He stood and came closer, wrapping his arms around my shoulders from behind. The intimacy of his body made a shiver run down my spine. I leaned into him naturally, craving the warmth he gave.
“I know your strength better than you think,” he whispered into my ear, his breath making my skin bristle. “Stop doubting yourself, Daphne.”
“But Zeno will…” My words faded away before I could finish, with both of us knowing exactly what Zeno’s reply would be.
He tried to reassure me, “He can try, but nothing will happen to you, Daphne. I promise.” He gently spun me around, forcing me to face him, and tilted my chin until our eyes met. “I’ll say it again: no one gets close to you. Do you understand? Not while I’m here.”
I hesitated. “How can you be so sure?"
A calm, unwavering conviction filled his voice. “Because I would die before I let that happen.”
My breath caught, my eyes welling with emotion. “Thal.”
His arms wrapped around me again, pulling me close. I felt my body come alive in the warmth of his embrace, craving his reassurance.
“Tell me how I can make you feel better," he murmured, voice gentle yet full of longing.
He was lethally intense, a predator who had decided I was the only thing worth guarding. It wasn't kindness, it was a terrifying, beautiful obsession.
At that moment, I realized I needed something only he could provide.
Without thinking, I pulled back, my gaze dropping to his lips.
Driven by desperation, I grabbed his face and kissed him fiercely, my lips pressing against his with urgency. A wave of vulnerability washed over me, causing my knees to weaken. His arms wrapped around me, offering support as he responded with equal fervor, his passion bursting into something fierce, untamed, and intense.
He groaned into my mouth, his cock pressing into my hip, hard and throbbing. I reached down and gripped him through his jeans, relishing in the feel of his hardness twitching against my palm.
He broke the kiss, looking down at me with feral heat in his eyes.
“Follow me,” I demanded, breaking away from him and walking toward my bedroom, his footsteps falling behind me. With each step closer to my bed, I grew wetter. After entering my room, I turned back to him, pushed him down onto the bed and towered over him.
“This is what you can do, Thal,” I said, reaching for the hem of my dress and pulling it over my head, exposing my naked body to his dark, stormy eyes.
“No underwear again,” he growled, dark lust shining in his eyes. “Is this a pattern?”
“Why bother?” I said, climbing into his lap and straddling him. My bare pussy rubbed against the denim of his jeans as I captured his mouth in mine again.
“You drive me crazy, Daphne.”
His tongue dove deep, finding mine and tangling with it, kissing me sensuously, longingly, the desperation and urgency flowing between us like a raging river.
I wanted to forget everything.
Just for one delicious minute.
I wanted to feel the buzz of the wine, pretend that danger didn’t lurk in every shadow, that there wasn’t a madwoman outthere trying to figure out how to destroy us. I wanted to forget that I was considering betraying the one person in my life who resembled a family member.
And I wanted Thal’s cock to take all the pain away.
I tore at his shirt while kissing him, drawing my lips back to slip the fabric over his head. Pressing my bare breasts against his bare chest, I gasped at the sensual contact. Shocks of pleasure surged through my veins, leaving me breathless. My hips moved of their own accord, my pussy grinding against the thick, hard length of his cock. The very thing that I desperately needed inside me.
“Thal, please,” I muttered, fumbling with his jeans. He grabbed my hips and flipped me onto my back, standing over me and giving me a view that engraved itself into my mind.
He ripped open his pants and pushed them down with his boxers, standing and looking like a god as he looked down at me. He reached down, gripping the base of his hard shaft.
“Is this what you want?”
“Yes,” I hissed, licking my lips. “I want your beautiful cock.”
