Page 73 of Cast in Shadow
“Neither did you.” When I tried to turn away, he pulled me closer, tipping my head back until his face filled my vision. The heat of his chest was like a furnace against mine, cutting through the cold and wet. “I meant what I said, Senna. No more running.”
Hot tears burned the corners of my eyes. Emerson was many things, but I refused to believe he was that dense. I shook my head.
His nostrils flared, and a hint of crimson flashed in his blue eyes. “I might not have known what it was back then, but I havealways loved you. Is that what you need to hear? Have always. Will always. Even when this world is reduced to stone and ash, my black heart will still belong to you.”
I blinked. His words were a shot to the heart. A blow to the chest that should have stolen my breath. Instead, it was like he’d thrown gasoline on a fire.
I shoved him back through the open door. Our kiss was a brutal complement to the want and need driving me. We stumbled through the cottage, peeling out of our clothes as we slammed into furniture, ignoring the crash of a lamp shattering on the floor as we made our way to his bedroom.
Normally, when he wrapped his big hand around my neck, I would melt. There was a part of me that loved submitting to him, but not tonight.
With the help of my magic, I broke his hold and shoved him back a few steps. He let out a growl that I felt in my bones, but if he thought that would be enough to cow me, he still had a lot to learn about the new Senna.
I closed the distance between us and shoved him again, hard enough that when his legs hit the bed, he fell back onto it, catching himself on his elbows.
And damn, he was a sight. Those thick, muscular thighs made my mouth water, and the way his abdomen flexed as he sat up, coupled with the wicked gleam in his eye? Irresistible didn’t even scratch the surface.
“You’re playing with fire, Sai.” The warning rumbled out of him, hot and sensual.
“You have no idea.”
He reached out, but I batted his hand away as I caught him by the throat. Those deep blue eyes narrowed, and for just a second, I faltered. My small human fingers looked like a joke against the muscles and tendons stretching down his thick neck.
In a fair fight, without supernatural power, he would win. Every time.
Which was precisely why I let my magic bleed from my fingertips, the light seeping into the nerve endings just beneath his skin. It was a trickle compared to the reservoir of energy stored inside me, but judging by the set of his jaw and the ripple of those taut muscles in my grip, it was more than enough to get his attention.
I pushed him back and climbed on the bed, the mattress dipping beneath our combined weight as I straddled his hips. He opened his mouth, probably to issue another of his deliciously dark warnings, but I let the light pulse, cutting off his words before he’d even started.
“Does that hurt?” The question came out as a taunt, but I was genuinely curious. I’d never used my magic like this.
His only response was a steady stare as the ruby glow came alive in his eyes.
My insides clenched.
How could my body still be so responsive to him? I was already slick and hot, aching in a way that only one thing could fix.
No games. No teasing. With my free hand, I grabbed his thick cock, lined us up, and slowly lowered myself onto him.
The stretch was… fucking amazing.
A guttural groan slipped out of him. I bit my lip. My eyelids fluttered for just a second, but I never took my eyes off him. I wanted to see the effect I was having on him.
When I was seated—filled to the point of pain—I squeezed my fingers and released more of my magic. He hissed, grinding his teeth like it burned, but his cock jerked inside me. For a demon who loved being in control, he was definitely getting off on having the tables turned.
It wasn’t until I felt the press of his thoughts against my mental walls that I realized my defenses were back up. Yet another reminder of just how different things were now. Gone were the sensual moments in which Emerson had unfettered access to my thoughts and emotions.
But why, when I was straddling his gloriously naked body, and impaled on his cock with my magic pinning him to the bed, was I still hesitating to open myself up?
I wasn’t worried about what buried truths he might glimpse. I’d already revealed my darkest fear. Hearing the words had helped, some, but deep down, I was still afraid of what I would see if I peeked through the cracks in his armor.
“Senna.” His voice was tight with the effort it took to speak through my hold on him. “Let me in.”
I couldn’t.
Instead, I closed my eyes and rolled my hips, burying my fear beneath the pleasure his body promised. Big hands gripped my hips as he thrust up into me. There wasn’t much harm in giving him that sliver of control when the tradeoff felt so damned good.
Tiny pulses of sensation shot through me, from my core out to the tips of my fingers. His energy slid along my barrier again, and I pushed it away. All I wanted right then was to climb to the peak and ride a breathtaking orgasm all the way back down. I could worry about the fallout later.
