Page 17 of Devil's Night

I became aware of the ticklish caress of his calloused fingertips tracing idle patterns against my scalp. The tension had melted from his powerful frame; he held me now with a gentleness that shook me to the core.

Pulling back slightly, I found myself mesmerized by the play of dim light over the lean planes of his face, throwing his sharp features into stark relief.

His expression remained impassive, yet behind that stoic mask, something had softened in his gaze.

In that moment, I glimpsed the man beneath the deadly hunter’s exterior - a protector, yes, but one moved by more than cold professionalism. Someone who would go to any lengths to shield what he cared for.

The realization sparked a warmth inside me that had nothing to do with the solidity of his arms around me. This gruff, enigmatic alien had seen my fear, witnessed the crumbling of my bravado, and he hadn’t flinched or retreated.

Instead, he’d drawn me near when I was at my most vulnerable, offering the shelter of his strength with a tenderness that made my throat tight.

Our gazes locked, charged and unwavering. His features were all hard angles and uncompromising lines yet I found myself tracing their stern beauty with a newfound sense of wonder. Of possibility.

“Sargon “ I murmured, the syllables falling from my lips with surprising intimacy.

One corner of his mouth curled upward in a fleeting half-smile that made my pulse stutter. A few stray locks of hair had fallen over his brow; without thinking, I brushed them aside.

My fingertips grazed the ridged surface of one small horn, and Sargon tensed abruptly, his eyelids fluttering. A sharp inhalation hissed from between his clenched teeth.

I started to pull back, but his hand caught my wrist in a gentle vise, holding me in place. His smoldering gaze had darkened to a burnished garnets.

Sargon’s chest rose and fell in a deep, measured cadence. When he finally spoke, his gravelly tones caressed the words with a rumbling purr. “You should not touch me so carelessly, little human.”

I shook my head slowly, holding his gaze. “I’m not being careless, Sargon.” My heart thrummed in my chest. “I know exactly what I’m doing.”

Emboldened by the raw vulnerability I’d glimpsed in his alien eyes, I leaned forward, closing the gap. My lips brushed against his in a tender, questing kiss. A spark of electricity jolted through me, a current that ignited a fire deep in my core.

Sargon’s response was immediate and overwhelming. With a low growl that resonated through his chest and into mine, he wrapped his powerful arms around me, pulling me flush against his hard, lean body, his lips firm yet yielding as he deepened the kiss.

I felt myself being lifted off the ground effortlessly, his hands splayed possessively across my back. My legs instinctivelywrapped around his waist, and I clung to him, lost in the maelstrom of sensation he evoked.

As we kissed, Sargon turned and, with one muscular arm still firmly holding me, swept the bed clear with the other. Books and toys thudded softly against the threadbare rug, but neither of us cared enough to check the damage. The world around us had narrowed to the heat of our bodies, the taste of his lips, the intoxicating scent of his skin.

He broke away reluctantly, his eyes searching mine. “Tell me, Nicole,” he rasped. “Tell me if you do not want this.”

I cupped the sharp line of his jaw with my hand, answering him with a smile that felt both foreign and utterly right. “I promise you, Sargon, this is exactly what I want.”

A shudder ran through his body at my words, and the feral set of his face only deepened. He laid me down gently on the bed, his gaze never leaving mine as he began to undress me with a reverence that made my heart ache with unexpected tenderness.

His hands were deft and sure as he peeled away my clothing, baring my skin. The rough pads of his fingers skimmed over my flesh, leaving a trail of fire in their wake. I felt exposed and vulnerable under his scrutiny, but there was no fear – only a desperate, all-consuming need for more.

Once I was naked before him, Sargon took a moment to simply look at me, his gaze roaming over me with an appreciation that made me blush from head to toe. Then, with a tenderness that surprised me, he began to kiss his way down my body, worshiping me with each caress of his lips.

Sargon’s lips trailed a scorching path down my stomach, each kiss a brand that seared my skin and stoked the fire within me until he settled between my thighs with the patience of a predator closing in on its prey.

“Sargon,” I breathed, my voice a plea and a benediction all at once.

He inhaled deeply, closing his eyes as if savoring a rare and exotic perfume. “Your scent, it’s intoxicating,” he murmured, the words vibrating against my sensitive flesh. “It’s like the first breath of air after being submerged in the depths for far too long.”

I squirmed beneath him, aching for his touch, but he held me firmly in place with a gentle yet unyielding hand on my hip. His control was absolute, and it both maddened and thrilled me.

“You’re torturing me,” I accused, the corners of my lips turning up in a smile even as my pulse hitched with anticipation.

Sargon’s low chuckle rumbled through me, a sound both wicked and warm. “Patience, little human. I intend to savor every inch of you.”

He explored the contours of my thighs, tracing the lines of muscle and sinew as if he were memorizing my body through touch alone. The pads of his fingertips felt deliciously rough against my skin, a stark contrast to the softness of his kisses.

“And your taste.” That purr sent heat pooling in my belly. “It’s sweeter than anything I’ve ever known. Like the most exquisite nectar, hidden away in the heart of the most dangerous flower.”

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