I took in a sharp breath as fear pulsed through me, but also excitement. Shadows began seeping into the room, engulfing it in darkness. I started to back away from him, taking a few staggering steps back.
It dawned on me then that he had his magic back—his soul.
The room disappeared around me, and I could only see him. I swallowed thickly as he took a step forward, slowly closing the small gap between us. He stood two paces from me now, and I could feel that pull again. It pounded in my veins, wanting me tobe closer to him. My eyes widened, and Xavier stood watching me, waiting.
“I don’t understand,” I whispered, and his eyes seemed to soften a fraction through his glaring intensity. Xavier shot forward, caging my body with his as my eyes widened. He placed his forehead onto mine, grabbing onto my wrists, pulling me to him. His nearness and citrusy scent overwhelmed my senses, and his shadows seemed to caress my body.
They stroked along my cheek, neck, and back, and I shivered in response.
“I know you can feel it,” he whispered, tilting his mouth over mine, hovering inches from my lips.
“Feel what?” My voice was barely audible as a shiver traced its way across my skin.
He exhaled sharply, his jaw ticking with the motion. “This. Us,” he murmured, his breath hot on my lips.
“I don’t know what I feel,” I admitted, a lump forming in my throat.
“I know exactly what you are feeling. It was cloudy before, but now…” He paused, breathing in deeply. “You want me just as much as I want you.”
“You can’t know that,” I said, my teeth grazing my lower lip, tugging it between them. His gaze followed the motion, lingering as his eyes darkened, the swirling shadows in their depths stilling.
“I can.”
Xavier crashed his mouth onto mine, stealing away what little breath I had left. His kiss wasn’t just a touch—it was a demand, deep and consuming, his tongue parting my lips with unrelenting purpose. A spark ignited low in my belly, consuming every rational thought. His hands slid from my wrists, wrapping around me with a possessiveness that made my knees weak,pulling me flush against him as if the space between us offended him.
The world faded away around us, and my heart raced as I wrapped my arms around his neck and felt his fingers tangle in my hair. His other hand cupped my breast, and a soft moan escaped my lips. The roughness of his stubble grazed my skin, and I arched into him, craving more.
I could feel his arousal, thick and hard between us, and Xavier’s chest vibrated with a low guttural moan. He lifted me off the ground, his hands going to my ass as my legs wrapped around his hard body. As my hips rolled against him, his fingers gripped harder, biting into my skin with dark promise.
Suddenly, the world shifted beneath me, and I found myself pressed against a plush surface. Xavier broke our kiss, his heavy and warm breath mingling with mine. He hovered above me, his gaze intense and focused, drinking in every detail of my face. That white strand fell over his eyes, and the air between us crackled with unspoken words. The tension was thick enough to taste. I could see the depth of desire swirling in his vibrant emerald eyes as his thumb trailed over my cheek.
“What are you thinking?” he murmured, his voice low and urgent, reverberating through the space between us. I knew my answer would either draw him closer or push him away, and I stared into his eyes, knowing I should stop this.
But I couldn’t deny my attraction to him; it was magnetic and intoxicating, weaving through me like a vine, coiling around my heart and squeezing tightly, urging me to surrender.
“I think I don’t want to think right now,” I panted, my breath hitching as my gaze searched his, a spark of panic flaring within me.
He stroked my cheek again with his thumb, the warmth of his skin sending a shiver down my spine. Slowly, his hand moved to the base of my neck, his thumb pressing gently under my chinto tilt my head. As he leaned in, inch by inch, his gaze remained fixated on mine, each movement causing my heart to beat faster and faster. The soft brush of his lips against mine stole my breath like a promise of something raw and unspoken.
I pulled him closer, pressing my lips harder against his, my hands raking down his back. As our lips parted, I deepened the kiss, my fingers sinking into the sculpted muscles of his back. He was intoxicating, and the kiss turned faster, more fevered.
In a sudden, exhilarating movement, my clothes ripped away, shadows swirling around me as the cool air kissed my bare skin. My breath hitched, and I sensed Xavier's smile through our kiss as he began to leave burning, lingering kisses down my jawline. He paused at my neck, and I felt the scrape of his teeth against my skin, making my skin pebble.
Xavier’s mouth left my neck, his gaze drifting to my now exposed breasts as he descended, capturing my nipple with his mouth. He sucked deeply, and I arched into him, a soft moan escaping me as he bit gently, flicking his tongue over the sensitive peak before switching to the other.
“Xavier,” I said breathlessly, gripping his thick, inky hair. I held him to me as he sucked and licked, and a slow, burning heat tightened within me, deep in my core.
Xavier pulled away, his eyes dark and heated as they slowly raked down my naked body. His stare was predatory, and his eyes gleamed with mischief. The muscles along his neck tightened as he took a deep breath, and damn him if that wasn’t hot. Slickness pooled between my thighs at the sight, and his lips tilted up into a lazy half-grin.
“I often wonder what you taste like,” he whispered, his eyes finding mine with a smoldering intensity. Slowly, his hand slid down my stomach, the touch firm and purposeful. His fingers pressed into my skin as he dragged his hand over my hip and down my thigh. His warm, callused hand wrapped around mythigh, and he bent my leg up, pushing himself lower down my body.
I bit my lip as I watched him position himself between my thighs. The sight was something I don’t think I will ever forget. His lips grazed the inside of my thigh, soft and teasing, before pressing a kiss there. My breath faltered as his eyes flicked up, meeting mine as he pressed another and another. He continued to kiss his way down, each one slower, more deliberate than the last.
I couldn’t tear my eyes away from him, and my body ached for him to reach his destination.
Then, with a swift, tantalizing movement, his tongue licked up the center of me. I gasped, my hips instinctively bucking in response. A brief, breathy chuckle escaped his lips, and the heat of his breath against me made me moan.
He repeated the motion, his tongue gliding over me again and again as I writhed beneath him. Every flick and swirl of his tongue sent shockwaves of pleasure coursing through me.
