Page 154 of Huntress

She spied the clock on the wall and sighed. They’d come for her soon. Elsie brushed the hair away from Saint’s face, stroking his cheek. She pressed her lips to his, long and lingering, smiling when he eventually kissed her back without opening his eyes. His arm snaked around and grabbed her waist, hauling her closer.

“Morning,” she murmured between kisses.

He groaned in reply, holding her tight as though he could protect her from all the shit happening to her outside that door. She let him get away with it for a short while, loath to go back to pretending he was nothing more than a bodyguard.

She broke off the kisses, pushing him away when he tried to keep her there, then got up to get dressed. He rolled onto his belly, face in the pillow in protest. They both knew they couldn’t run late. Cornick’s people would come through the door and drag them out to adhere to their boss’ strict schedule.

It only took a few seconds to choose her clothes. Elsie still had the same three outfits she’d arrived in, and it was getting old. She grabbed thick gray leggings and a curve-hugging black T-shirt. They were the warmest clothes she had to combat the cold in Cornick’s exam room.

If she’d been stationed in one place for this long anywhere else, she’d have a full wardrobe sewn up by now, but the reality she existed in now was surreal, each day blending into the next. By the time she and Saint arrived back in their room each night, they were too exhausted to do anything but eat their allotted meal and collapse into bed.

Saint watched her get dressed, only getting up and moving around once she finished. He pulled on a clean pair of pants and was tying his curls up into a bun when he caught her staring back.

“Careful, perv. You keep looking at me like that, and we’ll never make it out of here,” he teased, and she snickered at him.

“You’re one to talk.”

Low voices came from outside seconds before a sharp knock on the door. Elsie’s eyes caught Saint’s, matching tight expressions on their faces.

“They’re early,” Elsie muttered, walking over and opening the door. One of Cornick’s regular assistants stood outside, twisting the hem of his scrubs in his fist. He was a younger guy whose name she never bothered learning, with round glasses and shaggy brown hair, and he came with an armed guard.

“What does your boss want now?”

“Mr. Cornick has been called away on an urgent matter that necessitates his expertise. Your presence will not be required today. You are reminded to stay on this level and do not attempt to enter any locked doors.” He left without waiting for a response.

Elsie leaned on the doorframe for a moment, watching them go. For over six weeks, not one distraction had been important enough to pry Cornick away from his experiments on her. He’d demanded her presence daily without rest. Whatever had called him away must have been dire.

She closed the door and turned back to Saint, a big smile on her face. He was already ambling over. He picked her up and tossed her onto the bed before flopping down at her feet.

“Are we sleeping in?” She asked, laughing when he crawled over and nuzzled her neck. He nudged her over until she lay on her back, letting him hover over her, his tongue roving along her collarbone, lips dropping kisses as he went. One of his fangs scraped against her skin, oh so delicately, a stark reminder that he was a predator.

Her breath hitched. “Saint…”

He paused without looking up. “Yes, Mistress?”

She wriggled underneath him impatiently. “I liked that.”

His kisses moved to the crook of her neck, a fang grazing against her throat while his knee pushed between hers. Elsie shivered.

She grabbed his shirt and tugged it upward, whining when he pulled away. He leaned back on his knees, holding her gaze as he peeled it off. Biting his lip, he waited for permission. No matter how heated things had gotten in the past, she never allowed this much skin contact.

Elsie stopped pouting and took in the view. A strand of curls had already sprung loose from its confines, framing his face. Those thick, dark eyelashes fringing his eyes as he looked down at her made the sultry look he was giving her even more alluring. Her gaze hovered on his full lips before moving down to the muscles in his chest.

“You’re staring again,” he whispered.

“I like looking at you. You’re so damned gorgeous it’s dangerous. I’m not allowed to stare at you out there, and when we’re alone, it’s all I want to do.”

“All you want to do? Whenever I look at you, I imagine you like this, spread out beneath me, thinking of your taste, and the soft little sounds you make. And then I think of all the things I’ll do with you once you allow it,” he rumbled, his voice gone low. “All it takes is one smile from you, and it’s over. I’m yours to command.”

Elsie reached up to press her fingers to his stomach, tracing the smooth planes of his muscles. She sat up, wrapping one arm around his neck and the other around his back, tilting her chin upward. His lips met hers as he savored her sweetness.

“Tell me what you want from me,” he begged, forehead pressed to hers.

“I want what I can’t have.”

“Describe the fantasies you imagine between us.”

“You want to know how I’d take you if our bond was already sealed?” Her nails skimmed across his back.