Page 115 of Chandelier Sin
“And God made Eve,” he whispered.
“We all know how that turned out.”
“Would you prefer me to step back?” he said. “Stop whatever this is?”
“This is what you do,” I whispered. “You make me want you.”
“Your beauty is a trap I’d willingly walk into.” He let me go and stepped back. “But after seeing that bruise, I’m going to have to ask you to get dressed.”
I spun around to face him. “You just made me show my—”
“Because I want you to see yourself through my eyes. You’re perfect.”
“I’ve thought of nothing else since you went down on me.”
“Hmmm, still.”
My finger traced the bruise, the reason he pulled back—proving hurt never ceased its consequences, an unending fallout of unfairness.
Atticus exhaled sharply. “You realize I have to kill him now.”
My eyes widened at that.
“If only it was that easy,” I whispered.
“Maybe it is.”
“Don’t do anything rash. I’m handling it. Handling him. I don’t need anyone to complicate things.”
“You can stay here until you figure out what’s next for you.”
I blinked as he closed the space between us again, drawn to me like a magnet. He leaned in and brushed a kiss along my neck, making me shiver as his lips caressed my skin.
“Tell me what you want,” he said gruffly.
I leaned in and rested my face against his chest to show him, breathing in his intoxicating scent, the same one I’d savored when I’d brought his shirt to my nose yearning for this closeness. My wish was realized as though I’d conjured him.
His palm felt warm against my shoulder. “You have to say it.”
I gave a nod, inhaling sharply as I dared to beg for what I wanted more than life itself. “Fuck me.”
“Or I find you a hotel. A refuge where you’ll be safe.”
I stood on my toes and gripped his shirt, scrunching it tight, dragging him in for a kiss.
He didn’t move, just waited.
Pressing my lips to his, I kissed him with unrelenting passion, my open mouth inviting him to do the same as I tasted him, my heart skipping a beat as he, too, gave way to temptation.
Unraveling in his arms, my mind stilled as he cupped my face with large hands that held me firmly in place, capturing me with an insistent kiss.
This moment was all that mattered. Him proving he could be trusted in the way he treated me, second by second and minute to minute, a serene passing of time inviting us in, inviting us to share our true feelings that mean dissolving into a different life. One where hurt and pain faded, and this sacred space welcomed us.
We could thrive like this, find a different way.
He’d entered my life like a tidal wave, crashing against my defenses and pulling me breathless into his depths.
Losing him would destroy me—even though we hardly knew each other. It was in the way he offered protection, the way he resisted me, or tried to—neither of us was able to escape the flames of desire.
