Page 50 of Red Rabbit
Kraven’s hand passed across my cheek and I couldn’t stop the tears as I buried my face in my hands and shook quietly. I tried to curl away against the tile wall but he pulled me into his lap and wrapped his arms around me tightly while I cried. After a few moments I regained control over my breathing and I rested my face against his chest, utterly spent as I watched the water run down his skin.
“I was scared I would,” I said so quietly I wasn’t sure if I said it for him or for me.
“What—break?”
I nodded as my finger trailed a drop of water down his chest and goosebumps raised where I touched him. His arms tightened around me and his fingers traced up and down along my arm.
“You didn’t, darlin’,” Kraven said, his lips against my hair. “But he did.”
18
KAELIN
After the shower, Kraven bandaged the cuts again and made me eat some food but halfway through a pancake, I fell asleep on the table, my head against my arm.
When I woke up, I was under the covers of Kraven’s bed. I felt much less exhausted and although my body ached, I didn’t feel as bad as before. I turned and saw Kraven sitting next to me in bed on top of the covers reading a book. I squinted at it, trying to read the cover. It was strange seeing those hands holding something as mundane as a book after seeing them slit someone’s throat. He saw I was awake and his lips pulled into an amused smile at my scrunched up expression. He turned the cover towards me and my eyebrows shot up. It was a book on biotech but what surprised me was I just finished reading that book a few months ago.
“Don’t look so surprised,” he said.
“I just didn’t know you could read,” I said dryly, sitting up against the pillows. His gaze darkened but the amusement was still there. He set the book aside and turned towards me.
“Oh? Are you insulting my intelligence again, darlin’?” He asked. His eyes glinted playfully while his hand went under the covers and found my thigh. I shifted away from him, dislodging his hand but he continued to come towards me.
“I figured picture books were more your thing—” I said, slightly breathless at the intensity I always saw in those hard gray eyes. I was at the very edge of the bed now and his hand found my ankle and slowly slid up my leg. “—not books about biotech.”
I squeaked out the last word as he yanked me towards him and settled over me, his hips pinning me to the bed. He pinned my wrists above my head and looked down at me. I saw surprise mingled with desire then he dropped his head to kiss my neck.
“How did you know it was a book about biotech?” He dragged his teeth against my ear.
Shit. The cover didn’t have anything to do with biotech. I pressed my hips up against his and wrapped my legs around him. He pulled back to look at me and I tried to make my face as innocent and bland as possible. If I could have shrugged, I would have.
“Saw it in a bookstore,” I lied casually.
His eyes cut straight through me and he smirked.
“You’re lying.”
My gaze darkened into a challenge and the barest of smirks pulled at my lips. I lifted my head an inch so my lips were barely not touching his.
“Why do you care?” I breathed. I brushed my lips lightly against his, not quite a kiss, but sharing air. I didn’t have a better answer and I didn’t want to tell him the truth. My truth was my armor in here and I wasn’t about to give that up to someone I didn’t trust. So I did the only thing I could think of. I distracted him.
I took his lip in my mouth and sucked gently. A moan escaped him and then his lips moved against mine in a kiss as sultry and tumultuous as a winter storm. I knew I succeeded when the kiss deepened and after a moment we separated to breathe. He released my hands and disappeared under thecovers between my legs. His hands pushed my thighs apart and then his tongue dove inside me and dragged up to my clit. I was sore and not really in the mood for this but his kiss had pulled me into the shadows and I was helpless to resist. I knew he would hurt me if I did and I was so tired of being everyone’s punching bag. Two of his fingers pushed inside me and I let him work my arousal to the surface. I was tired of being hurt. I just wanted to feel good.
I got what I wanted. An hour later, the sheets were tangled around my ankles and I was trying to recover my breath after he made me come multiple times. He lay on top of me, satisfied and sated as his heart beat ferociously against me.
“You’ll be sleeping here tonight,” he said, his voice muffled against my chest. “I leave tomorrow.”
My heart lurched at the realization he was leaving and was surprised to find I felt unhappy about it. I wasn’t sure if it was because of him specifically or if it was because I dreaded getting auctioned off to someone worse once he left.
Kraven rolled off me and pulled on his jeans and buttoned up his shirt. As I got up to go to the bathroom, he reached out and pulled me into him as I passed. It was so playful and unexpected, a small smile slid across my face before I could stop it. I stumbled into his chest and he looked down at me with that confident smirk of his.
“I have something I have to take care of,” he ran his hand around to the back of my neck lightly as his eyes studied mine. “I’ll have food delivered.”
“A cheeseburger?” I breathed. His laugh rumbled through him and his touch still made me shiver even after everything we just did.
“If that’s what you want,” he said, looking amused. He pulled my face to his and kissed me. He lingered but didn’t deepen the kiss and then pulled away.
“I’ll be back in a few hours,” he said, and then he was gone.
