Page 48 of Anathema
His hands raised to caress my cheeks, mine molding into the back of his as I closed my eyes. I soaked up every ounce of the intimacy between us, breathing him in as if he were my sole source of oxygen.
“There’s my pretty viper,” Derek murmured before pressing his lips to mine, and I welcomed him into my mouth. Our tongues twined together as I let out a breathless moan.
The rush of desire and lust mixed with hate was exhilarating, but this, this was something else—so much more. My heart squeezed in my chest as I wrapped my arms around the back of his neck, pulling myself into him. Derek slid a hand to the back of my head and the other down to grip my hip.
I didn’t care how long we stood there, holding on to and devouring each other. Five minutes, ten. Twenty. Time no longer existed in this bubble we created. Nothing else mattered.
“Derek, take me to bed,” I spoke softly as I pulled back, enough to fall into his bedroom eyes.
“Only if you promise to fuck me like it’s our last day on earth.” He growled before picking me up and heading to the bedroom.
Goddamn, I love this man.
Chapter 21
Derek
Ididn’texpectlastnight to go the way it did, for Alexis to drop her walls and let me in. She caught me off guard in the best way possible, and I felt as if I were floating; like this was all just a dream. One where I would wake up in bed alone, just as I always did. But this morning, I woke up wrapped around her, and I didn’t want to let her go, even for a second.
Burying my face in the crook of her neck, I breathed in deeply, reveling in her intoxicating scent. This woman, one I had been chasing for over six months, was finally mine; every inch of her wasmine.
My pretty viper. My everything.
Alexis was sound asleep in my arms; we fucked for what felt like hours last night before both of us passed out from exhaustion. I don’t recall a single surface in this room that she didn’t come on.For the first time in my life, my dick was actually sore from so much sex, so I could only imagine how she was feeling.
Trailing kisses down the back of her shoulder, I stopped and groaned when I heard my phone go off on the nightstand.Don’t answer it; it’s not important.Another ding, and I growled, glaring over my shoulder at it.
This better not be Dean… I swear to god.
I slowly rolled onto my back to stretch out and pick up my phone without waking Alexis. Once I had it in my hand, I rolled right back to where I was and unlocked the screen to check my notifications.
Fuck.
Of course, it was Dean, and it was something I couldn’t put off or avoid—not today.
Dean: We have a name, and it checks out. You’ll want to see this. Get here ASAP.
I responded to his text, knowing there were two places he could be referring to.
Me: Where is “here”?
Dean: The office. I shouldn’t have to tell you why.
I laughed as I read his reply. I knew exactly why we weren’t meeting at Eli’s apartment, and if it didn’t cause me to grin from ear to ear…
Dropping my phone onto the bed and looking down at Alexis, I sighed. I wasn’t looking forward to leaving her, especially after last night and the fact that she was still sound asleep in my arms. But time was of the essence, and I had a job to do, even though I wished I didn’t.
As gently as possible, I slid my arm out from under her neck, pressing my lips to her temple and kissing her lightly before climbing out of the bed. She stirred before rolling over and hugging the pillow, pulling it into her chest and nuzzling the side.
I could have stood there, staring at her for hours; she was perfect in every way.
As quietly as possible, I pulled on my jeans and T-shirt, picked up my phone, and took one last full view of her before leaving the bedroom and apartment.
Hopefully, this wouldn’t take too long, and I could get back to her before the afternoon. We spent more time fucking than talking last night, and I knew there was a lot left to unpack between us.
ArrivingattheCIAoffice, I made a beeline to the elevators and took the first available one to the fifth floor, where I met with Dean and Eli. Shutting the door behind me, the two stoppedspeaking mid-conversation, and Dean had a grim look on his face.Not a good start.
“What’s the name?” I started, not wanting to waste any time.
