I nodded and he turned the water off, carrying me to the bedroom. He ripped the duvet off the bed and draped it over my wet, naked body. I gripped the ends of it and circled it around both of us.
Grayson opened a door and walked us out onto the beach. I shuddered as the cold breeze nipped at my wet skin—a brutal contrast to the heat of Grayson.
“Why do we always end up butt naked outside in the middle of winter?”
He chuckled. “No idea, Persephone.”
My breathing hitched as he kneeled and laid me down onto the sand. He kept his body pressed against mine, to keep the chill away, but he opened the duvet, his eyes roaming over my body as the moonlight tingled my skin.
I was reminded how much I loved the way he looked at me. Grayson was an intense man. It was always all or nothing with him. One extreme to the next. And the way he loved me was no different. He was great at masking himself, but his eyes always told the truth, even if it only came through in brief flickers. I had been stupid not to take note of that. To ignore those glimmers of truth.
But right now, he wasn’t hiding anymore. The gravity of his feelings shone bright in his eyes. He looked at me like he would die for me. Like I was his only reason for taking his next breath. Like I was his god and he only lived to worship.
Grayson lightly traced his fingers over my shoulder, my breast. My skin erupted into goosebumps at his touch, starving for more. He left soft, reverent kisses on my skin, then placed his lips over my pebbled nipple. The warmth of his mouth had my head rolling back, my breathing quickening.
Fuck.The sensation was all too much and not nearly enough at the same time.
Grayson shifted my leg up to his hip, positioning himself against me, making my heart beat faster.
But when I looked up at him, his eyes had darkened.
“Is this real, little witch?”
I didn’t understand the uncertainty on his face.
“I don’t know if I’m hallucinating. I was certain I’d never see you like this again. This feels too good to be true. Are you really here?” He swallowed against the emotions, his eyes misting over. “I might die if you’re not,” he whispered thickly.
I cradled his grief-stricken face between my hands, my own chest aching. “I’m here, Gray. And I’m not going anywhere.” I pulled his face closer. “And if you try to leave me again, I will kill you. Do you understand? I will take that knife of yours and stab it right through your heart. I will end you, Grayson Varon.”
Grayson’s eyes fluttered shut, like my words soothed him. “Yes, together or death,” he whispered and pushed into me.
My back arched off the ground, electricity surging up my body. He lowered his forehead to mine, our breaths puffs of steam as we panted, trying to keep from spiralling.
“Fuck, thisisreal,” Grayson heaved.
“More, Gray. Please.” I was shaking with want, with a desperation that scared me.
Grayson moved inside of me, muttering a curse as he did. His fingers intertwined in mine, holding my hand above my head as he steadied himself on his elbow, finding his rhythm. His dark eyes kept me captive, refusing to let me go as his slow thrusts sent pulses of heat blazing through me.“Mine,”he mouthed, reaching for my soul. And I let him.
I let him take whatever he wanted from me. I let him in and gave him everything I had, everything I was. There was no stopping it anyway. I swear it was written in the fucking stars above us—that I was his to love or destroy.
I had been completely naïve and downright stupid to believe I would ever be anything but his.
But he was also mine. His name was written on my bones. My soul was singing it to the stars:“Grayson Varon belongs to me.”
The truth of it took my breath away—this thief, this cunning devil, king of the wicked, was made forme. His body, his mind, his darkened soul was made to match mine. Like the glow of the moon on the dark ocean; like the stars against the black void, breathtaking in their contrast and perfectly bonded.
Grayson’s hand trailed over my skin, his fingertips light and delicate like I might bruise. “You are everything to me.”
My core tightened, my heartrate picking up. “Say it again.”
“I mean it, Ava. I can’t let you go anymore. I can’t be without you.” He deepened his thrusts, his fingers clamping a little tighter around my hip, his thumb caressing his mark.
And it felt like I was going to explode. The sensations and feelings swelled higher and higher, threatening to crash over me, to drown me. “MaybeI’llbe the one to leave this time,” I taunted breathlessly, lost to the mess inside me.
He brought his hand up, lightly placing it around my throat, then lowered his forehead to mine, breathing me in. “If you plan on leaving me, little star, I will kill us both right now.”
Oh, gods!My legs trembled around him, fire pooling in my lower abdomen.
