Page 79 of She is the Darke

“I won’t hurt you, but you can’t leave right now. Not this soon after coming in. My coven will think something is wrong. Please, just stay for a little while.”

Her gaze flicked to the unmade four poster bed across the room before she could stop herself. Aric frowned and looked behind him, following her gaze.

“Why did you draw me?” she asked on a breath. “Why did you draw my landscaping? Why were you standing outside of my house that night?”

“Because,” he murmured.

“Tell me why or I’m leaving, and screw the consequences.”

“Dammit, Sadey, I’m trying to protect you.”

“Why?”

“Because I feel compelled to! Because it feels like this world would be uglier without you here. Because you make me feel things I haven’t felt in a really long time. Things I thought I wasn’t capable of anymore.”

Before she could stop herself, Sadey lifted up on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to his. It was reckless and wrong, but his words stirred something wild within her. She knew exactly what he meant. She made him feel. She understood. She thought she’d hate men until the day she died after the hell Brock had put her through, but here she was, feeling alive again. And it had been so damn long. Aric couldn’t be more wrong for her. He had a life leading a dangerous coven of vampires. He bled people, fed on them. He was a creature of the night and completely incapable of giving her a relationship she needed. But he could give her something she wanted—an escape. An hour where she didn’t feel jaded and unlovable. He was dangerous, powerful, and sexy, and she wanted him to touch her body, her soul, and yes, maybe her mind was reaching for him because she wanted someone to touch her there, too.

Aric had gone still with her kiss, but then his hand went around the back of her head. He angled his face, dipped closer, and then pushed his tongue past her lips. Sadey shuddered with how good he felt touching her. She ran her hand down his chest to his abs and reveled in the feeling of his taut muscles twitching under her touch.

Aric lifted her off the ground with a wild sound in his throat and slammed her back against the door. His kiss became desperate as he pressed his rock-hard erection between her thighs. When she wrapped her legs around his waist, his hand was there, strong on the back of her knee, encouraging her to stay just like this, curved around his body. Sadey hugged his neck and moaned as he dipped his tongue into her mouth over and over, rocking his hips smoothly, hitting her clit just right.

She was burning up, and this was all too fast, but for the life of her, she couldn’t conjure a single care. She couldn’t stop this right now if she tried. Aric yanked her away from the door and walked her slowly back toward the bed.

Sadey lowered her lips to his neck and sucked hard, and the hiss in his throat revved her up even hotter. His hands were strong on her, as if he knew what her body was capable of. He didn’t need to be gentle because she wasn’t some fragile human. She had an animal side that reveled in rough affection. Teasingly, she clamped her teeth on his neck. Silly vamp, offering a predator his throat. He must trust her.

Aric held her tighter and eased them onto the bed, ground his erection against her. His skin was so cold on hers. As he leaned down and took her mouth, he slid his hands up inside of her shirt, brushed her ribs, and cupped her breast. Damn bra. Desperate to touch more of his skin, she pulled off her shirt. Aric eased up just enough to let the fabric slip between them, and then his lips crashed onto hers again.

His hands were rough in her hair, and she fucking loved it. Loved the way he angled her face back to level her lips with biting kisses. Loved how he trailed his kisses along her jaw to her neck, hesitated there to suck on her skin, then moved down. He undid the clasp of her bra and yanked it off, then sucked on her nipple until she arched against the mattress. She spread her legs for him, inviting him closer.

Reaching down, she popped the button of his jeans and unzipped them so he wouldn’t be confused by mixed signals.

“Tell me to stop now, Sadey,” he growled out.

“I don’t want you to stop,” she said breathily.

“Fuck,” he muttered, and then her pants were on the floor with his. Just a second was all he had needed to unfasten them and strip them off her legs.

He ground his hips again, and she could feel the head of his swollen shaft at her wet entrance, and a sudden desperation took her. “Please,” she whispered, digging her nails into his back.

His lips were on her neck again, and there were the sharp points of his fangs, but he wouldn’t drink her. Not if she didn’t tell him to. She didn’t know how she knew, but she did. She could trust Aric not to hurt her.

When he eased back, there was raw hunger in his eyes. It should’ve terrified her, but it didn’t. Instead, the heat in her stomach turned molten. How sexy to be wanted so desperately by someone. Fuck Brock and his memory. Fuck her ex for forcing her to pick up the scraps of his affection. Fuck his other mates. Right here, right now, she was enough for Aric.

“You’re more than enough,” he whispered, pushing into her. “Don’t reach, Sadey. I can’t keep out if you reach for me.”

But keeping him out seemed like a lot of work when she could barely think straight. Aric pushed into her again, stretching her, filling her. She gasped out a helpless sound as his lips collided with hers. His abs flexed against her with everystroke he pumped into her. His smooth, cold skin stole the warmth from hers. His sharp teeth grazed her lips and still, he felt perfect right now. So perfect.

“You’re the perfect one,” he murmured against her lips. Gritting his teeth, he moaned and bucked into her again, gripped her waist. “Fuck, you feel so good.”

The pressure built to blinding in her middle. How could anything feel like this? How could she feel this connected with another person? His lips were back on her throat, his teeth right there, and his look of hunger from before flashed through her mind. Her stomach turned with a sudden desperation for something to sate her thirst. What was he doing to her?

He slid into her again, so hard, so good, and she lost her mind completely to the release she teetered right on the edge of. “Do it.”

“Do what?” he ground out.

“Drink me.”

There was no hesitation. His teeth pierced her throat, and it should’ve hurt, but it didn’t. Not when her orgasm exploded through her body at that exact moment. “It’s okay. Okay, okay. It’s okay.”The words tumbled around in her mind, echoing, tripping over each other. “I’ll take care of you.”Aric was there in her head making beautiful promises.

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