Page 147 of Overcast

Emric’s facelooks pained as he closes his eyes and inhales a deep breath that brushes along my breasts.

He’s treating me like a fragile doll and not a woman he wants to screw because he thinks I’m attractive.

We had a very odd and dark meeting, yes, he didn’t court me, and I didn’t fall for his corny lines. And maybe it’s because I’m not loud and have the confidence of a leper who could’ve bought more fitted clothing on our Walmart run. It could also be that he doesn’t want any strings attached because when this is all over, I go back to my life.

Whatever that’s going to consist of and something that I really need to start thinking more about.

However, in this exact moment, I’m in Emric’s massive arms being held up by him and gazed upon like I’m some fallen star out of the sky. That he wants to own and ravish for only tonight, and I’m down for it—all of it.

I’ve kept myself composed and safe within relationships and life, never exploring too much out of the box. I want to discover what lies under one night with a killer who has a soft exterior beneath.

Emric’s eyes flutter open, and I’m met with mixed emotions on how this is going to play out.

I’m not sure of his fears, I’m not going to ask about them, but I am going to put my foot down. Even though my heart wants to leap out of my chest and my stomach is beginning to form a massive knot, I don’t want to let this point of time go without giving it a shot.

“Tell me you want me, sweetheart,” Emric finally says, squeezing my ass for emphasis. “And I’ll show you a few things that have graced my mind over the course of the last ninety seconds.”

Unwrapping my legs from his waist, he immediately lets me go as my fingers find the waistband of my sweats and underwear. Emric lets out an unsteady exhale, believing that I changed my mind because he can’t see what I’m doing underneath the water.

Sinking lower into the coolness of the lake, I ditch both articles of clothing and stand, watching Emric watch me through discouraged eyes. But when I leap towards him, he catches me immediately, grasping my naked butt.

His eyes widen in surprise. “Oh shit.”

“Your turn.” One of his hands promptly goes between our bodies as he begins to undo the button of his jeans. I kiss the rough and prickly stubble on his cheek, working my way to his ear to see if I can make him feel the same way I do when he whispers in mine.

Clasping my lips around his lobe, I feel his chest still as he continues moving his hand, his knuckles grazing my inner thigh as he attempts to make quick work of his clothes.

My inner fortitude keeps shoving me forward to keep working, using my tongue to tease as I drag my teeth down his soft cartilage.

“Fuck,” he growls, as his other hand pulls at the collar of my t-shirt. Exposing my skin, he gently sinks his teeth into my shoulder, following it up slowly with a lapse of his tongue then lips.

Retaliating his move, like we’re back at playing cards, I start a trail of kisses down the column of his neck.

Then he wins the hand.

The hardness of him grazes my clit. The velvet skin provoking me to let out a cracked moan as I tuck my face into the crook of his nape.

“Your turn,” he recites in that gruff tone that I was just talking about. It tickles some part of my brain that makes everything in me want to melt and swoon.

I draw back, ready to—I’m not sure what—when his fingers seize my jaw and haul me into his lips.

The kiss is raw and hungry.

It’s a battle of wills and morals.

An apology, forgiveness, and desire all combined into one mesh of tongues, lips, and teeth.

Emric feeds on every insecurity that I’ve ever had about a man or being wanted in general by the opposite sex. He implores that life doesn’t have to be me locked up in my bedroom and half-dreaming that someday I’ll be something I’m proud of.

It brims with possibility.

It’s made up of mistakes, chances, and going with the moments that are given to you.

Finding the flip side of the coin with someone you never thought in a million years you’d be with now.

Because never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d be in the middle of a lake in the dead of night with a man made of tattoos and muscle as he drove me insane with his body.

A dude that, at one point, wanted me dead.

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