Page 149 of His Eternal Claim

“I’m not.”

“You absolutely are.” He slides his hand lower, his rough fingers brushing the slickness.

I gasp, leaning back against his chest. “Name one reckless thing I’ve done recently.”

His eyebrow rises, his eyes darkening. “Recently?”

“Yes.”

He counts them off against my bare hip, his fingers trailing sparks. “The roof.”

“That doesn’t count. I told you my book fell.”

“The horse.”

“The horse was friendly.”

“You don’t know that.”

“He liked me.”

“He tried to eat your hat, Dolcezza.”

“He was curious.”

“He was a stallion.”

I roll my eyes, but the sarcasm dies in my throat when his hand tightens on my waist so hard it leaves a mark. He pulls my face down, his breath fanning hot against my lips.

“You scare me.”

The words are so quiet I almost miss them, raw and bleeding beneath his usual arrogance. My teasing vanishes. Because I know what he means. I know the dark abyss from which fear crawls out. The five years.

I touch his chiseled cheek, my thumb tracing his jaw. His eyes find mine. “I’m right here, Zagreus.”

“I know.”

“Zagreus…”

He presses his forehead against mine, his grip shifting until he’s cupping my ass, lifting me slightly to grind his hard thickness right against my center. A soft whine escapes my throat.

“You have no idea what it’s like.” His voice is rough. “You walk into a room and my first instinct is to count the exits. You go quiet for five minutes and I start imagining disasters.”

I smile at him, sad. “That’s a little dramatic.”

His expression doesn’t change, his fingers sliding under the lace of my panties, ruthlessly parting my dripping folds. “I once dismantled an entire trafficking ring because you didn’t answer your phone.”

My eyes widen, my breath catching as his long index finger slides all the way inside me, stretching me wide. “What?”

“You were taking a nap.” He strokes inside me, his thumb locking over my swollen clit.

I stare, my hips arching into his touch on pure instinct. “Oh my God.”

“They deserved it.”

“Zagreus…”

“They did.”