Page 37 of Infernal

He lowered his face to my neck, and I whimpered as his lips grazed against my skin. My body felt as though it had caught fire from the inside out, reacting to his touch in every way possible, even despite what my heart wanted it to do. But it wasn’t all pleasure. No. Guilt and self-loathing were there too, and they slashed a hole right through my fantasy.

If Trace could see me now…

I shook my head and pushed him away.

“We shouldn’t be doing this,” I said, my eyes flicking down to where my hands rested on his firm chest. I couldn’t bring myself to pull them away. “This isn’t right.”

He captured my wrists and brought them down, securing them behind my back with his hand while the other hand came back up to my face, his thumb gently gliding over my lips as he said, “Then why does it feel right?”

“It doesn’t. It’s not,” I sputtered, trying not to get lost in the dark pools of his smoldering eyes.

“You’re lying, angel.” His gaze locked onto mine as he sifted through my layers of truth. “I know you want this, even if you won’t say it out loud. I canfeelit.” He pressed himself between my legs, and my breath caught in my throat. “I can feel your body responding to me, even when you try to push me away. Your heart races, your pulse quickens, and your skin”—he nuzzled his cheek against mine –"the heat is hotter than hell, love.”

I wanted to say something back, to deny it, but all I could do was lick my lips and try to quell the thirst that was raging on the inside.

“You can refute it with that pretty mouth of yours all you want, but your body will always give you away. It’s been doing that since the day I met you.”

My thighs clenched as I fought the urge to lift my legs up and trap his body between them.

Oh, my God, this was wrong. All wrong. So wrong.

His lips spread into a knowing grin, as though he could feel me battling against the pull.

“I don’t want this,” I said and tried to will it to be true. “I don’t want you!” I pulled my hands free and shoved him back again.

His features darkened as he squared his shoulders.

“Just leave me the hell alone!” I yelled, though I wasn’t sure who I was angrier with—him for doing this to me or my body for responding to it.

“Are you sure that’s what you want, angel?”

“More than the air I’m breathing.”

His back stiffened as he let my words sink in.

“Alright. I’ll leave you alone, but hear this,” he said as he picked up my hand and used it to yank me against him. Craning his head down, he whispered by my ear. “The next time you need relief—the next time your hips are writhing in pain and you can’t see straight, I’m not going to lay a single finger on you. Even when you beg me to,” he warned and then pressed his finger against my lips before I could protest. “And believe me, angel. Youwillbeg.”

“Are you threatening me, Dominic?” A slither of fear burrowed under my skin as I gazed into his menacing eyes.

“No.” He angled his face to mine, his mouth so close it was almost touching my own. “Just a fair warning to be careful what you wish for,” he said with a cold smile as he let go of my hand. Without glancing back, he grabbed his coat from the sofa and then walked out of the room, leaving me breathless and alone.

A few beats later, I heard the front door slam shut.

My anxiety immediately returned, and I knew he had left the house. The farther he got from me, the worse I felt, and I hated him for it. But most of all, I hated myself, because the moment he was gone, I instantly missed him.

There was something seriously wrong with me, and I wasn’t sure it could ever be fixed.

13. NIGHT VISITORS

Ignoring the ever-mounting discomfort inside me, I made my way to the study as planned and was surprised to find Gabriel already there. He was sitting behind a dark oak desk with a colorful spread of books fanned out in front of him. His brows were creased with worry, and his hair was slightly disheveled from passing his hand through it one too many times.

“Doing some late-night reading?” I asked him, still hovering by the entrance with my arms folded across my chest.

“Sort of. I’m going through some of my father’s journals,” he said and then set the book down on the desk to give me a once-over. “What are you still doing up? You should get some rest, Jemma.”

Typical Gabriel, always worrying about my well-being, even we were technically still in a fight.

“I’ll rest when this is over.” I tilted my head to the side and studied him. Despite the fact that he was a powerful immortal being, he looked as though he had the weight of the world on his back. Everything sagged from his shoulders to the slight downturn of his mouth.

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