Page 78 of A Kiss From Death
“Never,” he says in a low, husky voice that sends shivers up my spine. His eyes remain fixed on me, and not an ounce of playful banter shows across his face. His eyes somehow darken, the black one turning into a bottomless pit of madness and his gray one swirling with the promise of ruin.
I still under his gaze, and air seems to be a faraway thought I’m no longer capable of grasping. It’s like I’m a child again, learning how to walk, but instead of walking, it’s my will to keep air in my lungs under his unyielding eyes ripping me apart right down to my core.
Is this what it feels like the moment death finally takes your soul? The warmth of eternal peace taking over your body and setting you free? I feel like I’m dying every time this man made from death looks at me, but my body also roars to life in a way it never has before.
His eyes slowly sweep across my face, taking time to soak in each part like they are equally important to him. He studies one of my eyes then drags his gaze across to my other one. His pupils dilate the slightest amount when he deepens his study, and it makes me curious as to what exactly he is seeing. I feel his stare slide down the slope of my narrow nose and land on my plump lips. I lick them, feeling self-conscious, and the taste of lake water slips over my tongue.
Hade lets out a deep, rumbling moan as his eyes remain transfixed on my lips. His grip tightens around me the slightest, and I’m not even sure he noticed his action. Instead, it comes across as a reflex. He continues his thorough study of me by dragging his eyes lower until they land on my narrow neck, leaving tingles in their perusal.
If his exploration of my body lasts a single second longer, I think I might combust. I’ve never been studied so intently, like the answers to the world’s continued existence lie within me.
His free arm reaches forward on its own accord and grips the back of my neck. His thick fingers slide into my hair at the nape of my neck like they belong there. His thumb lashes out, rubbing the front of my neck, making my throat bob. Water trickles from his thumb, sliding down the front of my throat to my cleavage, leaving a cold chill across my body.
Hade tracks the droplet the whole way, turning eerily still as it drips until it rolls over the curve of my breast. He swallows harshly, his eyes fixed on where the bead disappeared. He looks at me in awe, and I can tell he’s slowly unraveling, on the verge of losing control.
He leans forward slowly, and I hold my breath in anticipation. He draws the lobe of my ear into his mouth and nips at it playfully. “Do you know the torture you bring me, woman?” Hade whispers against my throat, his lips dragging across my delicate skin, making it pebble. Fluttering takes over in my chest, and my body heats deep in my core.
“No,” I manage to whisper back, but it’s barely loud enough to hear even in the silence.
“No?” he mumbles against my skin.
“Enlighten me,” I huff, barely able to get the words out when his lips are pressed into the perfect spot on the side of my neck. The urge to push into his touch takes over my body, consuming my every thought.
He purrs against my flesh, making my skin vibrate, shooting straight to my center. I’m fully at his mercy, my body moving to his every demand. I let out a soft whimper, unable to keep the effect he has over me hidden a moment longer.
The sounds spurs him into a frenzy, making him push his lips harder into my neck, drawing out a gasp. His warm, lush lips kiss my skin with expert precision, like kissing me is his life’s purpose. He swipes his tongue across my neck mid-kiss, making my head spin and legs clench. This man will be the death of me, and the thought of that only heats my core more.
He releases my skin, and I’m sure if I could see my neck right now, there would be a soft pink circle blooming where his lips damned me to hell. He hovers just above my skin, and his warm breath fans across my neck. He leans forward more, but this time, his lips make contact with the center of my neck right where it dips.
I think my eyes might have rolled to the back of my head from the way he is giving my body the attention it’s been craving for so long, but my brain seems to be of no use. I letout a soft moan, his lips drawing out a song of pleasure without a care about him hearing.
He kisses me with such care, applying just the right amount of pressure. I unravel my legs and wrap them around his thick body, crossing my ankles to hold him in place. They can barely lock around his huge frame, and the thought makes my head swim. I swallow deeply, my mouth watering.
My throat bobs when I do, and he lets out a growl of pleasure as he feels my neck dip. His lips release my neck, and a pang of sadness hits me in his absence. It doesn’t last long, though, as he stretches his neck to reach the opposite side of my neck begging for attention too and presses his lips there, making sure each part is worshiped equally.
He laps at my skin, making me dig my heels in, drawing him closer even though there is no more space between us. I’m sure my heart is beating at its full capacity, a heart attack on the horizon if he keeps this up. He pulls away, dragging in a harsh breath, gathering himself with crazed eyes.
He brings his face right in front of me, his nose a centimeter from touching mine. Reaching up, he tucks one of my wet curls delicately behind my ear as want and need radiate off him. His face turns darkly serious as he pins me with his gaze illuminated by the glowing moon.
“That is how you make me feel every second of every fucking day that I have to spend in your presence without being able to lay claim to your body,” he whispers against my lips, gritty and full of desire. I can see the war raging in his eyes, swirling with restraint and the need to take me right here and now, damn the consequences.
“I cannot think straight when we share the same air. My body begs to be let loose to claim the life of any person who even dares to look at you the wrong way. My lungs refuse to work when your eyes strip me bare like they are doing right now,” he admits,making my knees go slack. “You make me want to do very bad, dark, and deprived things, Nyxi, and I’m not sure I have the strength left in me to stop.”
A beat of silence echoes between us, the only sound my labored breaths I can’t seem to tame any longer. I’m wrapped around this lethal man like he might vanish right before my eyes. I can feel my pulse pounding on the side of my neck so hard, I can hear it in my ears. I’m lost in his endless midnight gaze, and I have no plans on being found. His darkness nudges up against mine, urging me to let go. If I do so, I know it will create an addiction I won’t have the will to squash, but right now, I welcome it with open arms.
“Then don’t,” I whisper, but before I can get the words fully out, he tightens his grip at the nape of my neck, drawing me forward. He crashes his lips to mine with a punishing force. It’s not gentle or timid, but rather feverish and desperate, like he couldn’t waste a single extra second without tasting me, devouring me.
I melt into his embrace, letting him take the lead and enjoying the ride. My center flares to life, a warmth growing inside me as my pulse kicks up. His mouth tastes like mint and sin swirled together that would for sure make my knees buckle if we were standing.
He plays with the hair between his fingers at the base of my neck as he draws my mouth into him. He’s like a starved beast let out of its cage for the first time, getting to devour its prey. There’s no time for exploring or sweet nothings, only a need to reach further inside each other and draw out the pleasure we’ve both been deprived of for too long.
He plants his other hand on the side of my face, sliding his fingers into the hair threatening to spill. He moans into my mouth and uses his hand to tilt my face so he can kiss me deeper. I’m lost as I press my almost fully bare body against his warm chest. My nipples pebble against the lacy white undergarment that leaves little to the imagination.
Hade’s tongue darts out, swiping across my lips, asking for an invitation. I open for him eagerly, and his tongue happily slides against mine, drawing a deep groan from him that I echo back. His lips mold to mine perfectly, lighting fire to every inch of my body. He sucks my bottom lip into his mouth, nipping at it playfully until it pops free from his teeth.
“Fuck,” he breathes against my mouth as he tries to catch his breath. “Fucking perfect.” I dig my nails into his back, unable to hold myself back. I dig my heels into his back, drawing him impossibly closer, and let out a strangled moan when I feel just how much he is enjoying the taste of my lips.
“Nyxi,” he warns, looking at me with utter despair, trying to hold himself back.
