Page 73 of Monsters in Love

ANNIE

I’m staring at Luc in anticipation, taking in his dark eyes and full mouth, his elegant features, the confusion apparent in the tilt of his brows. When he kissed me, it was like my whole body ignited, a wildfire of passion jolting through me. I’ve never felt anything remotely like it.

I need to know if it will happen again.

Tentatively, he leans down and lightly presses his lips to mine. I grab the back of his head and pull him closer, deepening the kiss, the connection, sliding my tongue along the seam of his lips and tangling my fingers in all that long, dark hair. Bright heat sears through me once more, each nerve ending alive and dancing with excitement.

Luc parts his mouth and glides his tongue against mine, his rich taste flooding my senses. When he finally pulls back, he stares at me, his black gaze hypnotic.

“Whoa,” I breathe. “That was unexpectedly…intense.”

He releases a slow breath, like he’s as caught off guard as I am. I stare back at him for another moment, lost in those eyes, and then I leap. I literally throw myself at him, trusting him to catch me, and fasten my mouth to his. He tastes like aged wine, dark and smoky, and when I nibble his lower lip, I feel his fingers flex against my ass where he grips me.

He growls, so deep in his chest I can feel the rumble, then tears his mouth from mine. The look in his eyes has gone feral, a Luc I’ve never seen.

“How far do you want this to go?” he asks, his voice fierce.

This is the moment. The moment I can back away, call things off, and celebrate what we found tonight. Or I can dive in and see what he’s like unleashed; what all those muscles and unusual body parts will feel like against my skin.

I skim my tongue along my lips, still tasting him there. My body is on fire: nipples hard, wet heat pooling between my thighs, every muscle taut and quivering. There’s no doubt about what I’m going to say.

“I want it all,” I whisper, and it’s like flipping a switch.

Gone is the cool, distant, aloof gargoyle. In his place is something molten, all heat and desire and dominance. He wraps my hair in his fist and pulls my head back, feasting on my neck, sucking and licking all the exposed flesh. He blows a hot breath in my ear, sending shivers through me, and then spins me around, pulling my back against his chest.

He points one talon and hooks it in the neckline of my shirt; with a yank, he tears all the way down the shirt and through my jeans. My close fall off in tatters, leaving me in nothing but a bra and thong. With another groan, he slides his hands between us and cups my ass again.

“Take off the rest,” he commands, and I scramble out of my underwear.

He makes a satisfied sort of grunt and then slowly slides a hand around to the front, cupping my belly and then drifting lower.

“Are you wet for me?” he whispers, again blowing hot air into my ear.

Somehow, despite the fact that all we’ve done is kiss, I don’t think I’ve ever been wetter. I swallow hard and manage to speak. “Why don’t you find out for yourself?”

He chuckles and slips a finger into my underwear. I’m acutely aware of the vicious talons that top his fingers, just how sharp and deadly they can be. But somehow, the danger just makes it all hotter.

His finger glides against my moisture and he makes an appreciative sound. “So hot and slippery.” With exquisite slowness, designed to kill me, he drags his claw across my clit and applies the slightest pressure. I squirm against him and he clucks his tongue. His left hand comes around my chest, banding me to him, and his agile tail coils around my legs, effectively rendering me immobile. Then he flaps those massive wings around to the front, hemming me in. Trapped in a cave made of Luc. Yum.

“Uh-uh,” he murmurs in my ear. “We do this my way.”

He presses his finger harder against me, just enough to make me pulse and wiggle under his touch.

“Mmm,” he says. “Someone likes that.”

He adjusts the pressure again and again, lighter then firmer, over and over, but that’s it. It’s enough to get me hot but not get me off, and he knows it. He chuckles against my ear, his hot breath giving me tingles.

“Tell me what you want, Annie.”

“I want you to make me come,” I say on a gasp. “Touch me more, please.”

“Mmmm,” he says. “I’ll see what I can do. But no rushing. I want you to savor it.”

Slowly, slowly, slowly, as wicked as can be, he slips his clawed finger inside me. He glides his other hand down my belly and strokes my clit again, all while his finger swirls deep within me, teasing the sensitive flesh inside.

I suck in a breath at the sudden intensity, then hiss when he slips a second finger in, stretching me just enough. He gently pinches my clit, making me throb even harder, and moves his fingers faster inside me.

I wouldn’t have thought I could come from just this, but if he keeps it up, I absolutely will. “My god,” I moan. “That’s so good. Never stop.”

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