
His hands press into my stomach in tandem with his tongue curling inside me. Both of our bodies seem to vibrate together until I can’t tell where mine ends and his begins. Just as I’m sure I’m about to break apart, my last bit of restraint falls away and release takes me. My wetness pools underneath us, and Ripp laps at it before dragging his tongue through me one last time. I shudder with an aftershock from the feel of him against my sensitive skin.
He crawls up to me and cups my cheeks in one hand, opening my mouth for him. His mouth parts, filled with my arousal and his saliva, forming a mix that looks almost pearlescent, like it holds both our magic. I stick out my tongue for him, and he spits the mixture into my waiting mouth. He moans as I swallow and lick the remaining drops from his lips. Ripp eagerly presses his mouth to mine, swirling our tongues together and letting me again taste what he’s done to me. “You taste like eternity,” he moans into my neck. “Like the beginning and end of everything. An entire universe is between your thighs, and I plan to remain in it forever.”
The sun, just rising, filters through the window. Ripp looks so fucking beautiful. I’m scared to blink and wake up, realizing this was all a dream. He pulls me up, cradling me as we sit on the bed. “Teach me to use that coffee machine. Let’s get your day started.”
“I’ll never turn down a cup of coffee,” I laugh. “But I’m pretty sure you’ve found a better way to start my day.” He stands, bringing me with him. Then, he goes to grab my discarded towel from last night and cleans us both off. “What are you in such a rush to do today?”
He flashes me a wicked smile before pulling on his jeans and heading out of the room towards the kitchen. His words float down the hall. “Killing the sheriff, of course.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
ripp
Mattie’s jaw is still slack as she takes a seat at the table. She leans on her elbows, rubbing her brow furiously. I stare at the coffee machine for several seconds before confirming I have no fucking clue what I’m doing. I lean against the counter and wait for her, expectantly, but she’s lost in her thoughts. I drum my fingers on the countertop, hoping to catch her attention before I finally give up and clear my throat. “Mattie, you look concerned.”
“What the actual fuck? Did you not hear what you said to me?” she mumbles from under her hands, still covering her face. A dramatic groan follows her words.
“Yes, we’re killing the sheriff. Or I can, but I figured you’re owed the honors.” I shrug and move to stand behind her. My hands rub across her shoulders and she leans into my touch, even though she’s tense with annoyance.
“We can’t just kill the fucking sheriff, Ripp.” She snorts. I don’t have to see her eyes to know she’s rolling them at me. “He already suspects me. If he suddenly disappears, whose door will be the first one they come knocking on?”
“We’ll kill them too.” To me, the answer seems obvious. Even with the darkness festering inside her, Mattie still holds that flicker of light in her soul.
“The lake’s not big enough for ’em all,” she groans, collapsing her upper body onto the table. It shakes unsteadily as her weight falls onto it.
I suck my lip through my teeth and narrow my eyes knowingly as I materialize the silver tooth from her hidden, watery graveyard. Holding it between my thumb and forefinger, I lean over her. “Isn’t it?” I ask, waving the trophy in front of her eyes. “I think you have some friends who would say otherwise.”
The color drains from her face as she raises her head, staring silently at the evidence. The rise and fall of her chest picks up, and red fills in her cheeks. My eyebrow raises, taunting her into a response. She takes a few more calculated moments before she moves to snatch it, but I’m faster. I shake one finger at her, and she gives me a look that says she’s not afraid to bite that finger right off. “You shouldn’t steal from the dead,” she sneers.
“Yes, well, you probably shouldn’t kill them either, yet here we are,” I say nonchalantly. I chuckle, watching her nostrils flare. Her legs twitch under the table. What will your next move be, little bug?
“You can’t kill ’em again. They’re already dead,” she shouts, pushing back from the table to stand. A booming laugh bursts from me, but it’s cut short by her launching herself against my chest. She claws at me, scrambling for the tooth as I raise my arm to keep it far above her head.
“So feisty this morning. I’ll get you your coffee if you just show me how to make it,” I tease. She backs away from me, sticking one hip out. I didn’t know it was possible to stare up at someone with so much condescension, but Mattie has perfected it.
“You’ve been around for how fucking long and you can’t make a pot of coffee?” she says, rolling her eyes and heading toward the counter.
“It’s not like I need a machine to suck souls from bodies.” I emphasize the word suck, popping the ‘k.’ Mattie is suddenly intensely focused on making her coffee. Her plump ass peeks out of the small shorts she must have slipped on before following me to the kitchen. The oversized shirt she has on almost swallows her, drawing my eyes to her legs instead. They’re covered in bruises and scratches, but there’s a distinct shadowy haze to them just below the surface of her skin, like a cloud of magic is moving through her bloodstream.
I sigh, loud enough for her to turn around questioningly. “Problem?” she asks, a smirk growing at the corner of her mouth.
I shake my head. “Just growing impatient with the monotony of human routine. Time for you actually holds meaning, and we’re wasting it.”
Mattie turns to me, holding a fresh cup of coffee. The steam rises over her face, and she smiles down into the cup. “I’m sorry we’re so mundane,” she laughs lightly. “Let me put pants on at least before we go murderin’ somebody.”
You can smellthe weather shifting in the air as summer fades its way to fall. A cool breeze weaves through the trees as we work our way to the river. I’m sure the sheriff will be there. It must be his favorite place to wallow in all the ways he thinks the world has wronged him. What a pathetic existence.
Mattie’s footsteps slow. I can tell she’s lost in her thoughts, walking silently alongside me. I don’t know how humans carry on as a species being constantly burdened by their limitations and bombardment of emotions. The range I’ve felt since finding her has been vexing enough. Thoughts of her have been the only thing swirling inside me since that day she unknowingly called to me. Do they really live like this all the time? No wonder their lives are short.
“When we find him,” I say, breaking the silence. “I’ll lure him in. I’ll leave the details of his demise up to you.”
“What if he’s right?” Mattie whispers, her voice shaking. I stop and grab her wrist, turning her towards me. “What if he’s right, Ripp? What if I am worse than my pa?”
