Page 171 of Barbi and the Villain

I take his compliment in stride this time, snuggling by his side.

He’s warm and comfortable, and despite the fact that my heart races at our proximity, I also feel at peace.

He kisses the top of my head, letting his lips linger there. I wiggle up his body, tipping my head back.

Our eyes meet.

He cups the side of my face with his big hand, and I sigh deeply at the contact.

Leaning in, he kisses my forehead before moving to my nose. Finally, his lips meet mine. The kiss starts slow. Just a languid slide of lips against lips. When he opens his mouth to deepen the kiss, I meet him there, touching my tongue against his.

I whimper softly as I hold on to him, letting him possess my mouth the same way I want him to possess my body.

But he never tries to push for more.

We kiss and kiss until kissing becomes second nature. Until my lips are so inherently connected to his that to keep them apart would mean a death sentence.

We kiss until the entire world fades away. Until there’s just his body, my body, and the heat that keeps building between us.

We kiss as if kissing was breathing. Because each touch of his lips breathes life into me.

“You are the sweetest thing I have ever tasted,” he murmurs against my mouth. He tugs my lower lip between his teeth, nibbling at it before he peppers light kisses all over my face. “The sweetest and most poisonous.”

My eyes widen as I regard him with confusion.

“What do you mean?” I whisper.

“You have the power to end me, Barbs.” He gives me a sad smile. “Here.” He brings his hand lower, placing it over my chest where the mark we share resides. “One stab here, against your heart, is one stab here, against my heart,” he says as he takes my hand and presses it against his mark. “This…us.” He takes a deep breath. “I am entrusting you with my heart.”

My face lights up at his words. Knowing I can’t possibly give him a proper reply, I simply lower myself down his body and press my lips against his chest.

“Your heart is safe with me, Nykander. I will cherish it and take care of it as my most prized possession.”

“Nyk,” he suddenly says. “Call me Nyk from now on.”

I bite my lower lip so I don’t dissolve into a crying mess.

“Nyk,” I repeat, the word filling me with inexplicable warmth. It feels foreign yet familiar on my tongue. “I will treasure this gift, Nyk.”

He smiles at me.

“Sleep, sweetheart. I have you.”

Somehow, those words are enough.

In the warmth of his embrace, I let myself succumb to sleep.

He’s mine.

I must stop obsessing over Mo. She is gone and I am not.

I am here, with him, and I will be with him for the rest of eternity.

He might have been hers at some point in time, but from now on, he will only ever be mine.

Only ever mine…

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