Page 232 of Midnights
My eyelids fly open, and I catch the faintest glow from where my hands press against his chest. I blink, and then it's gone.
The air around us shifts, charged with a strange energy that wasn’t there a minute ago. I take a deep breath and the warmth in my palms flares hotter, buzzing like static under my skin.
I blink a few more times as I try to make sense of the lingering feeling still tingling through my fingers. “What the hell…”
His eyes flicker with something unreadable as he watches me, his breathing ragged. “Raven?”
I swallow hard, flexing my fingers against the heat radiating from my palms. I part my lips to say something, but before the words can form, I catch the hesitation shadowing his features. And it threatens to unravel me completely.
He starts to pull away, but my fingers move on instinct, curling around the back of his neck and anchoring him to me. I can feel his muscles tense under my touch, and whatever is going on between us feels like a flame begging to consume me.
“Not sorry,” I whisper, breathlessly.
His grin returns, and his eyes drop to my lips. “Good. Because I’m not done with you.”
There’s no restraint this time, just a pure, reckless need.
His hands slide into my hair, pulling me against him. Every inch of him presses into me, his arousal impossible to ignore. My hands grip his shirt tighter, holding onto him like he’s the only thing keeping me upright.Which right now, is true.
My body arches against him, and I’m drowning.
Somewhere in the haze, the faint glow beneath my skin flares again, but I can’t bring myself to care. All that matters is his touch, his heat, and his lips claiming mine with unrelenting purpose. I know exactly where this is going, and I'm not going to stop him.
I wrap my hand around him, stroking once, and he hisses—a rough sound that sparks low in my body. His teeth catch on my bottom lip, and the sting is sharp enough to make me tremble with need.
When he finally pulls back, it’s with a ragged breath. He presses his forehead to mine. “You’re playing with fire.”
He looms over me, his presence is consuming, and there's nowhere to go.
“Now,” he murmurs, his voice low and commanding. “You’re going to sit right there.”
He gently guides me down onto the table. “And you’re going to let me worship you. Understand?”
His words ripple through me, igniting something deep and raw that I can’t name. Whatever it is, it’shot as fuck,and I feel my chest rise and fall as I stare up at him. My heart pounds a wild rhythm against my ribs. My lips part, but all I manage is a nod.
He leans close, and his gaze pins me in place. "I need to hear you say it." The words drop rough, a warning wrapped in velvet.
I roll my eyes, but there’s no denying the thrill his tone sends coursing through me. “Yes.”
I watch his eyes darken with satisfaction, and a slow, predatory smile tugs at his lips. The way he towers over me, consuming every inch of space, is making me dizzy.
“Good girl.”
Did he just…? Oh fuck me.Good girl? Finally. Apparently, I'm that girl. And I'll be thinking about that for the rest of forever.
His hand finds my jaw, tilting my chin up to meet his stare. “Eyes on me.”
His tone leaves no room for argument. As if I could look anywhere else. His intensity keeps me in place, dragging me deeper until I can’t think of anything but him.
I watch as he kneels in front of me, while his hands slide down the length of my thighs, sending sparks skittering across my skin. He’s not rushing, and that deliberate control only makes me want him more.
His gaze holds mine, and for a minute I think he’s going to pull me back into another kiss. But instead, he traces his fingers along the edge of my dress, leaving fire in its wake.
The sensation is intoxicating. It’s as if he’s writing a story across my skin, a story only he understands.
“You like this,” he murmurs, his lips curling into a wicked grin as he presses a kiss to my overly sensitive skin. “Don't even try to hide it, Princess.”
A shiver races through me at his words, but it's the dark confidence in his tone that gets me. “You’re awfully smug for a man who’s just getting started.”
