Page 24 of The Demon's Sinful Serenade
I squeezed his waist with my thighs, urging him on. "Please," I repeated.
He thrust hard, slamming into me with devastating accuracy. I cried out, locking my ankles behind his back. His tail wrapped around my thigh, holding me open as he drove into me again and again.
"Gods, yes." Zane tilted his hips, angling deeper. One hand found my breast, tweaking my nipple just hard enough to draw a whimper from me. "There you go, love. Keep making those pretty sounds for me."
I groaned as he nipped my throat, biting and sucking down to my collarbone. Sensation washed over me in waves, each crashthreatening to drag me under. I clung to him, digging my nails into his shoulders and meeting him thrust for thrust.
"So fucking perfect," he growled. "Taking my cock so well."
Zane captured my mouth in a heated kiss, swallowing my moans as he took me ruthlessly. Fire ignited along my nerves, blazing hotter with every powerful thrust. Our breaths mingled in frantic gasps. Pressure mounted with each snap of his hips, driving me relentlessly toward that edge.
"Come for me." His fingers found my clit, circling in time with his thrusts. "Let me feel you."
It was almost too much, pleasure edged with a sweet agony. I gasped his name, losing track of words entirely as my body convulsed. My pussy clenched around him as I came hard, vision blurring, clinging to him like a lifeline.
"Fuck, yes," he hissed, lifting my hips higher. His thrusts grew erratic, rough and punishing as he chased his own pleasure. Finally, he buried himself to the hilt, grinding deep as he spilled inside me with the sexiest growl I'd ever heard.
He collapsed half on top of me, resting his forehead against mine while our racing hearts gradually returned to normal. His weight felt good, comfortable and reassuring in the best way. I shifted only enough to accommodate his horns, nestling into the solid warmth of his body.
"Holy shit," I said weakly.
He laughed, brushing strands of sweat-damp hair from my face. "Eighty?"
I batted his hand away. "Asshole."
He kissed me again, and I sighed into it, content to be thoroughly kissed by him for as long as he liked. When we finally parted, he pressed his forehead against mine, closing his eyes.
"Stay tonight," I whispered.
He gave me another lingering kiss. "Of course."
Zane cradled me against his chest, sheltering me from the outside world. For the first time since Julian's death, I felt truly safe. Truly happy.
Because of him.
CHAPTER SEVEN
RIVER
Glitter fell from my eyelid as I blinked, the tiny speck catching light before drifting downward into my lap. The portable mirror reflected a face I barely recognized. All sharp contours and dramatic shadows, heavy black eyeliner and shimmery eye shadow.
And a huge smile.
The bass line thumped through my chest, joining the rush of pre-show nerves coursing through my veins. But for once, the anxiety wasn't overwhelming. It didn't threaten to swallow me whole.
He's gone. Really gone.
The thought still felt strange, like pressing on a bruise to see if it still hurt. Julian had haunted me in more ways than one, and though the witches had banished his spirit, part of me kept expecting to see his shadow lurking in corners or feel his presence behind me.
"Fifteen minutes, Ms. Rathbone."
I glanced toward the festival stagehand hovering in the doorway of my makeshift dressing room—really just apartitioned section of a larger tent with a folding table and mirror. "Thanks."
When he disappeared, I turned back to the mirror, taking one final inventory. The silky black slip dress shone under the string lights, its hem kissing my fishnet-clad thighs. Ankle boots and heavy bracelets completed the look, the latter a recent addition thanks to Poppy. Charms infused with protective wards were woven between the metal bands and looked, frankly, badass.
"You've got this," I whispered to my reflection.
A soft knock pulled my attention away from my reflection.
