Page 220

“Couldn’t sleep. Was hearing the footsteps again,” I admit.

“Seems like they’re manifesting your fears,” he says. His presence closes in on me, and I feel him crouch down beside me. If the ground beneath me wasn’t being tested before, it definitely is with his weight.

“What do the footsteps remind you of?” he questions softly, his voice whispering across the shell of my ear.

“My lack of freedom,” I say, staring out at the Bay. “They remind me of how trapped I was. Every time I’d hear her heels coming toward me, something terrible always followed, and there was never any escaping it. There was one time I heard them, and I tried prying all the nails out of the window so I could throw myself out of it. Didn’t even care if it killed me. All I accomplished was breaking my nails instead.”

His hands land on my hips, and he’s pulling me back, pressing me into his hard chest.

“So sitting on the edge of this cliff makes you feel free?”

“Yes,” I say, turning my head to look up at him. His eyes glitter in the sunlight, and I can’t tell which is more dangerous: the edge of this cliff or the way Zade looks at me. “And it makes me feel alive.”

His hand comes up around my throat, tilting my chin further back. His full lips brush across mine, eliciting sharp tingles throughout my body.

“Is it the promise of death that makes you feel alive, littl

e mouse?”

“Yes,” I whisper, electricity dancing between our mouths.

“Then we will both taste heaven together,” he murmurs.

He kisses me softly and slowly, and I feel every second of it in my soul.

Pulling away, he directs, “Face me, baby.”

Biting my lip, I spin and lean back on my hands, bending my knees and spreading them apart.

His eyes drop, traveling across the curves of my body, sending chills down my spine. He looks at me as if he wants to rip me apart with his teeth, and I don’t think I would stop him if he tried.

My breath hitches as his hand slips beneath my t-shirt, and I shiver from the feel of his skin on mine. Slowly, he lifts the fabric up until I’m forced to lean forward so he can remove it altogether.

I shiver again, the breeze whispering across my heated flesh.

“Do you trust me?” he asks.

“Yes,” I answer without hesitation.

He plants a hand on my chest and roughly pushes me. I gasp, convinced that I’m about to fall off the cliff, but he catches me. I’m flat on my back, and only my head dangles clear over the edge, but it doesn’t calm the absolute panic circulating throughout my system.

I lift my head, staring at him with wide eyes, my heart racing.

“Jesus,” I breathe. He smirks, reaches beneath me, and unclasps my bra, my nipples hardening immediately beneath the cool breeze.

Then, he hovers over me, his warmth seeping into my flesh as he trails his lips over my jaw and down my neck.

“He’s not the one you should be praying to,” he murmurs darkly, sending shivers rolling down my spine. “Only I will be your salvation.”

His fingers grab the waistband of my leggings and tug them down, removing my panties with them. It’s warm and muggy outside, but a whole week of rain has put a cool mist in the air, causing my skin to break out in goosebumps.

“Head back,” he orders.

Swallowing nervously, I do as he says, and I’m overwhelmed by both vertigo and fear. The adrenaline in my system becomes more potent, and my heart pounds erratically.

His lips whisper across my chest, over the swells of my breasts, and to my nipples. His tongue darts out, flicking one of the hardened peaks before his warm mouth closes over it and sucks harshly.

I moan and arch into him, the movement causing my head to slide farther down, and I nearly jump out of my skin. He chuckles darkly, releasing my nipple then traveling down my body.