Page 14 of Curses and Cauldrons

We’re both breathing hard, and all we’ve done is fucking touch each other’s arms. I’m not some hopeless romantic. I don’t even give a shit about people’s feelings most of the time, but fuck if I’m not more turned on than I’ve ever been in my entire life.

I stare into her eyes for one brief moment, my lips hovering over hers as we share a breath.

“I’m not going to waste this,” I whisper, and then lower my mouth to capture hers in a scorching kiss.

If you had asked me in my teens what I thought about kissing, I would’ve said it was a stopover to better things. But I haven’t kissed anyone in so long, and I swear it never felt like this. Josephine’s lips are soft and warm, so damn warm. Our bodies sway like we’re dancing, but the music from downstairscan’t be heard up here. There’s nothing but the rhythm of our breaths and the thrum of my heartbeat.

Josephine’s nails scrape against the nape of my neck, and I shiver. Fucking shiver. With a groan, I deepen the kiss and pull her body closer to mine. My hands press into her back and ass, but she’s already as close as physically possible without me being inside her. I pull back from the kiss and stare down at her. I’m sure there’s a dumbfounded look on my face, but she looks just as stunned. Her fingers trace over her swollen bottom lip, her tongue chasing the movement a moment later.

There’s a magnetic pulse in the air. I don’t know if it’s magic or chemistry, but it sizzles. Josephine whines quietly, then tugs my head down for another kiss. I obey, drunk on the pleasure of her touch, her kiss. Fingers work at the buttons of my shirt like she’s desperate to reveal my skin. Suddenly, there’s not enough of her body on display for me.

I push the small strap of her dress off one shoulder, releasing her lips so I can paint a trail of kisses down her neck and collarbone. Josephine puffs out a breath, and her head rolls back. She’s worked her hands inside my shirt, and she clutches at my bare shoulders like she’s afraid I’m going to disappear. It would take a hurricane to rip me from her right now.

I push at the other strap of her dress, but the fabric is trapped by her arms. With a growl, I pull away from her long enough to free the straps and expose her breasts. Her skin glows in the shadowy library. The scent of books and the dark wood makes me feel like I’ve been transported to another time before I had so many problems.

Josephine stills, holding her breath, as I devour the sight of her half-undressed. I’d fumble for some compliment or pretty words, but I can’t keep my hands and mouth from her long enough to get them out. I lower my head and suck the tight peakof her nipple into my mouth. Her hands are back on my head, holding me tight to her while I suck and lick at her flesh.

Her dress is gorgeous, but right now, it’s too much fucking fabric. I gather and tug, exposing her long legs one inch at a time while I drag my mouth across her chest and suck on her other nipple. I could spend hours tasting every inch of her skin, letting her touch me anywhere she wants. Except somewhere in the back of my mind, I know we’re still at the Delvaux party, on the Lumen coven’s side of the river. There’s still a possibility that this is a set-up.

Why, though? What could Josephine or even the Lumen coven have to gain from this?

Dragging my mouth back up to meet Josephine’s, I pick her up and carry her over to the couch. She sprawls out like a limp doll, blinking up at me with glazed eyes. If this is a trick, she’s an incredible actor. She holds out her hand like she’s desperate for me to keep touching her, but I grin and drop to my knees in front of the couch. Josephine’s breath hitches, her bare chest heaving. She lifts her hips as I slide my hands up her skirt and push it up to her waist. Her eyes shine extra bright, her cheeks are flushed. She’s somehow both vulnerable, staring down her body at me, and a siren at the same time.

“Fuck me,” I grunt when I realize she’s not wearing underwear.

“They ruined the lines of the dress…” Josephine sucks on her bottom lip as though uncertain about my response.

My palms skim her thighs, and I marvel at the silken smoothness. She’s so damn warm. I dip my head and press kisses to one thigh and then the next before I push them apart. Josephine makes a surprised sound, her legs seizing for one moment before she lets me shove them open, her body melting for me again.

Her hand lands on my cheek in a way that’s oddly sweet. Her nails scrape over the stubble that's appeared since I shaved earlier. As if I don’t have any control of my body, I turn my head into her palm and press a kiss there. What the fuck am I doing? With a shake of my head, I drop my face between her thighs. I’m done messing around. Without warning, I lick up the seam of her pussy.

“Oh God,” Josephine gasps, and I groan when her hand fists in my hair. I’m so fucking hard my dick is straining against my pants. I drag my tongue from her entrance to her clit and work on my belt buckle with one hand.

“It has to be magic,” Josephine murmurs, her head rocking back and forth as her hips buck against my mouth.

I can’t look away from the tortured expression on her face. I know it’s not pain pulling at her features, though, because I feel it too. The desperation, the disbelief that I feel her touch, and it’s more than I remember it being. The sensations are stronger, more vivid, wilder.

There’s something in the pure desperation she’s radiating that unleashes a monster in me. I’m no longer a man, but a beast starved for touch. A creature who found a willing victim to inflict all the need that’s been pent up for years.

I feast.

I fuck Josephine with my tongue. Lash at her clit with feverous flicks, sucking and making an absolute mess of her pussy until my face is soaked. I work my cock out of my pants and slide my hand from base to tip. I almost fucking come right then with one jerk. The closer Josephine gets to coming, the harder it is to stave off my own release.

My hand strokes my cock with the same urgent need my mouth devours Josephine’s pussy. Her hand tightens in my hair to the point of pain, and I relish it. Soaking in the sensation of not just feeling something but feeling everything.

Josephine’s back bows off the couch. Her thighs clamp around my head until I’m sure I’m going to suffocate between them. And if I did, I’d die fucking happy.

“Oh. Oh, hell.”

I lift my head, and she makes a keening sound. “Say my name when you come all over my face.”

“Fuck, Roman. I’m…”

I don’t need Josephine to tell me she’s coming. Her entire body shakes and seizes as her orgasm blasts through her. My eyes are on her face, and I’m stunned by the exquisite beauty of her release. Her eyes are glazed with pleasure; her mouth parted with a sigh. It’s the perfect picture of surrender, and it’s the final straw for what’s left of my self-control. I can’t hold back any longer. I pump my cock and come all over my hand with an obscenely loud groan.

Josephine slowly releases the hold she has on me with her thighs, and I sit back on my heels. With nothing else handy, I wipe my hand off on the corner of my shirt and then drag my other hand over the mess on my mouth and chin.

Awareness is slowly coming back into Josephine’s eyes. I see the moment panic sneaks in. Just as she starts to sit up and straighten her dress, the door to the library swings open with a loud creak.

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