Page 41 of Sacrifice
This is Saga stripped of all her armor—no sarcasm, no defiance, just a woman who's realizing someone wants to hurt her.
I cross to her in two strides, unable to stop myself from touching her shoulders.
Her whole body is tense, practically vibrating with suppressed panic.
"Look at me." My voice comes out rougher than intended.
She does, those chocolate eyes swimming with unshed tears she'll never let fall.
Not in front of me. Not when it might prove I'm right about her needing protection.
"Saga." I cup her face, thumbs stroking her cheekbones. "Kitten, look at me."
She does, those eyes wide and worried.
"You're safe with me," I tell her, meaning every word. "Always. I won't let anyone hurt you."
"Emil..." Her voice cracks on my name.
"I mean it. Anyone tries to get to you, they go through me. And I'm very hard to kill."
"You can't just?—"
"I can. I will." My hands slide up to cup her face. "You're mine to protect, Saga. Even if you won't admit you're mine in every other way."
Something shifts in her eyes.
The fear morphs into something else, something that makes my pulse jump.
"I'm not yours," she whispers, but her hands come up to rest on my chest.
"No?"
"No." But she's leaning closer, eyes dropping to my mouth. "I don't belong to anyone."
"Liar."
And then she's kissing me.
It's not soft or sweet or careful.
It's desperate, hungry, all the tension between us exploding at once.
I groan into her mouth, lifting her onto the counter without breaking contact.
Her legs wrap around my waist, pulling me closer.
"This doesn't mean anything," she gasps when I move to her neck.
"Sure it doesn't." I bite down where her pulse hammers, making her moan. "That's why you're already wet for me."
"Fuck you."
"That's the plan." I pull back to yank her tank top off, taking her bra with it. "Been thinking about this all night. How you'd taste. How you'd sound."
"Emil—"
I cut her off by taking her nipple in my mouth, sucking hard.
