Page 68 of What Is Dark Within Me

“Did what?”

“Destroyed me.”

They watched each other in silence. Motes of dust swirled over the war table like battle ashes. Aleja reached out, desperate for something to do with her hands, and picked up the closest figurine. “Even if I got her memories back somehow, I’m still just Alejandra Ruiz.”

“Your memories don’t make you who you are. You’re still brave and annoyingly persistent and have no qualms about putting me in my place. You’d still do anything—anything at all—if it kept your friends safe. You still love art. Your eyes soften when you look at a painting, as if they’re losing focus. But they’re seeing beyond the canvass and into everything the artist was trying to express, and youlisten.”

She bit the inside of her cheek. It felt as if something had peeled off her skin and her heart was pumping, raw and bloody, for all to see.

“My dreams. You said to do what I needed to do to take care of myself, so I came here to ask about your offer. Maybe—” she began.

“Then ask.” His deep voice filled her, wrapping around her bones, forcing its way through her veins.

“You said, if I asked, we could sleep together.”

“That’s not what I said. But I will make you come, if that’s what you need.”

“Yes.”

“That’s not good enough. Ask.”

“Will you make me come, Knowing One?”

Nicolas’s eyes, still a shade of silvery red, darkened like the last glimmer of a sunset. His voice was a rasp, but Aleja felt it within her all the same. “Closer.”

She rose to her feet, her heart racing so quickly it felt like a wasp’s nest beneath her sternum. Aleja didn’t pull away when he brought his hands to her collar and undid the first few buttons as he whispered, “If you tell me to stop, I will.”

She allowed him to pull the shirt off her shoulders, shivering at the touch of cold against her chest. The rudimentary bras she’d found in her closest were not the most flattering garments, but the fabric was thin enough to show the outline of her tightened nipples. His hands moved from her ribcage to her hips.

“Here?” she muttered. All right, maybe she’d pictured this a few times, but every version had included one of the palace’s opulent beds. She reached for his tunic buttons, curious about how his scars would feel against her fingertips, but Nicolas wrapped her hands in his own.

“We could roam the halls in search of a bed and hope the palace is feeling generous, or I could lay you on this table and give you what you need now.”

Aleja tried to make her answer obvious, rising to her tiptoes so she could capture his mouth in a kiss that would surely taste of vanilla, but he pulled back enough to evade her.

“I’ve already seen your scar. I don’t care,” she stammered. She might no longer be under Amicia’s influence, but the heat of Nicolas’s body against her own was enough to make her feel drunk.

“It’s not my only scar. I was applying medicine to one of the others when you came in. Best you leave it alone for now,” he said. It was obvious he was trying to keep his voice as nonchalant as usual, but she heard the strain behind his words.

“But—”

“Do you want this or not?”

She nodded and he maneuvered them until her ass was pressed against the table. There was a clink as several of the figures toppled, but the feeling of his fingers playing with the edge of her underwear was so distracting she hardly cared about chipping what were probably priceless artifacts.

“Shall I fuck you with my fingers, Aleja?” he asked.

This time, he accepted her wordless response. His hand dipped lower, stroking her folds gently through her underwear. There was no chance he couldn’t tell how wet she was. She gasped as he pulled away to lift her up and seat her on the edge of the table; her legs were forced open by the press of his hips against hers.

This was the first time she’d felt his erection, hard and large against her, but when she reached for it, he again moved her arms away. “Not this time, dove.”

His fingers finally dipped beneath her underwear, sliding to her clit, and Aleja gave a shuddering groan. He chuckled against her neck as he dragged her panties down and when she was completely bare before him, Nicolas returned his attention to the place between her legs, rubbing slow circles into her most sensitive spot.

The act seemed to affect him as well. His teeth bared against her throat, and his free hand clutched desperately at her lower back. “Please,” she managed in a half-sob. “I need you in me.”

There was no more teasing. Two of his fingers plunged into her and Aleja arched her back to force him deeper. He obliged, leaning closer as her legs wrapped around his waist.

She couldn’t find it in her to be self-conscious about how wet she was, about how close she was to orgasm with barely a few pumps from his hand. He curled his fingers upwards, finding a point inside of her that dragged another moan from her mouth.

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