“Yes,”hehissed. “Only mine.”
My tears streamed down my face, andheeased off my throat,histhumb drawing a line up to my chin, and then brushing over my lower lip. I sucked in successive short breaths, heat squirming through my body.
“I’ve been waiting for so long…”Hedid it more than once, brushing my lip back and forth with the roughness ofhisthumb, as ifhehad to know the texture of my lips, as ifhecouldn’t wait anymore, and with every time, I trembled harder.
“P-please, let me go.”
“Why? So you can go back to him?”
“No. I was never with him. I was never with anyone.” Panic gripped at my heart as I put as much sincerity in my voice as I could to convincehim. Ifhewas jealous, ifhegot the wrong idea,he’d hurt Leo;hewas a brutal killer.He’d punished my father, andhe’d punish Leo for something he didn’t do. Leo might have stalked me, but he didn’t deserve to die for it.
“And it stays that way.”
“Okay,” I sobbed. “Just…please…let me go.”
Hisnose dipped into my hair, inhaling it, and thenhekissed the tip of my ear. “Never.”
My skin should have crawled, but it tingled with comforting warmth. My mind should have fearedhisdark promise, but it only soothed it. As if it was the assurance I’d been waiting to have for months. For years. As if I wantedhishand on me. As if I wantedhimto never let go.
Abruptly, bothhishands were on my waist, the touch confident and strong, curving around my body as ifhe’d studied it for a while. For years. Thenheswiveled me, my back now to the wall.
Hisbreathing grew heavier, hotter on my face. I wished I could have seenhim. I wished we hadn’t always met in the dark.
My quivering hands tracedhisbreath and foundhisface in the blackness, but even thathewouldn’t let me have.Hecaptured my wrists and crossed them up over my head inhistight grip.
Thenhisbreath fell on my mouth.
Hislips pressed to mine, and my heart careened. All the air left my lungs again, my body turning into goo. As wrong as it was, I’d imagined our kiss countless times before, but I’d never expected it to feel like this.
Like I no longer needed oxygen, onlyhisbreath.
Like all the pain I’d seen in my life wasn’t enough, and I needed the pain onlyhe’d prepared for me.
Like my life had meant, would mean, absolutely nothing if it weren’t for this moment.
I cried whilehislips explored and nipped before claiming my mouth.Hesavored me slowly and then passionately.Histongue peeked out, parting my lips forhimto devour. I lethim, as if I had any other choice, moaning intohislips helplessly.
Hegroaned,histongue dancing around mine. Giddy, I was desperate to kisshimback. I shouldn’t, believe me, I knew that. I should want anything but.Hewas stealing my first kiss, but I wanted no one else to have it.
I moaned intohiskiss again, this time lickinghislips and the corners ofhismouth, moving my tongue withhis, drawing fromhisevident expertise that showed my embarrassing lack of it.Hisraw power and dark sensuality sparked flames of desire inside my guts and between my legs.
“I had to be your first.” Fingers slid up the side of my thigh, rocking my body with frightened need, sending more heat and shudders as they inched up my skirt. “I have to be your first everything.”
Heresumed our kiss,hishand fondling my thigh, and thenhisfingertips touched the fabric of my panties on my hipbone.
No.
Not like this.
I tore my lips fromhisand writhed againsthim.Hisironclad grip wouldn’t free my wrists.Hisfingers reached the inside of my thigh, tracing little circles ever so lightly. “You’re mine, Angel. You’ve always been. I shouldn’t have waited all this time to take what’s mine.”
I swayed and jerked my body to spare myself the confusionhistouch always gave me. I needed to fight. I couldn’t give up. “Not like this. Not like this!” I repeated hysterically. “Please, not like this!”
Hespun me again so that my back would be facinghim,hishand tight around my wrists. Thenhehiked my skirt up to my waist and grabbed at the side of my panties,hisfingers scratching my skin.
“No! No! Please, NO!”
The ripping sound of the fabric whenhesnatched it ripped my own heart with it.Hetore my panties, leaving me exposed and naked for the taking.Histaking. The man who saved me from the monster who wanted to rape me was going to do it himself.
