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It ended too soon.
“Come,” he said, breaking free from my mouth. “I want you naked.” He took my hand and guided me through the house and up the stairs to the second level.
I didn’t stumble as much since my familiarity with the mansion had grown during my quiet weeks of investigation, but being unable to see was unnerving.
In the bedroom, Mordecai turned, his determination evident as his hands fumbled with the closure on my pants.
“Wait. Open the drapes. It’s too dark.”
Even the dusky moon, partially blocked by dense trees, helped give shape to furniture and allowed me to read his expression.
“Better?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“I forget you can’t see like me.”
“You see in the dark?”
“All my senses are enhanced.”
“I really want to talk about this because the nerd in me is fascinated, but I want you in bed more, so let’s bookmark this discussion for after.”
Clearly amused, Mordecai undressed me with precision, starting with my pants, shedding both them and my underwear. He scratched his nails through the coarse hair on my thighs and cupped my balls, massaging until I groaned.
Not once did his concentrated gaze leave my face, like he was studying or memorizing the exchange.
“Do you like that?” he asked.
“I like everything you do. Your mouth is heaven. Your eyes are—”
“Demonic?”
“No! So fucking unique. I could stare at them all night.”
With the hand not fondling, he weaved our fingers together. “You’re so warm.”
You’re so cold, I wanted to say, but I swallowed the remark, sensing the mournful tone in his voice and suspecting the contrast bothered him. The last thing I wanted was to kill the mood.
Mordecai stroked me with purpose and drew noises of pleasure I couldn’t contain. I leaned against the wall and absorbed the sensations until the seed of desire spread her roots through my low belly and bloomed out of control.
“Undress,” I rasped, stilling his hand. “I need a second, or you’ll set me off before I’m ready.”
Mordecai freed himself from his pants and worked the buttons on his shirt as I shed my tee.
He stilled, body rigid as he clumsily backed up a step.
The transformation was so jarring, I paused. “What?”
“You need to remove it.”
It took a beat to understand what he meant, and I lifted my hand to the necklace. “What happens if you touch it?”
“Pain. It’s not as debilitating as it might be if it was a cross, but the discomfort is…” He shook his head. “Take it off. Please.”
I didn’t ask further questions and stowed it safely in my pants pocket.
Mordecai’s distress didn’t immediately vanish, so I stepped forward and assisted with the remaining buttons on his shirt until he was as free and naked as me.
