Page 79 of The Venom We Bleed

“Does that matter?” he asks.

“Doesn’t it?”

I can’t see his eyes in the dark, but I can feel the penetrating heat of his gaze on me. “Maybe I’ll hate you again in the morning, Princess,” he says, “but not tonight.”

I blink up at him, trying to see him clearly even though it’s impossible. “Why?”

Wide palms cup either side of my head, holding me in place as he leans into me and his head dips. Soft lips brush back and forth across mine. “Tonight,” he whispers, “I think you and I can just be Nolan and Juliet. We don’t need to be a Scorpion King or a Donovan.”

Does that mean that come dawn he’ll hate me again? As much as we might want to pretend all of the issues between us are gone, in the morning, they’ll be back. I’ll always be a Donovan and he’ll always be a Scorpion King.

My hands smooth further up the hard, muscled plains of his chest until I come to his shoulders. I open my mouth, letting my tongue wander out to slick across my lower lip and touching his at the same time. A low groan echoes out of him. His sight in the dark must be better than mine—or maybe it’s just that I’m trying to ignore all of the shadows of my mind and he doesn’t have that problem—because he growls like he saw the movement.

“Make your decision,” Nolan orders. “Are we doing this or not?”

I close my eyes. This is a bad idea. A very,verybad idea, but after the night I’ve had, I want to take something back. I want a reward for what I’ve gone through and fuck if I’m not ready to take it from him.

“Not all the way,” I tell him.

I have to keep something for myself. Something that is just mine. I don’t trust easily, not anymore. The last guy I fucked was a boyfriend that cheated on me with my best friend and vanished when my family fell apart.

Does it make me a little fucked in the head to think it has something to do with me? Maybe. Do I care? Not at the moment.

Nolan groans again. “You’re fucking killing me, Princess.”

His hand comes up and closes around my throat, a threat and a promise. When his lips touch mine again, they’re even more demanding than they were before, but I open for him anyway. Hot, wet kiss after hot, wet kiss merges between us. His body slowly rocks against me. I could laugh at how high school this all is, the two of us grinding on one another as we make out like teenagers.

Weareteenagers, but I haven’t felt like one in months. It’s kind of nice to remind myself that this is what I am, this is what I’m meant to do. Sneak in and out of boys’ rooms. Kiss them. Pretend for just a fucking second that I’m normal.

“Stop thinking,” Nolan growls, sounding annoyed.

“I’m—” I start to defend myself, but he cuts me off by releasing my throat and sitting up. His hands touch the hem of my shirt.

“No penetration is fine,” he tells me, “but I need your tits on my chest.”

That's all the warning I get before he’s ripping the tanktop right off me and dropping it to the floor. Then he’s back and my nipples harden into little points as if seeking him out. My breasts feel heavy and swollen as Nolan reaches down and lifts one of my legs to wrap around his waist.

With an annoyed grunt, he pauses and disappears. A second later, the fabric of my sweats is yanked straight down my legs. I snap them shut, but he forces his way between them, falling back into the same position as earlier. Nolan curls my legs over his waist and lowers himself right down.

The new position pushes the head of his cock right against my core. The only thing separating us is his sweats. A moan rumbles up my chest. He rubs again and again until I have to close my eyes and arch back. “There you are, Princess,” Nolanurges. “You feel my cock against you? You like that? Yeah, you do. Fucking ride it.”

I roll my hips, tentatively at first and then with more force, pushing against him over and over again. When his hand lands on one of my breasts and squeezes, I barely notice. So caught up in the sensation of his cock head teasing my clit through the folds of his pajama bottoms, I whimper as sparks dance behind my eyelids.

He pinches my nipple and I scream as the orgasm I’d been on the cusp of reaching for fades just enough for me to lose its pleasurable edge. I open my eyes to glare at him. Somehow between our grinding and kissing, the shadows have been pushed back and it’s easier to see him. He’s grinning down at me. One hand holds my hip in place as he thrusts in methodical movements back and forth against me, mimicking the act of penetration that I won’t let him complete.

“That hurt,” I complain, and yet it had also felt good too, like electricity racing through my skin.

He tweaks my nipple again, rolling it between a thumb and forefinger, causing my back to arch. “You like it,” he counters, and damn him, but I do.

“Nolan…” The moan is a whine in my throat. I don’t recognize the sound because it’s definitely not one I ever made with Bran.

“Yeah, that’s right, Princess,” Nolan replies. “Call my name because I know it makes you wet for me.”

Wet? No. I’m not wet. I’m fucking soaked. Drenched. Dripping down my inner thighs with each pass. I’m starting to hate my demand for no penetration, but I won’t take it back.

Fingers release my nipple and delve down my stomach. My eyes flash up to meet his. I can’t see their color in the dark, but I know they’re burning just as hot as I am.

“Tit for tat,” Nolan whispers. “I get you off and you return the favor.”

---