Page 16 of Of Mercury and Mist

His mouth was stained red and his canines retracted while I watched the transformation. They changed to just a slightly pointier than normal set of teeth while he eyed me carefully, not reacting as I would’ve expected. There was no way he wouldn’t have killed me or hurt me in some way for hitting him if any of this was real. Instead, he just sort of watched and I had no idea what he was thinking.

I didn’t move, didn’t say a thing.

“You’re such a waste, angel,” Micha said, his voice hoarse. “Such a damned waste.”

Stunned at the insult, I didn’t answer. What he said hurt, but I didn’t understand exactly why it’d affect me that way. This was a dream; I shouldn’t have cared so much.

“But I’m hungry for more; I’ll never get enough,” he said. He snared the back of my neck and tugged me up before pressing his face into mine, kissing me like the universe was ending. He wasn’t gentle, he wasn’t soft, he ravaged my lips until they were swollen and bruised. He thrust his tongue into my mouth as he walked me backward until I was against the wall.

I pulled on his hair, trying to get him to slow down but all he did was answer with a rumble before grabbing me by the front of my throat.

He took what he wanted unapologetically, and it turned me on more than I cared to admit. The power and authority that oozed from his pores was seductive and alluring and it made me feel prized. He did whatever the hell he wanted, exactly like I wished I could do.

In less than two minutes, I was eagerly responding to his passion with everything I had in me. I fumbled with his buttons, trying to get the fabric out of my way. He didn’t help, but neither did he make any move to discourage my exploration.

I was grinding against his thigh and ripping at his shirt, enjoying the feel of his body under my hands when he stopped. He held me in place, his eyes squeezed shut while he took several rapid breaths that mingled with mine.

My head was spinning, dizzy with lust and utter disbelief over my response to the man who’d decided to make my life a living hell. I was soaked; his leg was wet. The spot on his pants sat there as evidence of just how much I wanted him.

Carefully, I grabbed his hand. He let me, and then weaved his fingers through mine, palm to palm. Clasping him, I pulled them down between my legs, brushing them against my pussy. He hissed and then drew in a shuddering breath.

“No,” he snarled. He untangled our fingers and picked me up, setting me on the couch.

Humiliated, my eyes smarted and filled with tears. What was wrong with me? Of course he didn’t want me. He hated me and someone had caught me in an area I was supposed to be in at work. They’d let him know as soon as possible, I was sure.

Ipomoea didn’t take chances; they were very thorough and if you were found to not report a discrepancy it was your ass on the line. It didn’t matter it was my own stuff I’d left in there.

The only reason I’d snuck down was to escape the verbal berating I’d receive if anyone found out I’d been irresponsible and left my notes. And my lip balm, too. My mints. I knew exactly where I’d left them when I’d been allowed in to take photos for the “inner workings” post I was creating for social media. My article was going to engage the public and give them a sneak peek inside where the so-called magic happened.

Ultimately, the idea was to make Ipomoea more human and less intimidating. The little tube of wax and the mints were props for the desks. Humans worked there, not robots.

Rumor had spread about how cutthroat the corporation was, steam rolling over pharmaceutical companies and destroying the competition. Not that there were many at the same level, but Josiah and Micha’s company was a force to be reckoned with.

There was no escaping myself and what I’d done, what I’d risked. This was the consequence. I was just going to have to deal with it.

Happy endings didn’t come for girls like me with wonky pasts and who continued to make dumb decisions when they knew better.

Wake up, Ashley.

SIX

Ashley

Holy shit.

I scrubbed my unrestrained curls back from my face and forced my eyes open. Waking up in my own bed was an immense relief. For a little while, I hadn’t felt all that confident I would.

My cellphone’s alarm was chiming, and I reached over, knocking an unidentified object off my bedside table. When I finally swiped my notification to the off position, I sat up and nudged down the front of my pajama shirt to peek at my breast.

Unblemished skin glowed in the low light. I flopped back on my pillow, a huge wave of relief flowing through me. It was just a dream, thank God.

There was no way I’d be able to look Micha in the eye if I’d really been all over him like a dog in heat. Just thinking about his hot mouth on mine had me breaking out in a sweat all over again and with a familiar pressure building between my thighs. Even now, I could still feel his lips all over my body. The way he’d gripped my legs, like he couldn’t get enough. He was dark, dangerous, and addictive. By no means should I have been having these feelings.

He’d called me a waste but that hadn’t stopped him from manhandling me as if I were the one thing that gave him life. Remembering how he always looked at me when we were in the office, as if he wished I’d drop dead on the spot, that was vastly different from the dream Micha.

Dream Micha could barely restrain himself from devouring me with a reckless passion that would’ve consumed both of us.

Letting out a little laugh, I got up out of bed. These thoughts wouldnotserve me well while employed at Ipomoea.

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