Page 17 of Cage the Storm
His lips twitch, just barely, like he’s caught between a smirk and a scowl. The restraint in him is almost palpable, and it only makes my pulse race faster. I wonder if he can hear the blood rushing through my entire body.
My fingers curl around the book in my lap, refusing to admit how much his presence rattles me. I don’t know what I dare him to do, or if I even want him to take the bait. But the space between us feels volatile.
He closes the distance between us. Now he’s standing right in front of me, and the sexual tension between us is intense. Pulling me tighter with every breath.
He’s close—too close—and yet, not close enough.
My pulse races, the book slipping from my grasp as I meet his gaze, intense and unrelenting. It overflows with desire, something I can’t ignore.
“You’re playing a dangerous game.” My words feel empty since I’m playing it too.
And I’m losing.
He doesn’t answer, but my breath catches when his knuckles skim my cheek. Fleeting. Almost nothing. But it matters. It jolts me, snapping the last thread of control I thought I had.
I should say something insulting to break the spell before it consumes me. But I don’t. Remembering how his tongue felt as he licked me senseless and then got called away.
I want more, so much more.
Dark eyes dip to mine, and before I can think, before I can brace myself, he moves. Fast, and without hesitation. His fingers curl around my wrist, dragging me to my feet with a certainty that steals the air from my lungs. The book tumbles from my lap as I stumble against him. My hand pressed instinctively against his chest. His heat sears through my clothing, a warning and an invitation all at once.
“Tell me to stop.” His hand tightens around my wrist like he’s daring me to push him away.
I should tell him to stop. Remove my hand from his chest and step back. But my pulse comes hard and fast, insistent against his fingertips. He feels it, I know he does, and yet he doesn’t move. Refusing to let go.
I swallow, but it does nothing to calm me. Everything around us dissolves. There’s just his touch, his voice, and this uncontrolled anticipation that remains. And when I finally speak, it’s barely more than a breath.
“I won’t.” And then his mouth crashes into mine in a carnal kiss that steals the very air I breathe. The world tilts on its axis, and everything else—time, space, reason—ceases to exist.
This volatile pull between us is a jolt that ignites every nerve in my body. My pulse races, like we’re crashing together in the chaos but finding something stable in the storm.
“I want you, Luna,” he whispers against my lips. His confession is raw, like it’s been clawing its way out of him for too damn long. “No more games. Just you.”
I can feel the effect of his words, and I can’t breathe. It goes against every defense I’ve built, daring me to pull them apart, to find an escape. But I don’t. Instead, I meet his gaze, even as the ground vanishes beneath me.
“You don’t make this easy, do you?” I murmur, the pull of something I can no longer deny. “But maybe… maybe I don’t want easy.”
Without hesitation, Nicolai bends down, his arm sliding beneath my knees in one swift, effortless move. The sudden change makes me gasp, and I tighten my arms around his neck as he lifts me into his arms. There’s no indecision, just the quiet certainty that he’s made his choice, and I’m part of it.
Leaning my head against his chest, the world moves around us, but I barely register it. The heat of his body presses against mine, his grip firm, like he’s holding something fragile even though we both know I’m anything but. My pulse thrums wildly, each step sending another jolt through me. I let him carry me, even though every instinct screams that I should fight it.
“So, is this it?” I murmur, my voice barely above a whisper. “Are you finally done hiding?” His grip tightens slightly, his fingers burning my skin like he’s weighing his answer, like he knows there’s no turning back.
“I don’t get to be done,” he says with conviction. “Not in this world.”
But as his gaze locks on mine, I think maybe, just maybe, there’s a chance we could be something more.
I want to break the silence, but the words catch in my throat. What could I possibly say that hasn’t already been said in how he looks at me, or how his grip tightens, as if letting go isn’t a choice anymore?
For the first time, it feels like he’s here—not just in this room, not just in this moment, but with me. And despite the turmoil swirling around us, I let myself believe, just for a second, that he could choose more than the demons that have defined him. That maybe, just maybe, there’s hope for us after all.
But even as the thought settles, I know it isn’t that simple. It never will be because the man who holds me now isn’t someone who can walk away from the life he was born into, not without consequences. But as his gaze connects with mine, I can’t bring myself to pull away.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
NICOLAI
Her question lodges between us.While her eyes lock on mine, searching for answers that I don’t have to give. And for a fleeting moment, I wonder if she can see the cracks I’ve spent years trying to hide.
