Page 19 of Echoes

She looks at me, baffled at my suggestion. Given the shit he's probably said to her about me, she's probably confused why I don't feel the same.

Truthfully, I don't care. Neither of them hid their interactions so it's not a surprise to me. At the end of the day, she's free to do as she likes. What I don't agree with is being blatantly ignored and avoided. Especially since she was just ripped away from me by police, and now she's back, withdrawn and secluded, on the verge of passing out.

Something happened and I won't rest until I know.

"No, he's not," she mutters. "But I assumed you'd be mad."

I laugh, startling her. "You're a grown woman. You can make your own choices. Why are you avoiding me?" I press again, watching her shift uncomfortably.

"I can't tell you," Avery answers. "But it's for the best."

My eyes narrow. The confirmation that sheisavoiding me is one thing, but it's another to see her reaction. Ifshewanted to avoid me, she'd tell me. I know she hates confrontation, but people get defensive when they are in charge of their decisions and feel like they need to justify them. The fact that she's nervous about this conversation says a lot.

This isn't her choice.

A stray tear slips down her cheek, her hand quickly brushing it away. I reach forward and grasp her hand, pulling her forward. She's so weak that her body just falls forward, and I catch her, pulling her into my chest.

Stunned eyes gaze up at me, but before she can say anything, I lean forward, pressing my lips to hers.

I'm not above using this tactic again. The best way to get Avery out of her own mind is to distract her with something else. It worked in the morgue and I have no doubt it will work now.

Fuck. The morgue…

The feeling of her body against mine brings it all back, my mind remembering how it felt to fuck her.

Right on cue, her body slumps against me, the tension leaving as she kisses me back. We're nothing if not animals, driven by the primal urges buried deep in our DNA.

Her lips move against mine and my cock hardens under her touch. My arms wrap around her back, holding her tighter to me.

I nearly lost her when the police took her. I tried so hard to get to her, but the officers and guards had held me back, pinning me against the wall. It was one of the worst feelings in my life, watching her helpless figure disappear with them.

My hands thread through her hair, gliding my fingers as I deepen the kiss. She lets me, whimpering in my mouth as my tongue finds hers.

She tastes like Heaven. My fallen angel.

If God exists, he must be sick. Who would send a divine creature like her into the Devil's lair? And now she's stuck with me.

I don't care about anything else, as long as she's with me.

Avery's knees sit on either side of my waist as I hold us upright. When my torso starts to lose grip, I quickly flip her onto her back onto the ground. Straddling over her frame, I keep kissing her, hand sliding up her leg. She's in shorts today, but that doesn't deter me, my fingers sliding up under the fabric.

Her hips jerk into my touch as her hands grasp my head. I can sense her desperation and fear, afraid of letting me go.

I'm not going anywhere, Avery.

Sitting back, I grab the sides of her shorts, pulling them down her legs. She stares up at me, lips swollen and more pink than usual. As soon as she's bare, I shuffle back, spreading her legs open so I can see her properly.

My only regret about the morgue is I didn't get to seeher.The darkness had stolen that from me, but now, I'm not losing that opportunity.

She's perfect. So fucking perfect.

Her pussy is already glistening with wetness, begging to be touched. And knowing I've done that to her? There's no greater feeling.

I can sense her trepidation as I just gaze at her most intimate parts in silence. But credit to her, she keeps her legs open. I can see them tremble slightly, and I know she's fighting the urge to hide.

My gaze flickers up to her face, a serious expression on my own.

"You're fucking perfect, Avery. Don't ever hide this from me. I want to see all of you."

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