Page 104 of Emperor of Lust

Takeshi puts a hand on my shoulder, his face grim but calm. “He’s in good hands. They’ll take care of him.”

I nod, trying to pull myself together. But my hands are still shaking, my mind racing with a thousand what-ifs. He looks so broken, so vulnerable.

The thought of losing him is unbearable.

The medics work quickly, pressing on his wounds, pulling bags of blood out of a cooler, pushing IV needles into his veins. I watch, every second stretching out, a torture of waiting, not knowing.

One of the medics finally looks over at me, his face softer. “He’s stable now. But he needs rest. He’s been through a lot.”

I nod, relief washing over me, though the tension doesn’t quite leave. Damian’s still unconscious, his chest rising and falling shallowly. But he’s alive. He’s safe.

For now… That’s enough.

Consciousness seepsback as my eyes slowly open in the darkness. The digital clock next to me reads midnight as I blink, stirring in the uncomfortable chair. I must have dozed off. My neck aches from the awkward position, but it all melts away when I see him.

Damian’s eyes are open, bleary but focused, and he’s looking right at me.

“Hey,” I whisper, joy and relief filling me as I move to his bedside.

He’s still battered and bruised, looking like he went to hell and back, but his gaze is clear, and there’s that familiar spark in his eyes. He’s here…reallyhere…and for a second, I can barely breathe from happiness.

“How long was I out?”

“Just over twenty-four hours.”

He blinks. “Fuck. Really?”

My lips twist. “Yeah.” My throat bobs. “You were in…pretty bad shape,” I whisper.

He smirks. “Well, I don’t smell like fish gunk anymore. So there’s that.”

I laugh, the sound too loud in the quiet room, but I can’t help it. I nod, reaching out to brush a hand across his arm. “I…may have given you a sponge bath.”

He groans, his face twisting in mock outrage. “And I missed it?Fuck.”

I giggle, leaning down to kiss him, pressing my lips softly to his, savoring the warmth and feel of him under me. It’s so tender and achingly perfect that I can hardly stand it. I feel his hand lift and cup the back of my head as he deepens the kiss, drawing me close, like he’s afraid I’ll disappear.

I pull back, though it kills me to do it. “Your wounds,” I whisper, heart clenching as I look at the cuts and bruises scattered across his chest.

His hand tightens on my back, his eyes darkening with that fierce intensity that’s always both scared and thrilled me. “Fuck my wounds,” he growls. “I need you.”

He pulls me down and I don’t resist. Our mouths meet again, his kiss hungry, desperate. I luxuriate in his touch, grounding me and making me dizzy all at once.

All the exhaustion of the past day and the terror I felt when I thought I might have lost him surge to the surface at once and melt away now that he’s here, alive, beneath my hands.

He tilts his head, his lips grazing my neck, setting every nerve on fire. I forget about his cuts and bruises, lost in the feeling of his mouth against my skin, his hands steady and firm.

My breath catches as he pulls me on top of him, sliding my leg over his body.

“Damian…”

“I don’t need more rest, Kitsune,” he whispers. “Or to lie here in this bed waiting to feel better.”

I gasp as his hand slides between us, diving into the waist of my cotton sleep shorts and slipping under the elastic of my panties. His fingers slip deeper, and when he finds me wet and my clit swollen, he growls against my mouth.

“I just needyou.”

He sinks two fingers into me, curling them deep against my g-spot. I moan eagerly, kissing him hungrily as he shifts his body under me, sliding me fully on top of him. I can feel his swollen cock, heavy, hot and hard against my thigh through his boxers.

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