Page 99 of Thorns of Lust
“Yes.”
“You’re annoying.” Then as if she thought that wasn’t enough insult, she added, “When are you going to go back to wherever you came from?”
Sardonic amusement filled me. “I thought you just scolded me for not coming sooner.”
She shrugged. “No, I scolded you for not letting me know you came back. Big difference.”
I brought my lips closer to hers, letting her scent fill my lungs. “Stop avoiding my question.”
She blinked, pretending confusion. “Not sure what you mean.”
“Your comment about being the last one. What. Did. You. Mean?”
Those pale blues had so much light in them. I could stare into her eyes for days and feel peace unlike ever before.
She exhaled a heavy sigh. “He’ll have kids, his own family. And I’ll be–” She swallowed. “Maybe I need a few cats,” she muttered under her breath.
She’s scared to be alone,I realized. My whole life, ever since I witnessed my mother executed in front of me, I’d been alone, hiding behind the wall that my father built around us. But it was lonely. Even with a brother, it was always lonely.
He needed my strength and I… Well, I needed her. My entire life, I searched for her.
Somewhere along the way, I opted not to form attachments. My sister was the first one to start cracking my walls. It was impossible not to create a connection when you cared for a baby - changing diapers, feeding her, reading her stories… only to be puked on and do it all over again.
But all along, I’d been preparing myself that she’d leave one day. She’d get married, have children, find her own life and voice. This time, I’d be ready. I wasn’t ready for my mother’s loss. She was my first attachment and she was brutally erased from existence. So deep down, I was certain that it would happen again.
Maybe it was exactly that which resonated between Tatiana and I, but I failed to see it all along.
“Don’t get a cat,” I quipped.
She raised her eyebrows. “Why not?”
“I’m allergic to cats.”
Tatiana grinned while her eyes twinkled mischievously. “All the more reason to adopt a few. Don’t you think so?”
This was the woman I knew. This was the woman that captured me from that first fleeting glance and she didn’t even know it. I remembered the day I spotted her like it was yesterday. It lived in my memory like a flickering light in the darkness.
Her rose scent invaded my nostrils and my hand slid to her cheek, palming it.
“You’re not going to be alone,” I told her firmly.
As if she hated that word and hated being seen as vulnerable, she snickered softly, but she remained silent and our bodies flush against each other. Her body trembled at my touch, and I couldn’t help but wonder how receptive she was to Adrian’s touch.
Fuck, I had never felt anything like this with another woman, and I’d had my share of women. The attraction between us was undeniable. It sizzled in the air. It was explosive enough to shake the French Quarter like a category five hurricane.
I parted her legs. Sliding my palms under her ass, I tugged her into position so she’d straddle my right leg. Her core was hot, burning me through the material of my suit pants. I angled her so her clit pressed against my muscled quad and a soft moan spilled from her lips.
I dipped my head down, her half-lidded eyes watching me. She wanted me, almost as much as I wanted her. Her lips parted for me and I took her mouth for a hard kiss while pressing my knee between her thighs. I could feel her muscles clenching.
Her breasts pushed against me. Like a cat rubbing against its owner. My tongue danced with hers as she kept rubbing against me. Anywhere. Everywhere. I cupped her face between my hands, deepening the kiss and trailing my mouth down her jaw, then her neck where her pulse beat wildly.
I drew a lazy circle around her racing pulse with the tip of my tongue, then sucked on it. Another moan vibrated through the room, mixing with the sounds of New Orleans.
“I’m going to fuck you and you’re going to scream my name,” I rasped against her throat. “For the whole fucking world to hear. But today, we’ll start with New Orleans.”
The two of us were like an inferno together. Match and fuse.
Her fingernails dug into my shoulders. “Whatever you want, just don’t stop.”
