Page 63 of The Cruelty of Thorns

He popped a date into his own mouth and licked his lips before peeling a piece off what looked like some kind of crusty vegetable. “Sweet chermoula. Roasted cauliflower.

This time after he deposited the delicacy in my mouth, he leaned forward to press his lips to mine. “Don’t forget to chew,” he chided, his hand wrapping around the back of my neck to pull me closer.

He continued to feed me items from the tray until we had sampled everything, his lips finding mine after every bite, the kisses becoming ever more insistent, his tongue dipping inside to tangle with mine until I was simultaneously sated and starving. When his hand lingered on my chin then proceeded down to my neck, I leaned back without thinking to give him better access.

“So responsive,” he breathed, tracing a single finger between my breasts. I could feel my nipples harden, straining against the lace of my bra, aching to feel his touch. When his hand closed around my right one, I couldn’t stop a moan from escaping my lips.

“It seems you’re still hungry,” he chuckled. “I want nothing more right now than to lay you down on these cushions and devour your sweet pussy. The perfect dessert.”

My breath hitched, my pulse skittering at his bold words. Part of me wished he would do it, but I knew, despite the barrier of the curtain, we were still in a public place and the server could walk in on us at any moment.

“I could pay her to stay away,” he murmured as if reading my mind, his hand finding its way to the hem of my skirt, where he traced ever-widening circles on my thigh until I felt like I would cum from anticipation. When I let my legs fall open, he hummed in approval and snaked his hand higher, brushing against my pussy. I couldn’t suppress a moan of frustration.

“So impatient,” he teased. He slipped two fingers inside my panties and rolled them over my lips. “Fuck, you’re soaked. You know that makes me want to slide my cock inside you.”

He slipped those fingers into me and teased them across my clit, causing me to whimper his name. “This won’t do. I need to get you out of here before I say the hell with it and mount you right here on this floor.”

CHAPTER 27

JULIANUS

The first time

I PAID THE check and guided Myra out of the restaurant. I didn’t know what I intended to do with her since every instinct was screaming at me to stay away, but she was just so damned…delectable. The way her body responded to mine, the way her lips begged to be kissed, and then there was that sweet pussy that soaked my hand with the slightest touch. It was addictive. It had been so long since I’d had a willing partner, especially one who stirred my desires like she did.

I led us around the corner to a quiet alley and backed her up against the brick wall.

“What are we doing here?’ she whispered, her eyes scanning the darkness.

“I don’t know,” I answered honestly. “You make me crazy.”

I bent closer to her, our lips barely touching as I felt her pulse stutter, her breath coming in short gasps. It was heady to have this much power over another person, and I knew if I wasn’t careful I could lose total control. “I want you, but I leave it in your hands.”

She seemed to consider that. “I…I’ve never…”

“I know.”

“I’m not…that is, I have no birth control.”

I hesitated, a smile curling my lips. “No problem. I’m infertile. I’m also clean.”

Due to my vampiric nature, I was immune to human ailments, including sexually transmitted diseases. “Anything else?”

She offered a shy smile, her cheeks flushing. “No. I guess not.”

“I would never force you, Myra, but…” I pressed my lips to hers, my tongue pushing its way inside. She tasted of spices and mint, and that flavor that was uniquely hers, and I had all I could do not to devour her on the spot. But I pulled back and searched her eyes, reaching up to run my thumb over her lower lip. “So kissable.”

“Why?” she asked.

Why what, I wondered. Why did I want her, why was she always on my mind? Why did I feel this need to protect her, to possess her?

On the surface, the answer was obvious. Had been from the first time I’d met her eyes in that bar. They were so much alike, and yet, she was completely different. There was a strength in her I had never seen in Rosetta, with the soft heart of a poet and a sense of tragedy in her gaze. I could imagine myself wanting to spend my years with her, but what did that even mean? To make her like me and steal away the life she could have lived?

I couldn’t deny the appeal of it, if I was being selfish, but that wasn’t fair to her. As much as I wanted to be the only man in her life, a small part of me knew that wasn’t possible. At least, not long term. But for now?

“I can’t explain why you’re my first waking thought,” I replied. “Or why seeing you with another man drives me to rage. I only know that I want you.”

Something I said must have satisfied her, because her eyes softened and she raised up on her toes to press her lips to mine. I don’t know if that was her giving me permission, but I took it as such and deepened the kiss, our tongues tangling while my hands moved up her hips to cup her breasts. I was still letting her set the pace, taking my time until I felt her pulse quicken as she leaned closer, preening from my touch. I ran one hand under the hem of her sweater to slip inside her bra, rolling her pebbled nipple between my fingers. She ground her hips against me, and my cock hardened at the contact. While I continued to massage her breast, my other hand slipped down to duck under her skirt and slide between her legs.

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