Page 75 of Vampire's Breath

I neededher—the memory of her—to pull me back. To remind me of who I was, and what I would never forgive myself for becoming.

The rain fell in sheets, hammering against the remains of the room. The wind howled, forcing tiny needles of icy water into my skin, the scent of brine and earth mingling with Briar. I breathed in her scent again, my wet clothing clinging to my skin, willing the water for a premonition of what came next, but nothing appeared.

I inhaled deeply, her scent curling into my nostrils. My heart lurched as memories of her flooded through me.

The curve of her body… The way she—

I pushed the thought away. A growl rumbled low in my throat. No. I couldn’t think about that. Not now. But fatigue clung to me, loosening the grip I had on my self-control. Images of her, my desires of what we could be, slipped through the cracks—her lips on mine, the sweet taste of her tongue as I chased it with my own.

I could see it clearly. I sat on the bed, naked, my cock already hard from the sight of her. She kneeled between my legs, sitting back on her heels, her bare breasts brushing against my chest. My hands rested on her hips, fingers trailing over the lace of her panties.

A moan rolled deep in her chest. “I need you, Lorcan.”

I could feel her breath on my lips as she spoke, which sent more blood rushing to my already swollen cock. “And what if I tell you no?”

She pulled back, her eyes flying open. “You would never…”

“Wouldn’t I, wildflower?” I took her lips with my own, rough and commanding. I laced my fingers into her hair, pulling her away from me with a yelp from her that made my cock twitch. I exhaled slowly, relishing that sound. I forced her eyes to meet mine. “Wouldn’t I tell you no so that I could play? Just so I could see how wet I can make that sweet, delicious cunt of mine?”

Owning her cunt wasn’t about control, but about giving her more than she could ever ask for, yet never more than she could handle. How far could I push her before she broke apart in bliss?

Her face twisted, and her gaze dropped. I tightened my grasp until she looked at me again.

“Oh yes, wildflower.” I ran a finger between her naked breasts, up her throat, and pinched her chin. “That cunt belongs to me now, and I will use it whenever and however I desire.”

She swallowed hard. A nervous flicker passed through her gaze. I kissed her gently, letting go of her chin and hair. “I promise you this: it will always bring you pleasure.”

I wanted her surrender so I could guide her to ecstasy more than anything, for her to embrace her darkest desires with eagerness instead of shame, to take her to heights she would never find on her own, heights I could help her reach if she trusted me to respond to the subconscious cues her body gave me when she wanted more, even if she couldn’t voice it herself.

She tilted her head. “And if it doesn’t?”

I laid my fingers on her shoulders, tracing my fingertips down her chest. She shivered as goose bumps broke out on her arms and her nipples hardened. I could smell the arousal coming from between her legs. I caught each of her hardened peaks between two fingers and a thumb. “Then we’ll learn your edges together, wildflower.” I rolled her nipples between my fingers, eliciting a moan. “You like that?”

She kept my gaze with hers as she bit her lower lip and nodded.

“And what if I do it harder?” I pinched at her sensitive nubs, continuing to roll them.

She moaned while closing her eyes. “Oh…” She opened her eyes, filled with desire.

“And what about even more?” I applied pressure from every angle I could, pinching and rolling until I felt the blood pulsing, waiting to escape the hardened skin.

“Lorcan,” she moaned. She shifted her ass so her heel applied pressure to her opening as she squirmed under my fingers.

“Do you want me to stop?”

“No.” Her breath came in quick pants.

I pulled her nipples forward in turn, not releasing them, flicking my tongue over the end before running my fangs across them, careful not to slice them open. Her body convulsed.

“You’re close, aren’t you, wildflower?”

She nodded.

I squeezed her tender flesh harder and smiled at her gasp. “You need to answer me when I ask you a question. If I didn’t want you to speak, I would gag you so you can’t.”

She froze, not out of anticipation, but lack of desire.

“If you don’t want it, it will never happen.” I searched her eyes before I smoothed her hair, kissing her. “You’re safe here.” I continued to kiss her, soft and comforting.

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