Page 63 of A City of Smoke and Demons
A little smile played on his mouth. ‘Maybe, although she isn’t really my type.’
Analise’s cheeks warmed. It’s the whiskey, she told herself. It had nothing to do with the way Ezra was looking at her, or how his leg was pressed against hers in the narrow stairwell.
‘Analise—’
‘I need to go to bed,’ she said quickly.
‘I’m not interested in her.’
‘It doesn’t bother me, Ezra.’ Analise stood; as did he, and her breath caught at how close they were. The stairwell was dark and the sounds of the party were suddenly miles away. Ezra took her glass, setting it, along with his, on the step below them, not taking his eyes from hers.
‘I think maybe it does bother you.’
‘Your arrogance knows no bounds, does it?’ Analise twisted her fingers in the fabric of her skirt as he moved closer.
‘So, if I were to bring her back to my room, which shares that ridiculously thin wall with yours, and you had to listen to me fuck her for the rest of the night, you’d not have a problem with that?’ Ezra asked, his tone so casual that it made Analise clench her teeth—and her thighs—together.
‘I wouldn’t have a problem with that,’ she managed.
‘Your cheeks go red when you lie.’ He moved even closer. She stepped back until she was pressed against the wall, his arms caging her in. She should knee him in the balls, but her leg refused to move. Ezra hadn’t touched her, but the heat of him slid inside her and set her ablaze. She wanted to put her mouth on his skin at the same time as she wanted to shove his head through the wall at the very idea of him touching someone else.
Butterflies assaulted her stomach as he slowly closed the gap between them, and she readied herself for the feeling of his hands on her body, the softness of his lips, the warmth of hismouth. She readied herself to come completely undone as he bent his head towards her.
Ezra’s lips grazed her jaw, teasing and promising at the same time. His mouth trailed down her neck and every nerve ending and blood cell in Analise’s body was screaming. She almost moaned but trapped the sound behind her teeth, unwilling to give him the satisfaction of knowing how much he affected her.
He knew anyway. The smile against her flesh told her that, and she wished she could take this moment back, start again, be the one in control, the one making him moan. Analise tipped her head back, unable to help it. Ezra’s arms slid around her, pulling her against him as he trailed fire along the length of her throat, his lips brushing her jaw.
Her heart was pounding furiously, and her hands were pressed against his lower back. She couldn’t remember deciding to touch him. Her body was responding to his touch, his smell, the heat that radiated from his skin and dragging her along for the ride.
Ezra’s lips finally ghosted over hers, light and teasing. They hovered there for a second, before he groaned and pressed his mouth to hers, as if he couldn’t help it. It was a hard, furious kiss; Analise wound her hands in his hair and pulled him closer as he sucked her bottom lip into his mouth. This time, there was no hiding the moan that escaped her.
Her clothes were too tight, and her toes curled in her boots. She wanted to explode and take him with her, even if it was only for one night. Analise breathed his name. She was lost, so lost, her brain filled with fog as his hand closed over her breast. Pleasure spiked between her thighs.Please, she begged silently,please touch me. She wanted him more than she had before. His lips trailed down her throat, so slowly, as if he knew just how much he was stoking the fire building inside her.
‘I can’t get the taste of you out of my mouth,’ he murmured against her neck. ‘If I could, I’d have you on your back again with your legs spread while I fucked you with my tongue.’
Analise trembled from head to toe.
‘I want you,’ Ezra continued. ‘God, I want you, Analise.’
The way he breathed her name turned her insides to liquid. Her fingers trembled as they threaded through his hair. She dragged him closer, pulling his head up and smashing her lips against his. His tongue swept into her mouth, his breath her breath, his fingers curling against her spine.
The sound of shattering glass jolted her back to reality as a cheer echoed through the club, followed by raucous laughter.
Ezra chuckled and kissed her again, but the spell was broken.
‘Stop,’ she breathed, placing her hand on his chest. His heart pounded beneath her palm. ‘Ezra, this isn’t a good idea.’
His shoulders shook, then he stepped away until he was leaning against the opposite wall. His hair was a mess and his shirt was partially untucked. He cleared his throat and straightened his clothes, running a hand over his face. When he met her gaze, the longing in his eyes pinned her to the wall with the force of it. ‘I fucked everything up, didn’t I?’
Analise tried to collect her shattered thoughts. Shame burnt in her blood, mingling with the strength of her desire. She licked her lips and took a deep breath. ‘You were right before. I was being a hypocrite. I can forgive you for lying to me, but I don’t think I can forgive you for what you were, Ezra.’
‘I’m not that person anymore.’
‘But you were that person, and that’s what makes this hard,’ she argued. ‘Because I want you to touch me, I do, but I can’t let you. I can’t let myself feel anything for you.’
Ezra stared at her for a moment longer, then collected their glasses. ‘I like you. I shouldn’t, but I do, Analise. I really do.’ Hegave her a sad smile before returning to the life and warmth of the party.
Analise snatched some bread from the kitchen and hurried back to her room, wondering if she’d made a terrible mistake. Samira’s face flashed before her eyes, and if it wasn’t her, it was Ezra, and the way he looked at her. It was his lips, the feel of them, and the shape they made when he told her he liked her. And she’d sent him away, unable to face it. Because if she did, if she gave in to what her body wanted and let herself forget what he used to be, what did that make her?
