Page 24 of Take Me Darkly

I lifted my arms carefully and let him pull the material over my head. The cool air hit my bare skin, raising goosebumps, but the heat in Anton’s gaze instantly set me ablaze.

“Beautiful,” he growled, his voice reverent and thick with desire. “So fucking exquisite.”

Then his mouth captured mine again, his hands moving over me with possessive mastery—tangled in my hair, gripping my waist, skimming over the curve of my breasts through the thin silk of my bra. The contact was electric, searing through the sheer fabric.

His palm cupped the side of my breast, squeezing firmly. Even fully clothed, the sheer intent behind his touch sent a violent wave of heat crashing between my thighs. My nipples hardened instantly against the silk, my core aching for him.

“Take me,” I panted against his lips.

His hand slid down, dipping beneath the waistband of my pants, his warm fingers scorching a trail across my stomach before sliding into my lace underwear. I gasped, my back arching as his knuckles made soft, firm contact with my drenched folds. My wounded shoulder throbbed, but the pain was instantly drowned out by the blinding surge of pleasure. I surrendered to his touch, needing the physical anchor of his body.

“Easy, princess. Don’t push yourself. Just relax and let me take care of you.” He paused his hand, using his free fingers to palm the weight of my breasts, his thumbs flicking over my hardened nipples through the material. “Tell me what you want, Serena.”

“My body is yours,” I gasped, completely undone. “Take it.”

“God, princess... you have no idea what those words do to me,” he growled, his voice heavy and dark. I shrieked softly as his teeth latched onto my covered nipple through the bra, suckling hard, coaxing the peak into an aching, straining point before moving to the other. He worked me into a frantic, writhing fever before capturing my mouth in another deep, filthy kiss.

Our tongues tangled, deep and demanding. My passion spiked out of control—I needed him inside me, needed the heavy weight of his body to anchor my shattered world.

His fingers slid gently through my swollen, drenched flesh, finding my clit and applying a steady, rhythmic pressure that made me squirm against the mattress. He pushed a long finger inside me to the knuckle, flexing against my tight walls. I gasped, my hands flying up to grip his shoulders as the tidal wave of an orgasm rushed over me with terrifying speed.

“Anton!” I moaned, my inner muscles contracting violently around his hand.

My body surrendered completely, shattering into a thousand blinding pieces. Fireworks exploded behind my eyelids as I quivered around his fingers, my gasps filling the quiet room as he gently stroked me through the lingering waves of release.

And for the first time since the fire in Lucca, the darkness receded. Wrapped in Anton’s dangerous, possessive arms, I finally felt tethered to something real.

I felt like I belonged—right here, with him.

Chapter Eight

Anton

* * *

I could feel the residual tremors of Serena’s release rippling through her body as she gripped my bicep, riding out the tail end of her climax. My cock was heavy, throbbing, and demanding, begging me to strip away all restraint and claim her hard, fast, and without mercy.

Not today.

No matter how dark or urgent my appetite felt, she required delicacy. Her shoulder was still healing, and her soul was a raw, open wound after the revelations of the morning. Today wasn’t the time to push her boundaries, test her limits, or demand complete surrender. We’d have plenty of time for that.

Serena let out a low, purring sigh beneath me as I slowly, deliberately slid her pants down the long line of her legs. I followed the path of the fabric with my lips, pressing warm, lingering kisses against her inner thighs, down her calves, over her ankles, and across her delicate arches. I tossed her clothes to the floor and stood, my eyes never leaving hers as I stripped off my own clothes.

When I leaned back over her, she reached up, her fingers tangling in my hair to pull me down, igniting a primal, possessive urge that roared through my veins. I trailed my lips up her stomach, over her ribs, and across the soft dip of her waist.

Perfect.

She was breathtaking. And for this stolen moment in time, she was entirely mine.

I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply against her collarbone, intoxicated by her scent—jasmine, warm skin, and pure, intoxicating desire.

She placed her palm flat against my chest, right over the heavy, thunderous beat of my heart, forcing me to meet her gaze. Her ocean-blue eyes were swimming with emotion—so expressive, so completely unguarded and exquisitely tender despite the horrors she had endured.

“I need to feel you, Anton,” she whispered, the raw plea in her voice nearly bringing me to my knees.

My pulse hammered against her palm. I caught her hand, pressing a fierce kiss to her knuckles before guiding her scissoring legs around my waist. Her thighs clamped around my hips, pulling me flush against her wet, velvety heat. The sensation was blinding, driving every drop of blood straight to my aching shaft.

“I need a condom,” I rasped out, trying to hold onto the last shreds of my control.