Page 82 of The Villain

“His death did.”

“Dare…”

“He convinced us to get other things.” He cleared his throat and then rumbled, “Like piercings.”

My mouth formed an “o.”

“You have something…”

I licked my lips and heard his approaching groan. “No.Here.” The pad of his thumb brushed right at the corner of my lips. “Athena…”

“I don’t want this to end,” I murmured. “Us.” As though I could be talking about anything else.

Air hissed through his lips, betraying the mounting pressure in his chest. “I can’t…he’s gone…because of me.”

“So, you died along with him?” I murmured, feeling him tense. “Because it seems like that’s when you stopped telling your story.”

“I should have. I deserved to,” he rumbled, the heat of his breath fanning my cheeks.

“No, you don’t.” I lifted my hand. My fingertips bumped the hard edge of his jaw, but he didn’t pull away, so I moved them higher. “How mad would he be to see you like this?”

He shuddered against me. “Athena…”

“He’s gone, but without you, who will tell his story?”I cupped his cheek. “If you want to punish yourself, then do it for the good. You owe him his story.”

“I owe him my life.”

“Exactly.” I pulled my face to his. “So, stop giving him your death.”

I would’ve wished to savor his sharp inhale of breath for longer—the sound of my pleas finally piercing to the core of him. But I wished for his kiss more.

His mouth crushed mine with the kind of harsh hunger that gnawed at the inside of my chest. Within seconds, the thrust of his tongue pushed through my lips, punishing me and praising me for daring him to take what he wanted. I clutched his head, holding on like I held him above water. Above grief. Above guilt. And with every stroke and lick, he came to life against me.

His arms banded around me like the roots of a tree, pulling me right to the edge of the counter, where the hard length ofhim wedged between my thighs. I shivered, recalling the feel of him in my mouth. Long and thick. My core clenched, aching to feel him there. Every hard inch all the way to the metal knobs of his piercings.

With a growl, his fist curled in my hair, tipping my head so his next kiss could go deeper.Deeper and longer and harder.

He kissed me until my body was on fire and my mind was spinning like a top out of control.

“Dare,” I panted, locking my legs around his waist as I tried to grind on him, needing more.Needing everything.

“Athena…” He broke away with a groan, his chest heaving. “I can’t.”

“Why?” The heat coursing through me melted all of my resolve, leaving nothing but Jell-O-ed desperation in its place. “I want this—I want you, Dare. And if it’s not me, and it’s not Ryan, explain to me what it is?—”

“It’s me,” he said roughly and then groaned. “It’s me.”

“Tell me,” I begged. “Please.”

My heart pounded into the front of his chest, or maybe it was his hammering into mine. Either way, neither of us moved, our bodies riveted to one another in an unbreakable moment. His silence was the torture he imposed on himself, and it was more painful than his words.

“I haven’t…been with a woman since…”

My lips peeled open in shock, setting them apart in slow motion.“Dare…”

“I haven’t fucked a woman since her. Hell, I haven’t let a woman touch…”

Electric heat warmed over my skin. “Until me.”

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