Page 81 of Absolution

With a smile, I run my fingers through my hair, and take a quick sniff of my armpits to make sure I remembered deodorant, before stepping back inside. His eyes devour me from where he stands, and I’m pretty sure if I was a slab of steak right now, I’d be half eaten already.

“Well, well. Look whatel gatodragged in.”

Lips pressed in a poor attempt to hide the smile that dimples his cheeks, he tosses his wallet onto the dresser and removes his white collar. “I see you’re picking up the language.”

“To what do I owe this pleasant surprise?” Arms crossed, I lean against the frame of the door to keep from jumping into his arms.

“I have some things I need to keep here. Personal effects I don’t want rummaged.”

“Is that a warning to me?”

“I get the impression my new home isn’t very private. And my colleague isn’t quite as oblivious as Ruiz.”

“Wow. That pretty much defeats the purpose of joining the church down here, doesn’t it?”

“This is not a typical church. But I’m certain that, by staying there, I’m as close as I could be to finding our goat.”

“How do you know?”

“Because I think his business operates out of my bedroom.” His fingers work the buttons of his black shirt, and he tilts his chin in that authoritative way that tells me he didn’t just come here to drop off some personal stuff. “Are you going to take off that shirt and shorts, or do I need to rip them off of you myself?”

Like him, my attempt to hide a smile is useless. “My, aren’t we anxious?”

“Stressed. I need to clear my head, and you’re the only source of distraction that seems to be effective for me.”

“Well, then ...” Tucking my fingers beneath the hem of my shirt, I lift it over my head and slide my shorts down my thighs. It’s been weeks since I’ve worn one of my vintage dresses, and if I knew he’d be popping in on me tonight, I might’ve opted for one. I’m just glad I was bored enough earlier to shave. “Forgive me for the sins that I’m about to commit.” As I lower myself to kneel before him, his palm wraps tight around my throat, bringing me to a halt.

Eyes brimming with torment, he doesn’t let go as he casts his gaze from mine. “Perhaps I’m in the most dangerous place I’ve ever been, with criminals who would gut me alive”

If he thinks his words are a turn on right now, he’s wrong. My libido is fizzling like a deflating balloon.

Pressure builds inside my throat, where he curls his fingers around my neck, physically passing off his frustration into me.

“My head is spinning, and yet, the very sight of you still brings me joy.Contentment.” He articulates every word, as though it’s the opposite of what he’s conveying. As if this fact frustrates him completely. When his eyes meet mine, his grip loosens only slightly. “Promise me you won’t do anything stupid, Ivy. Because I’m not convinced that bringing you here wasn’t the most idiotic thing I’ve ever done, and if something happens to you …” There’s a sudden rage in his eyes, a cold blackness that tickles my skin as he stares down at me. “God will never forgive me for what I would do. I’ve lost everything in this world, but you.”

I want to remain untouched by his words, to smile at them, for fear that the moment they seep into my skin will be the moment I know immense pain. But I’m past that. I’m so far out of my comfort zone with him, that I can’t even confess I’ve fallen in love with him.

The tickle at my temple are the tears his eyes track, and when they find me again, there’s an unspoken understanding between us. By my throat, he pushes me onto the bed and holds me down, as he forces his way past my thighs. He enters me in one rough thrust, without remorse or apology. His face turns red with anger, the veins popping out of his neck, and he throttles me as if he’d prefer to kill me himself, rather than watch me die by someone else’s hands.

His cock stretches and fills me, sliding inside of me with ease, while I revel in our sin. Head tipped back, I close my eyes and gasp for the breath he’s denying me. My lungs pulse, begging for one drop of air with each dizzying stroke of his cock.

“I will not allow another man to touch you,” he grits through clenched teeth, and I wonder if its me he’s seeing, or the men who would die at his hands.

Part of me longs to question his preoccupations, but a larger part of me is distracted by the lack of breath and the climax that awaits.

The fringes of my vision begin to flicker, blackness seeping in like poison, threatening to take me under, but the tight clench of muscles and the throb of my pussy sends me arching into him, writhing for both oxygen and release.

In one blink, the world explodes behind my eyelids, and a flash of blinding light chases the cool drink of fresh air that fills my lungs.

I open my eyes to see Damon’s head tipped back, his body arched and shuddering, as he bangs out the last of his release on a curse.

Holding my neck, I roll over and cough, slurping up air like I’ve just come back from death. As I struggle to catch my breath, I’m ashamed of the sensation creeping beneath my skin. I’ve never climaxed through asphyxiation before, but it might just be my new favorite thing.

* * *

Lying beside him, I snuggle into Damon’s chest, breathing in the delicious masculine aroma of his cologne. I trace my finger over the small bit of hair on his chest. “What were they like? Your wife and daughter?”

His body shifts beneath me. He’s likely frowning down at me, but I don’t bother to look up at him. Perhaps it’s masochistic of me to ask, but I genuinely want to know how he loved them.

---