“Do you know how old I am?” she prompted.
His head pulled back slightly, eyes narrowed as though she’d just asked him to solve for pi.
“One thousand, two hundred forty-seven.” She held his stare. “Do you know how many males I’ve been with?”
The look in his eyes said he didn’t want to know the answer to that.
“Zero, Mirakel. I have never taken a male inside my body.”
The dark growl that sounded was so deep Briony felt it resonate through her.
“I want to be with you. I want to know what it feels like to have your hands on me, your lips. Your tongue. I want to feel you move inside me.”
Another tortured sound escaped him.
“If you don’t want me, I understand,” she said quickly. “But if you’re holding off for another reason … please don’t.”
She could feel the tension coiling in his body, could sense he was struggling with what he wanted and what he thought was right.
“If nothing else, let me feel your mouth on mine,” she told him, the words barely a breath of sound between them.
His gaze bounced over her face, then settled on her lips. Briony was still pinned to the door, his hand banded around her wrists, his knee pressing between her thighs, his chest so close, but not quite touching.
It felt like forever as he battled whatever war plagued him, but when Mirakel’s head lowered, his lips brushing so lightly against hers, Briony couldn’t help but moan as she tried to lean into him.
His grip on her chin tightened. “Let me be in control. It’s the only way I’ll survive this.”
She tried to nod but her head wouldn’t move, so she whispered her acquiescence.
Mirakel’s lips were softer than she’d imagined they would be, yet firm at the same time. They were like a feather at first, but then he leaned in, his head tilting slightly as he pressed them against hers. Not sure what he wanted her to do, Briony remained still, shifting to align their mouths. When she felt his tongue slide over her lower lip, she opened to accept him. When he licked his way inside, she met his tongue with her own, sliding lightly against his, her insides coiling tightly as she let him teach her what was necessary to please him.
What started out slow and gentle grew wings and took flight when Mirakel released her hands and cupped both sides of her face as he sealed his mouth to hers and thrust his tongue inside, an insistent exploration. Her body grew warm, a distinct heat building between her legs as her arousal peaked. It was a heady sensation that threatened to weaken her knees, but Briony managed to remain upright, not wanting to do anything that would cause him to stop.
Unfortunately, that was exactly what he did, jerking away from her as he stumbled back.
“What’s wrong?”
It was then she realized his eyes were glowing, a brilliant light emerging as though he was lit from within. She didn’t know much about vampires, but she’d never heard of this before. It intrigued her but also made her hesitant.
“If you know what’s good for you, you will leave. Right now.”
His guttural tone had her staying right where she was.
As much as she wanted him, Briony wasn’t about to push him in a direction he didn’t want to go.
Nor would she cave because, Heaven help her, she wanted him more than she’d ever wanted anything.
Which meant Mirakel was going to have to make a final decision. And she wasn’t leaving until he did.
Chapter Twenty-One
Oliver couldn’t sleep.
He knew that on the other side of those closed shutters the sun was rising in the sky, brightening and heating the Earth, but he was trapped inside, all the exits sealed and locked to ensure the safety of those who would be rendered to ash by the sun’s deadly rays.
Honestly, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen the sun. Months, for sure. Did he miss it? No, not really. Then again, he’d been living in Vegas before he relocated here, and he’d been drawn to the nightlife there. He hadn’t been avoiding the sun, per se, he’d simply grown accustomed to sleeping during the day. He couldn’t help but wonder if Penelope missed it. Because she was now an angel, his sister could no longer slip out to watch it rising or setting simply because she wanted to.
That instantly made him think about his niece. Could Ari’el go out in the sunlight? Since she was the offspring of two angels, he assumed not. He smiled as he thought about the precious child. Having never been around a baby before, Oliver found it both awkward and awe-inspiring to be in her tiny presence.
