Page 60 of TBR: Dead But Well Read

Reaching up, I slipped off the dark glasses that hid his beautiful eyes from me. “Saul, it’s not wrong to feel emotions. You’re allowed to be angry and protective of those you love.”

His irises glowed a brilliant violet, and his pupils expanded and contracted. “Are you afraid of me?”

I lifted my chin. “No.”

“What if I told you I’m thinking about hunting down the man at the bar and reaping his soul for touching you?”

“But you won’t. Because you’re a good man.”

“What if I told you I could kill half the people in this club before they even knew Death was coming for them?” he growled.

I brushed my fingertips along his stubbled jaw. “Then I’d say they had it coming, and you handed out fair judgment.”

Faster than the speed of light, he spun me around to face the mirror. The hard edge of the sink dug into my stomach as his right hand wrapped around my throat and his shadows whipped across my skin. He ground his erection against my butt, and his left hand slid down my stomach to press against my aching core.

His movements were purposely rough, as though he wanted to scare me away. “Are you afraid of me, Axelle?”

“No.” I rolled my eyes. “But I am getting turned on.” I wiggled my butt against him.

Our eyes locked in the mirror, and I watched as his hands moved down my body, then shoved my slinky dress over my hips. With a flick of his wrist, his scythe appeared in his hand. Never breaking eye contact, he slid the flat edge of the blade up my arm and down my bare back.

My adorable reaper. He was trying so hard to get me to run, but he only proved I was safe with him. The man wasn’t even willing to risk accidentally cutting me with the sharpened edge of the blade.

The cool steel of the blade felt good against my burning skin. I sighed in delight and nearly burst out laughing at the befuddled look on Saul’s face.

He hooked my thong strap with the curved tip of the scythe’s blade, slicing the fabric with ease. Unbuckling his belt, he pulled it free with a snap and let it drop to the floor. “What if I took you hard and fast right here in this bathroom?”

I narrowed my eyes at him in the mirror. “Stop promising me a good time if you aren’t going to follow through.”

“You deserve so much more than this.” His mouth trailed hot kisses down my spine. “Why don’t you fear me? Nothing I did made you so much as flinch.”

“Because you said I’m yours and I know you’d never hurt me.” I caught his hand and kissed it.

“But what if I do?” His voice had gone from commanding to unsure.

“You want me to be afraid, because you’re afraid you might lose control and hurt me,” I murmured as realization slapped me in the face. “Saul, I’ve fallen in love with you—all the parts of you.”

“Axelle, what if I hurt you?” he repeated the question.

“If you walk away out of fear, you are going to hurt me.” Pushing aside my pride, I asked him for what I wanted. “Love me. Please?”

The atmosphere in the room changed so fast my ears popped. Saul’s hands moved to cradle my body against his, and the shadows brushed softly against my skin.

“I love you,” Saul purred between kisses. “I know things moved fast, but I’ve never felt attracted to anyone until I saw you.”

My jaw went slack. “So Zacharias wasn’t joking about the V-card thing? I thought he was messing with you.”

Saul shrugged. “I’ve witnessed plenty of sex while reaping souls. But nothing about the ordeal seemed appealing.”

I wiggled my butt against the stiff length in his pants. “Clearly you’ve changed your mind.”

“Yes, but that has led to a new issue.” He gripped his length through his pants and hissed between his teeth. “I’ve been erect since you were in my bed.”

“Wh-what?” Surely I’d misheard him.

“It’s been inconvenient,” Saul said as though this were a normal thing.

“Shouldn’t you go to the doctor? Do reapers even have doctors?” I asked. What if his bat and balls died and fell off?

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