Page 50 of A Raven Returns

He cursed before claiming her mouth. His hands gripped her backside and he plunged into her again, wedging her against the wall with his body.

“Yes,” she panted, the sound of their bodies coming together as he pumped in and out of her driving her pleasure even higher. “I’ve felt so empty. My body has been desperate for you, Ash.”

It was fast and rough and so intense, and far too quickly, she was nearing her peak. “Harder,” she called out as she wrapped her legs more tightly around him. He didn’t disappoint as he slammed into her, his ragged breath harsh against her skin as his mouth frantically kissed every part of her he could get to.

Her pleasure peaked so ferociously, it was almost violent. She shouted her pleasure into his mouth and her body contracted around him. A second later, he followed. His roar might have been one of pain. Feeling his seed spill deep inside her only dragged out her own pleasure.

She wasn’t sure if it was her body shaking or his. Perhaps both. For several minutes, they simply stayed like that, trying to catch their breath. When their breathing slowed, he lifted her so he could slide out of her body before placing her back on her feet. He supported her with one arm around her waist. The other hand wrapped behind her head and pulled her forehead against his lips. Without a word, he picked her up and carried her to his bed, laying her down gently. Even his bedroom was black like a raven, except for a few hints of deep purple here and there.

“You can’t stay all night, but I want to hold you for a few minutes.”

She wouldn’t argue with that. Wrapped in his arms, she felt fully warm for the first time since leaving Woodburn Hall. Ash pressed his face against her hair and breathed in deeply. “God I’ve missed this.”

She snuggled closer to him, wishing she could feel his skin against hers, but it wasn’t to be tonight. “What are we going to do, Ash?”

With a long sigh, he shook his head and pressed a kiss against her temple. “I don’t know, Gwen. Give me a few days to figure some things out.” He cupped her cheek and turned her face toward him. “Until then, I promise to keep playing the piano for you, but you can’t come to my room again. Is that fair?” He pressed his lips to hers, gently this time. “You need to go to bed before you’re missed.”

When she woke later in the day, Gwen was still in a euphoric state of bliss. She was deliciously tender between her legs from their rough coupling, and she could feel him with every step she took throughout the afternoon.

That night, as she posed with the other girls, moving her body, she wished Ash was on the gaming floor so that she could see him. He spent most of his time up on the balcony watching over everything. Perhaps he was watching her now. She looked up at the hidden place where he usually stood and pressed her chest out a bit more.

An hour later, Ash did appear at the curtain in the back, but he wasn’t looking at her. He waved Patrick over and they shared a tense exchange. There was a fire in his eyes, and suddenly she knew. They’d found Greg and he was getting everything secured so that he could leave the Den and go after him. He disappeared back through the curtain, and O’Connell followed him.

She’d be in trouble for leaving her post, but she had to know what was happening. She had to tell him to be careful. She skirted along the edge of the room and slipped through the heavy curtains. She opened the door to the stairs and hurried up them. O’Connell was just about to lock the door to the hallway that led across to Raven House.

“Wait, I need to go through.”

“Very well, but we have to be quick,” he said grumpily. She had to jog to keep up with his swift strides as they traversed the long corridor. He unlocked the door at the other end, just long enough for her to get through and then locked it behind her.

There was no sign of Ash and not a sound coming from his private quarters. She hurried down the stairs and around to the backdoor where she finally spotted him giving instructions to the doorman. Fogg was already on a horse and held the reins of a second that was just waiting for Ash to climb into the saddle.

“Gwen?” He hurried over to her. “Is something wrong?”

She swallowed nervously. “You’re going after him, aren’t you?”

“Yes,” he said with a nod. “We are.”

She placed a hand over his heart and looked into his eyes. “Remember, he isn’t worth your soul.”

He gave her a sad smile. “You needn’t worry yourself about my soul, Gwen.”

“I just—” She paused for a moment, gathering the courage to say the words that were begging to be spoken. “I just love you.”

His eyes grew wide and disbelieving, but then the sadness vanished from his smile.

He lifted her chin in his palm and pressed a lingering kiss to her lips. “I just love you too, Angel.”

And then he was gone.

ChapterSixteen

As Ash rode with Fogg beside him, Gwen’s sweet words spurred him on. She loved him. And now, he was finally going to meet the monster who’d hurt her. Soon, he would make him pay.

Rage, and a frisson of excitement crackled through his veins. They had him in an abandoned warehouse Ash owned near the docks. He’d known it would come in handy one day for something. Admittedly, this wasn’t originally what he’d had in mind.

As they approached the warehouse, a man stepped out of the shadows.

“Alex will take care of the horses and ensure the doors are secure while we’re inside,” Fogg explained as he climbed down.

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