Page 73 of Possession

His hand stills between my legs, but he doesn’t let me go. He holds tight, like he’s as afraid to let go as I am to lose his touch.

He lifts his head far enough that all I see are his moody dark eyes. “Everything is wrong, baby. Every-fucking-thing. I thought this world was fucked up, but since the day they threw you into the cauldron, I don’t know which way is up. You’ve got me spinning, and I can’t afford to lose my sight.”

I draw my knees higher, and my arms constrict around him. “The moment I was taken, I was afraid of everything. Is it crazy that the only thing I’m scared of now is being away from you?”

His breath blankets my face on one heavy exhale. Most men in his position, with a hand between my legs and fingers filling me—quite literally owning me inside and out—would spout bullshit to make me feel better.

Tell me what I want to hear … that he’ll take me to bed, make love to me, and promise that everything will be okay.

But not Boz. Not my husband.

“You should be scared. You’d be crazy not to be.”

That realization hangs between us like a cold, dead body.

And it only makes me want him more.

I can’t hide the desperation in my voice. Not when he’s my only protector. “Please, Boz. Don’t ignore me. I can’t handle that on top of everything else.”

His eyes fall shut. I only thought his grip on me was possessive. When he opens his eyes, his gaze sears me right before his lips devour mine. When his fingers move, we might as well become one.

I dissolve into him when he works my clit. I’m in knots. Tension builds through my core. Every ounce of stress and anxiety since this nightmare started comes to a head as he brings me closer and closer.

He lets go of my mouth. I can barely focus on him when I see stars.

I moan and gasp and fight for air. When I come for the first time at the hands of my husband, my body trembles around him. He holds me close as his lips trail kisses up the side of my face … his tongue tasting my skin … his teeth nipping the lobe of my ear.

“Fuck,” he mutters into the side of my face. “I didn’t even come with you and I can’t catch my breath.”

I lick my lips as I recover. “It’s your turn, then.”

He shakes his head. “No, baby. We’ll get to me, but not now. Not yet.”

My lungs and heart are forced to work double time to recover. I cup his jaw in my hands and plead, “We can’t go back to the way we were before. Promise not to make me feel more alone than I already do.”

He removes his hand from my panties and sets me on my feet before taking my face in his hands. “You’re going to kill me, chica. I have a feeling I’ll die a slow, painful death before this is over. But other than working, because I have a project that is more important than you know, you’ll have my undivided attention.”

A small smile plays on my lips. “And I’m tired of sleeping on the sofa.”

He pulls in a big breath. “Then my slow painful death will be a quick one if I can’t wrap up my project even faster.”

I reach up and press my lips to his. “You’re a good one, hubbalicious. I knew it from the first moment I laid eyes on you. You’re different. And the good ones don’t die.”

His expression changes. It turns ominous and heated and completely intimidating. I try to take a step back, but he doesn’t allow it. “The good ones do die, Landyn. Every-fucking-day. It’s why I made you mine in the beginning. You’re the good one, baby, and I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”

He pulls me in for another kiss, one that feels different. It’s laced with desperation and a tinge of guilt.

I don’t dare ask what it means.

Because I finally have something to be happy about.

17

INITIATION

Brax

“You’ve been grieving your only son. The next load is taken care of. I contracted with the Jackals. It’s happening next week.”

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