Page 57 of Crimson Shadows
I step closer, drawn in by her scent, her warmth. We’re barely inches apart now. “Tell me to leave,” I murmur. “Tell me you don’t want this, and I’ll go.”
Adelaide swallows hard. Her fingers grip the edge of the towel tightly. “I... I can’t,” she admits.
That’s all the permission I need. In one fluid motion, I close the distance between us, capturing her lips with mine. She gasps into the kiss, her body melting against me. Her lips are soft, but there’s an underlying hunger that drives even more arousal to my cock.
My hands find her waist, pulling her flush against me. The thin towel does little to hide the heat of her body. Adelaide’s arms wind around my neck, her fingers tangling in my hair.
I deepen the kiss, my tongue seeking entrance. She opens for me willingly, a soft moan escaping her. Her taste is intoxicating, better than I could have imagined.
But there is something else that is distinctly not her.
Zaiah.
The djinn has been with her recently. His scent is all over her. I growl, but not out of jealousy. No, it’s out of a longing to have seen them wrapped around each other…
I break the kiss, panting slightly. Adelaide’s eyes flutter open, confusion and desire warring in their depths.
“What’s wrong?” she asks, her voice husky.
I run my thumb over her bottom lip, savouring the softness. “Zaiah’s been here, hasn’t he?”
Adelaide’s eyes widen, a blush creeping up her cheeks. “I... how did you know?”
“I can smell him on you,” I explain, my voice low. “His scent is all over you.”
She looks away, guilt flashing across her face. “It was just a dream,” she whispers. “At least, I think it was.”
I cup her chin, gently turning her face back to me. “Not a dream, Dollie. A bend in reality. He is a little shit. Did you want it?”
“Yes,” she says instantly, and that’s all I need to know. “But I want you as well… what does that say about me?”
“It says that you have room for more than one in your heart, Dollie. Your vampire is stretching its muscles.”
“It’s a vampire thing?” she asks with a frown, and I can tell exactly what she’s thinking.
I chuckle. “It is, and if you’re wondering if I have more than you in my life, the answer is no.”
“I wasn’t thinking that! And even if you did, this between us is…”
“Is what?”
“I don’t know.” She sighs.
My hands rest lightly on her hips again, and I tighten the hold, pulling her closer. “Let me taste you,” I murmur.
“I’m not ready for that. Biting is… I’m not ready for that.”
“Who said anything about biting?” I murmur and pull her towel away.
She gasps as she gathers my meaning and shakes her head, “No.”
“Yes,” I murmur.
“Corvus, no.” She holds her hands up, but I grasp them lightly and drop to my knees. “Fuck. No. That’s gross. It’s… no!”
Smiling at her, I pull a small compulsion over her. Not enough so she can still be able to tell me to go to hell, but also enough to take the edge off her inhibition.
“Corvus,” her voice shakes as her knees tremble.
