Page 24 of Delicious Prey

He smiles and shakes his head, letting his nose brush over mine. “Not even close, sweetheart. You’re holding back. I want in here,” he says, brushing his fingers along my forehead, “and I want in here.” He lowers a hand to graze over the heart that’s beating a wild, frantic rhythm. “When you give me those, I’ll give you the cock you can’t stop drooling over.”

“I wasn’t drooling,” I say in my own defense, but we both know it’s only because I managed to get my mouth shut in time.

I watch him for a few more seconds, neither one of us in a hurry to get up. The color of his eyes is constantly changing. Sometimes they look more blue than grey, and other times, like now, they look exactly like the sky right before a storm is unleashed. I remember what he said about it being up to me to close the distance, so I do.

Sliding a hand behind his neck, I pull him closer and press his lips to mine. When I run my tongue lightly along his lips, he groans and cups my face, deepening the kiss. His tongue coaxes my mouth open even more, delving inside and laying claim to every damn inch. The kiss is slow, like he’s savoring every second of it, and it’s so damn sweet I can feel my eyes start to burn as I fight tears.

When he finally pulls back, I keep my eyes closed because I don’t want him to see how much this one kiss has affected me. His thumb brushes my cheek, waiting for me to look at him.

“Zaika,” he whispers. “Look at me, baby.”

I shake my head and bite my bottom lip, feeling like a giant dumbass. I haven’t even been here twenty-four hours, and I’ve already lost myself to him. God, this has to be the quickest fucking case of Stockholm Syndrome ever, like in the history of mankind. What the fuck is wrong with me?

“Please look at me.”

The worry in his voice is what has me opening my eyes, and the love I see in his when I do makes it impossible to stop the next round of tears. They fall, and there’s nothing I can do to stop him from seeing it. He cups the back of my head and leans closer, running his tongue up my cheek, licking the tears from my skin.

“I want every part of you, little bunny, even the tears you cry.” He licks my other cheek clean and then rests his forehead against mine. “Why are you crying, baby?”

“It’s stupid,” I whisper.

“Nothing is stupid if it concerns you. Please tell me.”

“That kiss was really sweet,” I say, hating that my voice cracks while I say it.

“And that made you cry?”

“I didn’t expect you to actually care about me. I knew that you believed you did, but I guess I just didn’t think it would feel so real.”

“It is real. I love you, Lydia. You’re the only woman I’ve ever loved. I don’t let people get close to me, but there was no way I could keep you out. I knew it the second I saw you.”

“I shouldn’t feel anything but hate towards you. What the fuck is wrong with me?”

“I don’t deserve your love. I’ll be the first to admit it, but that means I’ll appreciate it all the more for the gift it is.” He gives me a gentle kiss and brushes a strand of hair from my forehead. “I will never take it for granted, and I will never love anyone but you.” He runs his eyes over me, studying me to make sure I’m okay. “Anything else?”

“It’s the first time anyone’s ever held me like this and taken care of me. I hadn’t realized how lonely I’ve been.”

“That’s my fault, and I’m sorry you’ve been so lonely. I’m a selfish jackass when it comes to you. I couldn’t stand the thought of another man touching you while I was in prison. Just the idea of it,” he stops and shakes his head, clearing it of the image of me with someone else. “I’ll spend the rest of my life making it up to you.”

“I understand why you did it.” I imagine him with another woman, and the spike of jealous anger it brings is quick and brutal. “I wouldn’t want you to be with someone else if I couldn’t be there with you, so I guess I’m just as big of a selfish jackass as you.”

He smiles and gives a soft laugh. “I would never be with someone else, even if you were separated from me for years. I would spend every second thinking of you and trying to figure out a way to get you back.”

“You’re pretty sweet for a hitman.”

He laughs, and the carefree sound of it has me smiling. “You’re the only person to ever call me sweet. Even my own mother wouldn’t ever use that word to describe me.”

He gives me one more kiss and then lifts up, scooping me in his arms and carrying me into the bathroom. The sun is still bright in the sky, so I’m guessing we didn’t sleep too long, and when my stomach growls, I look up to see him smirking at me.

“Don’t worry, baby. I’m going to fix you lunch after we get cleaned up. I think maybe you like eating healthy.”

“I was just thinking about my Twizzlers,” I tell him, but he knows I’m lying. The truth is I’d really fucking loved that granola shit he’d fed me for breakfast.

He sets me on the counter and starts the shower. “I can take one after you,” he says, but when he starts to leave, I grab his arm, stopping him.

“It seems silly for you to have to wait. I’ve already seen you naked, kind of.”

“I haven’t seen you naked, zaika, and I’m waiting. I know what I can handle and what I can’t, and you naked and wet is not something I can handle.”

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