Page 45 of Dark Consequences

When she realizes her mistake, Lily spins around and runs straight into me. She bounces off my chest and bumps into a shelf. Almost as if in slow motion, I watch the sack of flour teeter and then tip over, covering Lily from head to toe in white powder.

With a tiny little shriek, she freezes as the cloud settles over her. She’s a mess, but the most adorable one at that, and the sight makes me snort in humor.

“It’s not funny,” Lily snaps, her attempt to sound angry just as cute as her appearance right now.

“It’s a little funny.” I disagree, enjoying how she scowls up at me. “Now tell me, what did you think I could do for you?”

“Nothing,” she mumbles, averting her eyes as she tries to wipe flour from her shirt. “It’s not important now.”

“Try again,” I advise her. “Whatever it is made you run from me.”

My accusation makes her eyes snap up to me and narrow. “I didn’t run from you.”

“No?” I raise my brow while I bring my hand up to brush some flour from her hair.

“No.” She doesn’t pull away from my touch but seems to subconsciously lean into it.

“Funny, because it feels like you’ve been running from me ever since we kissed the other night.”

Lily pulls back and frowns up at me. “I haven’t. We’ve both just been so busy.”

It’s cute how flustered she’s growing over an assumption I don’t mean. But I care about how I’m no longer touching her. I can’t explain it, let alone define it, but I want…no, I need to touch her. Constantly. It’s like an addiction I have no desire to fight.

I just need to remain patient, which is a virtue I struggle with, to be honest, but I will do it for her. Because I think it’s safe to assume Lily feels the same for me. Only she’s struggling to bury years of abuse and pain before she can finally accept what’s here between us is real and worth fighting for.

“I know.”

Lily’s frown deepens before it dawns on her that I’m joking. “Then why would you say that?”

“Because you’re cute when you’re angry.”

The woman enjoys keeping me on my toes. I never know what she’s going to do next, so when she grabs some flour collected in a pile on the shelf and throws it at me, my mouth drops open in shock as the white powder cascades down my front.

“How’s that for cute?”

A light, teasing note in her voice calls to the dark in me, and I step closer.

Lily shivers from lust and not from fear by the way her blue eyes glaze over as she meets my gaze.

Raising my hand, I trace down her face before cupping her chin. She gasps and then sighs from the pleasure my touch brings her.

“How’s this?”

She knows what’s coming and doesn’t fight me when I descend and cover her lips with my own. She moans into my mouth as my tongue dives in to explore every inch of her mouth, claiming every torture space for my own.

Lily places her hands on my chest and slowly explores her way up to tangle in my hair, spreading flour among the dark strands. She giggles against my lips, telling me the devious vixen knows exactly what she’s doing. So I reach back and grab her tiny wrists with one hand and shove them above her head, all the while pushing more into her until she’s trapped between the shelves and me.

Her giggle dissolves into another moan when she feels how hard I am for her. She rolls her hips, pushing against my cock, and I growl into her mouth at the sensation gathering at the base of my spine.

“Tell me you want me,” I whisper.

Lily pulls to free her hands half-heartedly, but I refuse to let go. Not until I hear her say those magic little words.

“Tell me you want me to make you feel good.”

She bucks against me, practically dry humping my lap to seek relief from the ache between her legs.

“Please, Raphael,” she begs. “Erase their touch. Erase every memory of pain. Make me feel good again. Please.”

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