Page 78 of Whispers of the Dead

Benji clears his throat and yanks at his chains before looking down at the bleeding dreg and dead rotter by his feet. “Uh…sure…”

I point to the second unconscious dreg slumped near the wall. “Keys.”

Cole grunts, but he holds me steady while he bends down to yank the key ring from the dreg’s waistband. He tosses them toward the guys, and Damon catches them in the air. “Got it.”

When Cole turns his full attention back to me, his green eyes are dark with something that lights a fire low in my belly. He strides toward the table with me still wrapped around his waist. His hands never leave me, even when he kicks the table upright and then sets me down.

The edge of the table presses against the backs of my thighs. I arch into him, pulling him closer, and crushing my lips against his once more. I can’t stop tasting him. Everything I’ve wanted to do with him. All the times I wished I could touch him. It all culminates right here and now. Neither of us can wait. We’re each other’s priority.

He groans against my mouth, pressing his body against mine until I feel nothing but him. His warmth, his strength, his breath mingling with mine. His hands skate over my skin, tracing my waist, my hips, my arms, as if committing every inch of me to memory.

“You’re wearing far too much fabric, sunshine,” he said against my lips.

I pause. “I wasn’t comfortable being around Eugene while in a dress.”

He growls at that and tears the beautiful emerald greensilk dress from my body until I’m only wearing my old shorts and t-shirt again. “Much better.”

His lips return to mine. His fingers trail beneath my shirt, running rough callouses against my bare skin, moving gently along my side when he reaches my scar. My body shivers at the sensation.

I need him. I need this. Us.

The tension between is undeniable. Unbreakable.

My legs fall open to make room for him, and his hand travels down the length of my torso until his fingers dip into the waistband of my worn blue shorts. He pauses. The heat rolling off him seeps into my skin, chasing away the cold, the fear, the weight of everything we’ve endured.

I move my hips, wanting more. His mouth moves along my jaw and down the curve of my neck. His breath sends shivers through me.

Cole pauses and presses his forehead against mine, his breathing ragged. “Tell me you’re okay. Fuck, I didn’t even check you for injuries first.”

I thread my fingers through his hair at the back of his head and tug him closer. “I am now.” My voice hardly rises above a whisper, but it carries every emotion I don’t know how to say aloud. “I want you, Cole.”

A low growl rumbles in his chest, and he kisses me again. His grip on me tightens like he never wants to let go. For once, I don’t want him to.

This time, there’s no hesitation. No restraint. With a sharp inhale, he grips the hem of my shirt and tugs it over my head before tossing it aside. His gaze darkens when he takes me in, and his eyes flick over my body with a hungry expression. “You’re so damn beautiful.”

Heat floods through me, and I reach for him. My hands roam over the hard planes of his chest, his scars, the tension coiled beneath his skin. He trembles beneath my touch, like he’s barely holding himself together.

Then he isn’t holding back at all.

His mouth crashes against mine, and I moan against his lips. My fingers dig into his shoulders while my leg bends at the knee to rub against his side, and my hips roll up to meet his in a desperate search for friction. “Cole…”

“I’ve got you, sunshine,” he murmurs, his forehead pressing against mine. “I’ve always got you.”

He undoes the button on my shorts in one swift motion before sliding them down my legs, pressing his lips to my skin to leave a trail of fervent kisses in their wake. He bites my inner thigh then licks away the sting before hovering over top of me and kissing my mouth again.

He’s ever so patient when he pushes inside of me, going at an agonizingly slow pace to allow me to adjust to his size.

My body moves along with his and we soon find a rhythm. Then I begin to worry. More dregs could storm in at any second, but none of that matters like it should. Not in this moment. Not with the way Cole touches me, holds me, devours me with every touch, every breath, every kiss. This isn’t just about desire. It’s about everything we’ve been through. About finally claiming something for ourselves, something outside of pain, captivity, and loss. This moment, this connection, is the first real taste of freedom I’ve had in a long time.

Cole leaves my mouth to kiss along my neck, and I look over his shoulder to see Benji and Damon, both watching the entrance but also watching us. I remember that day in the cell when Benji had me watch Damon—or at least, where I thought he was in the dark—while he ravaged me with his mouth and his hand.

My gaze stays locked on Benji, and my nails dig into Cole’s shoulders while he brings me to the brink. One more thrust and I’m soaring over the edge. A cry of ecstasy escapes my lips before a mouth covers mine, silencing the sound.

Cole pulls out and yanks me free of the intruder and holds me close against his chest. His arms wrap around my naked body while he looks past me to glare at Avery.

Avery grinningdown at me after pulling away from a kiss wasn’t how I expected this moment to turn out. “Well, I guess you didn’t need my help after all.”

I let out a sharp gasp and Cole tenses, his body going rigid against mine. His grip on my hips tightens for a second before he spins me around to shift me behind him like a human shield. I peer around his broad frame.

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