“Maybe. Whatever it is, it’s bound to catch up with me at some point.”
“So accepting of your fate…” He inches a little closer. I feel his breath fan the side of my face and neck when he says, “Happy Birthday, Lethe.”
I shiver, and my eyes go to the little clock on the bedside table. It’s nearly three in the morning. He inhales against my neck and makes a throaty sound. “Lavender, like the Elysian Fields.”
“I didn’t expect you to be a fan of Greek mythology.” I swallow. My mom is a little obsessed, hence the name Lethe. I was named after the River of Forgetfulness and the Goddess of Oblivion.
“I bet there’s a lot about me that would surprise you,” he replies.
“Like how you knew my name?” I question. I feel his smile against my skin before he nips my earlobe.
“And here I thought you were too distracted to remember.” He starts kissing right below my ear.
“Howdidyou know my name?” I ask softly. I’m convinced he heard my mom through the phone, but there’s a part of me that’s wondering if he really did see the story on the news and knows exactly who I am.
“What do I get if I tell you?” he asks between kisses.
Why am I both excited and scared to hear his answer? “What do you want?” I hedge.
He chuckles, and it gives me goosebumps. “I have everything I want right now.” His hand comes up and closes around the other side of my neck, and he pulls me closer to his mouth so he can continue kissing me. He’s not rough, but he’s not gentle either. He tugs at my shirt, and the oversized fabric slips down my shoulder, exposing more of my chest and arm.
I think he’s about to continue kissing lower, but he tilts his head back, and his icy eyes meet mine. With deliberate slowness, he leans forward and runs his teeth over my chin. My stomach hollows out, and my lips part so I can exhale through my mouth.
I knew this was where this was heading when I pushed the door open, and I wanted it, but I’m a little thrown by how intense this feels. It’s never been like this before, not even when I slept with Mark, my boyfriend of two years. I thought I loved him until I found out he slept with Cammie behind my back at a party, but neither of us knew what we were doing when we had sex, and it showed. The only other guy I slept with was Ethan. It was only marginally better than when I was with Mark, but still pretty bad. When I saw him the following Monday at school, both of us acted like it never happened.
He squeezes my jaw and directs my face so I’m looking into his eyes. “While I enjoy a great many things when it comes to fucking, your ambivalence isn’t one of them.” He bites my pursed bottom lip roughly.
It hurts a little, but the pain brings me back to the moment. “I’m not ambivalent,” I deny weakly.
He moves quickly and jerks me down the bed by the waistband of my pants so I’m flat on my back and staring up at him. “Do you want me to pretend to take it from you?” His eyes roam over my body. I can feel cold air teasing my stomach, so I know my shirt has risen up. “We both know it’s not the truth. You want me as badly as I want you, or you wouldn’t be here.” He leans down so his mouth is right over mine. “But I promise I can be really fucking convincing.”
I shake my head, at a complete loss for words because something inside me gets even more excited thinking about his promise. He clicks his tongue like he knows exactly what I’m thinking and says, “Don’t worry, we’ll have an eternity to play. There will be time for you to struggle later.”
He slams his lips to mine in a searing kiss I’m not prepared for. His tongue slips into my mouth, and he demands my response. My eyes fall closed, and there’s no room to think about anything but him—the feel of his lips and teeth, and his hands warming my skin until I’m almost too hot—but I love every blissful second of not having to think.
His fingers tug at the waistband of my jeans and the button pops free, but not before the heavy fabric digs into the soft spot above my hip, bruising the tender skin. A hiss leaves my lips, but he doesn’t stop kissing me, instead he smiles against my mouth before nipping his way down my chin to the top of my chest.
When I feel his hands rise to the collar of my shirt as if he might rip the thing off me, I grab his hands. “Wait, let me.” Our eyes lock, and for half a second, I don’t think he’s going to listen to me. I actually feel him pull on the material a little, but then he releases his grip and runs his hands purposely over my chest, making sure to drag his palms over my nipples as he goes for the hem of my shirt to lift it over my head.
I took my bra off when I got in bed earlier, which I’m thankful for now, because I think he just gave me the last of the civility he was willing to offer. His right hand goes to my breast, and he squeezes me while his mouth drops to my other nipple. There’s a quick, sharp pain, as if his tooth scratched me, but then he’s licking and sucking, and I forget all about the slight sting.
He makes a humming sound that vibrates his mouth and tongue, and my back arches off the bed in a bid to get closer to him. His thumb passes over my other nipple, and the dual sensations have my hips swiveling.
“Go—” He slaps his palm over my mouth, preventing me from finishing the word.
“Take care, Lethe, because if you utter that word, that is how you will be addressing me from now on. Am I your god?” His hand is still over my mouth, keeping me from answering, which is a good thing, because I don’t really know how to respond to that.
Our eyes meet, and the intensity in his stare should frighten me, but that’s the last thing I’m feeling. The hand on my mouth stays put, but the one on my breast travels over my stomach after pinching the tip of my nipple hard enough to sting. My face screws up as my eyes roll back in my head, giving me an excuse to evade his gaze. He jerks at my pants again, digging the fabric into the same tender spot from before, and I hear the zipper pull.
He slips his fingers into my pants and between my legs, fighting with the jeans to make room for his big hand. “Oh, Lethe.” He says my name as if he’s chastising me. “What’s this?” He pushes my panties to the side and gently strokes his fingers up and down my labia while shoving the crotch of my pants down more with the back of his palm.
He moves up a little, so his face is positioned right over mine, and poses another question. “What got you so wet, sweet creature? Was it thinking about me taking what I want from you, or maybe it was the idea of your god worshiping you… using you?” His hand finally slips off my mouth, and I heave as I take in a huge gulp of air. It seems he wants me to answer him, but he’s still stroking me, and all I can think about are his fingers slipping inside of me.
My hips lift, and his eyes narrow at the same second, then he stops teasing me with his fingers. I know he wants an answer, but I’m not even sure myself. “It’s just you,” I answer, using as few words as possible.
A slow as sin smile curls his lips, drawing my eyes down to his mouth. I blink a few times to clear my vision, because there’s no way his teeth are that pointy. My stomach flips when his tongue slides slowly across his bottom lip, obscuring my view and making me forget all about what I think I saw. “It’s almost as if your body knows mine… or at least recognizes what I can do to it.”
Two of his fingers spread me open, and he uses the tip of his third to rub my clit. The few times I slept with Mark, I was tempted to shove his hands out of the way and get myself off, but not now. I’m almost afraid to move because I don’t want him to stop.
