Page 15 of Bitter Sweet Love

“Like?”

His chest rose against my arm. “I went south—to Florida and then to Texas, up the Midwest and finally to California.”

The significance of the last location didn’t pass me by. “You went home?”

He hesitated and then said, “Yes.”

A sharp pang hit my chest. “You went to the house?”

“It still stands, but it should be... torn down,” he said, and I peeked up. His gaze was fixed on the darkness outside my bedroom window. “The place is just a burnt-out shell. Couldn’t even go to the second floor.”

My father had told me what had happened to Dez’s clan. The demons had set fire to their home after the attack, leaving Dez for dead. It was a miracle he’d made it out alive. He never should’ve gone back there alone.

“The cities out West are teeming with demons, so I hunted.”

He continued, telling me about the cities he’d been to, but he never once told me why he left. I wasn’t sure he would ever willingly divulge that information. And while I knew that one day I could forgive him for leaving, I also knew I wouldn’t forget and I wasn’t certain that was something either of us could truly get past. For that reason, I couldn’t accept his claim. If I did, our relationship would become a bitter, sad thing.

But I couldn’t deny the rightness of being in his arms. I wasn’t naive enough to believe in soul mates or any of that childish nonsense that I had once clung to, but there had always been something tangible between Dez and me, and even after his absence, it was still there, stronger than before.

“I could hold you for a lifetime,” he said, so low, so quick I wasn’t sure I’d heard him right. “But I’ve got to go.” He sighed, sliding his hand back down my arm. “There’s one last thing, though.”

Lifting my head, I met his gaze. “What?”

His lashes lowered, hiding the sudden vibrancy in his blue eyes. “We haven’t completed your condition.”

I tensed. “You’re talking about your condition.”

“I am.” His hand moved from my arm to my cheek, and my heart jumped, betraying how badly I was looking forward to his condition. “Just a kiss.”

“Just a kiss?”

He nodded, smiling slightly.

A tremor coursed through me when he bent his head and his lips grazed my temple, then followed the curve of my cheekbone. “That’s not a kiss,” I whispered.

“Yes, it is.”

Even with my limited experience, I knew better. “No, it’s not.”

“It’s the beginning of a kiss,” he explained, spreading his hand behind the nape of my neck.

“The beginning?” My eyes fluttered shut as my anticipation rose in spite of the resolution to end these seven days with a resounding no.

His lips pressed down on my jaw, a tiny, hot little brand. He moved to one corner of my lips and then the other. Air caught in my throat as he slanted his mouth over mine, kissing me softly. It was such a sweet, tender kiss, little more than a brush of his lips. Still, the contact sent a rush of fire through my veins, and then the kiss deepened, as it had when he’d returned. The pressure of his mouth increased, and he flicked his tongue along the seam of my lips, causing me to gasp. He was quick to take advantage of the opening, kissing me in a way I’d only dreamed of. His tongue slid over mine, patient and coaxing; a slow seduction that demanded a response. A soft sound rose in my throat and the kiss captured it, but somehow he sensed it.

Dez’s hand moved from my neck to my waist, pulling until I was flush with his chest. I wanted to be closer, but the position made it impossible. The kiss lingered until he retreated, nipping at my lower lip.

I swayed when he drew away—swayed like a damn reed in a windstorm—and probably would’ve toppled right out of his lap if he hadn’t tightened his arms around me.

The male pride in his face was so evident when I opened my eyes that I wanted to pick up something heavy and smack him upside the head with it.

“Don’t even say it,” I warned, flushing.

“What?” An infuriating half grin appeared on his lips. “I wasn’t going to say a damn thing.”

Chapter Seven

The memory of his kiss lingered on my lips long after he was gone and well into the following day. I had no idea a kiss could hold that kind of power, and maybe that wasn’t common, but with Dez it remained at the edge of every thought, thoroughly distracting me.

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