Page 79 of A Breath of Life
I hiked him into my arms, earning a devilish grin as I carried him down the hall to the bedroom and tossed him on the mattress. “I’m not done with you. Hands and knees.”
He didn’t question me and rolled, first plundering the drawer of supplies in search of a condom and lube. I stripped while his back was turned and crawled over top of him. He handed me the foil-wrapped package as he turned to face me.
“I want to see you,” he said, and I couldn’t argue.
I lay my naked body over his, bracing my hands on either side of his head as I peered down at the man who had somehow wormed his way through my steel barricadeinto my heart.
The man who left me perpetually vulnerable, whose life had become more important than my own.
The mark on his neck stood stark against his pale complexion. I touched it gingerly, delicately. I didn’t like it. It soured my gut, and I must have made a face.
“Thank you. Now I’m yours, Guns. Consider it a brand.”
“A brand.” My voice croaked.
“You didn’t hurt me.”
I nodded but didn’t feel as confident.
He smoothed a thumb over my creased forehead. “Stop fretting. In case you missed the fact that sucking on my neck was an incredible turn-on, I’d like to refer you to my cum-filled underwear on the floor.”
An unrestrained chuckle burst out of me. “I noticed.”
“It was good.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
He smoothed his hand over my biceps as we studied one another.
“Why is your brain still in a knot?”
“I… Tallus…” The frog in my throat persisted.
“What’s up?”
I wet my lips and searched for the right words before shaking my head.
“Don’t do that. Talk to me.”
“I…”
“You?”
I touched the hickey on his neck, the bruise I’d left behind. A brand. “I don’t like marking you like this. It doesn’t feel right. It’s not… I would prefer… Fuck. What’s wrong with me? Why can’t I fucking talk?”
Tallus pressed a finger to my lips. “Think about the words, then say them.”
But I couldn’t. Too many things were happening all at once. What if he rejected the idea? “Not tonight.”
“You’re upset.”
“It just… didn’t feel good. For me. I’m sorry.”
Sadness filled his eyes, and I hated myself. “No. Diem—”
“Can we not talk about it? I want to make love to you and… forget the world.”
