Page 61 of This Violent Light
“You’re supposed to wait for someone to open the door. That’sliterallythe point of knocking,” Grace says. Blood rushes across her face, staining her cheeks with pretty blush. Still, she works hard to look annoyed. She juts her chin, as if I can’t hear her heart racing.
“You took too long,” I say. I shut the door behind me and lean against it. “I may be immortal, Grace, but even I have my limits.”
“Please,” she says, rolling her eyes. “You have the patience of a child.”
My mouth ticks into a smirk without permission. I scowl, hardening my features.
“You kissed me,” I say.Accusemight be the better word.
“And you murdered six people,” she deadpans. “Guess we’ve both done things we’re not proud of today.”
“I did what needed to be done,” I say. I level her with a stare. “I’d do it again. Every single time.”
I brush past her and sit on her narrow bed. Her computer sits open on the floor, another movie filling the screen. It’s not the one we watched together, and though I’m oddly tempted to ask about it, I don’t. I sit on the edge of her bed, elbows on my knees.
“Why did you kiss me, little witch?”
I expect her to fold instantly, but she doesn’t. She crosses her arms over her chest and leans against the door, glaring at me. She must know I can see through her. That I cansenseher true feelings. The way her heart races. The distinct smell of her arousal.
“How’s your hand?” I ask, if only to distract fromthat.
“Good as new.” She faces her palm toward me, revealing a jagged suture line from her index finger to the center of her hand. Cora stitched her up, but it’ll leave a nasty scar. She lowers her hand, eyes narrowing. “I had a lot of adrenaline after watching you murder a million people, okay? I wasn’t thinking clearly. Obviously, if I had been, I wouldn’t have kissed you. So if you can just drop it?—”
“No.”
“No?” she repeats. She finally moves from the door, shoulders tightening toward her ears. “Really, Sebastian? You’re going to lock me up, make insane demands, andcontrol my every waking moment. Don’t you think you could cut me some slack, just this once?”
“No.”
“Sebastian,” she says. Her voice wavers enough that I almost feel bad.
Almost.
“It was stupid,” I spit. “You were bleeding, Grace. You realize how close I came to fucking killing you?”
“But you didn’t,” she says. “I’m still here, at your disposal. You can still use me to break your curse and whatever else you feel like doing to me. You’re still in control, so just…don’t punish me for this. I assure you, I already hate myself enough for the both of us.”
“Doesn’t matter,” I say, rising to my feet. I’m in front of Grace, grabbing her elbows. Her eyes widen with surprise, and she attempts to step backward. I hold her in place, leaning in until my lips brush against her ear. “You made me taste you, and now, I want todevouryou.”
Grace shudders, leaning closer. Our chests touch, and I can feel the hard peaks of her nipples against me. I place one hand on her hip and wrap her hair around the other. With a sharp tug, I tilt her head back, until she’s looking up at me.
Soft. Pretty. Forbidden.
“You want that too, don’t you?” I ask. Her blue eyes blink up at me, dazed and sated. I haven’t even fucking touched her, and she looks ready to come. I breathe her in, letting her blood and arousal cloud my every thought.
“Sebastian,” she whispers. Her voice is as breathy, as delirious as mine. “If you touch me, I swear to god, I’ll never help break your curse.”
With that, she slams her knee into my crotch. I choke out a gasp, releasing her hair as I stumble back.
“Hells, Grace,” I cough. With one hand protecting my balls, I use the other to balance against the wall. The last thing I need is to fall on my knees in front of her. “I wasn’t going to fucking force you.”
“Get out,” she says. She’s crying. Actual fucking tears, running in thick streams down her cheeks and into her mouth. The smell of salt is stronger than her lingering arousal.
“Hells,” I say again. I throw my hands up, moving for the door. “All right, I’m going.”
I don’t look at her as I pass. Still, I can see her surprise in my peripheral. As if she honestly expected me to hold her down and have my way with her.
“I’ll never mention it again,” I bark over my shoulder.
