Page 42 of Cruel Vampire King

A gentle hand lowered to my back, rubbing in soft circles. “Ah, I thought you’d dodge that. I didn’t mean to hit you so hard.”

My heart skipped a beat.

No! It’s all lies. I won’t let him do this to me. I won’t let him keep making me crazy.

I attacked, putting all my training to use. Jabs, kicks. Parrying, dodging, choosing what blows to take so I could get in a blow of my own.

It was all for nothing. I held my own for a few minutes—or he was teasing me—but my strength faded too quickly. Days of constant stress and motion, combined with a lack of nourishing food, had taken their toll on me. I was a little too slow as he spun behind me. His arms wound around me and we were falling. He brought me down over his chest, lying splayed out. I gasped for breath as I shivered from exertion and exhilaration.

His arms locked me in place as he twisted, putting me in a headlock so I breathed onto his smooth chest.

“I have no intention of letting you go, Elara Tideborne,” he hissed in my ear, sending shivers down my spine. “No matter how many times you try to kill me.”

His words were like liquid fire running through my veins. One of my legs was askew, opening slightly, and the scent of my own arousal hit me. Luken lay next to me, his naked length pressed into my hip. He was aroused, too. I tried to wriggle myself free, but it did no good as he kept me locked in that headlock. My breathing was sharp and rapid.

One of his hands released me and drifted across my cheekbone. He might as well have left lava in his wake. My eyes widened as I lifted my head enough to stare into his eyes. His pupils were dilated, his breathing rapid.

“That was fun,” he said, his hand moving downward. His fingers caressed the line of my neck, lingering on the hollow of my throat, before moving again. Lower, over my breast. He traced the lines of scarring on the underside of my breast, then cupped it in his hand and circled my nipple with his thumb.

I groaned, lifting into his touch. My body was on fire. I needed his cool touch to ease the burning inside of me, or it would consume me again.

“Do you want this?” he asked.

His hand lowered, sweeping over my stomach. His knuckles brushed my inner thigh, nudging my leg open further. I let it fall open, still staring into his eyes. They were mesmerizing.

“Do you want this?” he asked again, his voice a low growl. “Do you want me to touch you?”

“Luken,” my voice was hoarse. “Don’t make me say it. I can’t say it.”

His eyes widen slightly. His hand pauses as he studies me. “If you can’t say it, then show me.”

That I could do. Fighting with him had awoken new urges, new passions. I couldn’t say yes, but it wasn’t because I didn’t want him to touch me. It was everything else. Once I started talking, I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to stop. And then where would we be? I burned for him so deeply I could barely breathe.

So I took his hand in mine and moved it between my legs. My lungs ached, not for air but because the need inside of mewas too strong. How did I ever think I’d be able to resist him? Even now, knowing what he did, with Thessa and Darcie both hanging in the balance, I couldn’t stop my need for him.

Luken adjusted his position, laying half over me. His eyes were locked on mine as he slid his fingers against my most intimate place. A place that had never been touched by anyone but myself before. He explored languidly, getting closer and closer to my clit without touching it. I bit my lip as I grabbed onto his shoulders. My eyes grew wider.

“Are you afraid of me?” he asked.

“Of course I am,” I answered. The words, as true as they are, tasted like a lie.

He leaned forward and pressed a whisper-soft kiss to my lips. As he pressed harder, his fingers finally found my clit. It was already hardened with desire, and at his first touch, an electric shock rushed through me. My hips jerked slightly as I bit back a cry, not wanting him to see how much a single touch affected me.

“You’re still fighting me,” he murmured into my lips. “I’ll admit that this battle will be much more pleasurable for both of us.”

My fingers dug into his shoulders as he circled my clit with his fingers, stroking languidly around it. When he swiped his thumb over the hardened little nub, I jerked again. This time, he lingered, stroking harder then lighter. Tension built in my core, as though my skin was too tight. My breasts pebbled in the air, and Luken dropped his head to my scarred one, kissing lightly against the sensitive skin.

I let my head fall back. I closed my eyes, then opened them again. I couldn’t bear not looking at him, my vampire king.

His wet hair fell across his cheek as he swirled his tongue around my nipple and his fingers around my clit. The sensations that swept through me left my mind racing. Was I really letting him do this? Not just letting, but encouraging? I wanted it more than anything else in that moment. The reasons to shove him away from my mind fell away as easily as my legs fell open.

I wanted this. I wanted him. I wanted him to touch me, to set my nerves on fire. I wanted him to make me feel desirable, as though I still held some of the beauty I’d once had. I wanted him to bring me to tears with the want in his eyes. I wanted him to hold me, to make me feel like that fairytale princess. I wanted to feel safe. I wanted to feel as though there was an ending for my life that wasn’t blood and tears.

“Luken,” I gasped as he moved to my other breast. He nicked my skin with his wicked fangs. Enough to sting but not enough to draw blood.

“Tighter, Elara,” he whispered as he kissed his way up my neck. His breath was hot on my ear as he eased a finger inside of me. “Hold me tighter. Like you’re trying to crush me between your hands.”

My moans turned into laughter. “I’ll hurt you.”

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