Page 42 of Born into Madness
“So is this how it’s going to work? You sneak into my room wearing a mask, get me all confused and riled up, and then leave after getting a text? I’m not so sure I’m okay with that.”
I grin over at her. “You’re all riled up?”
She can’t help but laugh. “You know I am. Seriously, though, this can’t work like this. I don’t know anything about you.”
“You know more than most.”
“That’s not enough. I need more, and I’d like to see your entire face.”
“You will, but not today, not when I have to leave so quickly.” I rest my hand on her thigh, stroking her bare skin with my thumb, amazed at how soft she feels. She’s so fragile, yet I have no desire to break her. “I just gave you my first kiss,” I remind her. “You know me better than anyone in many ways.”
Her green eyes search mine. “Are you serious?”
“Yes.” With my thumb still grazing her skin, I ask, “Were you serious when you said you were a virgin?”
“Yeah.”
That red ball of fire settles into my gut again when I ask, “But it wasn’t your first kiss?”
“Well, no,” she starts to say, and I close my eyes as she finishes with, “I had a boyfriend in high school.”
I’m new to jealousy, so I’m not sure what’s normal and what’s not, but I do know the vast majority of people have at least kissed, and usually done a lot more than that by the time they hit college, but knowing it’s true and knowing it’s true formyCyn are two very different things.
Not sure what else to do, I rest my chin on her shoulder and kiss her neck before saying, “Don’t ever tell me his name unless you want him to die at my hands.”
I may not know a lot of things, but I do know myself, and I know with absolute certainty that if she ever gives me his name, I will be unable to stop myself from finding him and sinking my blade deep into his chest. We all have our limits. She is obviously mine. Anyone who touches her is dead. End of story. My brain doesn’t seem to care if it’s a good touch or a bad one or past or present. It all gets muddled into one thing and one thing only—someone else putting their hands on my girl and then my need to kill them for it.
“I sometimes forget what you’re capable of,” she says, and then she turns so she can cup my face and look at me. “I’m an idiot for sitting here, for not calling the police, for not screaming my head off, and Jesus Christ for kissing you like I did. I’m going to end up on the evening news, aren’t I?”
“No, I would never let any harm come to you. I know it’s hard to understand, but if it makes you feel any better, you’re very clearly on thedo not killside of things.”
“Oh, well okay then,” she says, making her earlier sarcastic comment sound positively heartfelt and truthful.
“I’m incapable of hurting you,” I say. “I don’t know how else to explain it.”
“What if that changes?”
“It won’t,” I tell her, knowing in my gut it’s true. “You’ll learn to trust it. I promise you will, but it’s going to take time.”
“Tell me your name. I want to at least know your name before you leave.”
I tilt my head and look at her, knowing there’s no reason not to. I’m in too deep, and if I had time, I’d pull my mask off and let her see all of me. For now, though, my name will have to do.
“Sasha,” I tell her.
She smiles at hearing it and leans in closer so our faces are almost touching. “Nice to meet you, Sasha.”
The sound of my name on her tongue has me squeezing her thigh and cupping the back of her head as I close the distance and press my lips to hers. Now that I’ve had my first kiss, I want a million more with her. She opens for me, lips soft and pliant as she lets me take the lead, submitting to me while her body softens in my lap. I could happily do this for days, wanting and needing nothing but the taste of her, the feel of her against me while her soft whimpers fill my ears and drive me to the brink of insanity—a place I’m all too familiar with but that has never been this much fun.
When she pulls back for air, I kiss my way along her jaw, unwilling to completely break the connection. Her fingers play in my hair at the nape of my neck.
“When will I see you again?” she asks.
“Don’t worry,krovinka, I’ll sneak back in as soon as I can.” I smile against her skin before I give it a soft suck. “You may not know it, but we’ve spent every day together since we've met. There was barely a moment when I was more than twenty feet from you.”
“That’s incredibly unsettling,” she says, making me smile.
“I never get tired of watching you. I had to take breaks to check on Chort. He can be a real baby about being alone, and I had to sleep a little bit here and there and work, but I’ve spent the last couple of weeks mainly watching you.”
