Page 79 of Paper Coffins

“I can’t believe you chose Cassandra.”

“Lonely nights,” I say, my fingers finding hers. “Those were the longest.”

“Yeah.” She exhales, her eyes dropping to look at our fingers. “They were.”

In fact, those were the nights I hated Natalia most.

“You never missed me.”

My observation is a sure-fire one. I don’t ever want to believe Natalia yearned for any part of her old life. She made leaving look so easy. Why would anyone ever think she would want it back?

“You don’t know what you’re talking about.” Her tone is dangerous now. “Trust me.”

“You didn’t come back for me, darling girl.”

I’ve been a fool many times before, mostly where Natalia was concerned, but I think I matured in her absence. I went from having the girl I idolised by my side daily to her vanishing without a backward glance. Those lonely nights weren’t only used to stew on ill-feelings. They hardened me, locked my emotions in a vice, and created a newer version of me.

Love made me blind.

Heartbreak made me numb.

But Natalia? Well, she made me a monster.

But if she’s going to be here within touching distance, I’m going to make her body sing for me and leave her needy and exhausted from the memory of us. I’ll use her body and twist her mind, and I’ll enjoy every orgasm I take.

“You don’t know anything about me coming home. Not really.”

“Then whydidyou come home?”

“I think you can guess.”

There’s a hidden answer in her words. Something I don’t need to read too far into.

“And it wasn’t for me?”

I place a hand solidly on her hip, the feel of her curve so natural beneath my touch, and I gently pull her towards me. I’m a lot of things—devil, hunter, killer— but I’m not a liar. The feel of her close to me slows my heartbeat. I wanted this. Her scent is enough to send me wild. Getting lost in the feel of her, I draw her closer than ever until she can feel my pressing need for her through my trousers.

“It wasn’t for you.”

I’ll accept that statement, if only for the time being.

“Then let’s change that.”

My hand roams over her greedily in every possible manner, and I can feel how receptive she is. It tells me she wants me here. Stuck in this room with her. I feel her freeze against me. The motion is sudden and not quite expected.

“What are we doing here?” she asks, her voice breathy with anticipation.

“I’m about to show you how much I missed you.”

I lower my head until my lips find purchase. She gives into me quickly, my compliant darling girl. Right now, our war is set aside for this primal need. Our hands work quickly. I undo her jeans, forcing them off her hips and off entirely almost as soon as I can. In quick, succinct moves, I push her towards the sofas, unbuckling my belt while her nimble fingers unbutton my shirt to rid me of that. Pushing her down onto the cushions of the sofa, I shadow her entire body with mine, gazing at the sight of her. Natalia has a beauty that could make a blind man cry. It’s something that makes her far more powerful than any man could dream of. With her long black locks, her bright dazzling eyes, and the way she can trip you up with your own words, she’s deadly, but she’s fucking beautiful all at once.

“What?”

“Nothing,” I reply, snapping out of my trance.

She doesn’t argue—or care—and pulls my shirt from my shoulders and down my arms. The moment she has me topless, she gasps at the sight of me. Her eyes dart across the scars and tattoos I sport now. Scars and tattoos she’s never witnessed before.

Light touches begin to trace my skin, and I close my eyes as they run over my scars. It’s almost like she’s burning me with this moment, and I’m not here to tell her my truths. Not when she hasn’t earned the right.

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