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Gasping for air.

Being choked.

A man sneering down at me, wishing me dead.

No. No… I fought with everything I had, the vision finally fading into nothing but shadows. The memory had felt so damn real, as if the terrible incident had happened just the day before. Only the man with his hand still wrapped around my wrists wasn’t a monster.

He was my hero, Kage. My Kage.

Still unfocused, I took several deep breaths. This was the first time I felt any fear being around him. But this wasn’t the man who’d risked his own life to save me.

He was gone, lost in a moment of the past. Or something much worse.

Just like I’d been.

“Kage,” I said softly. “It’s Juliette. Remember? Come back to me.”

After issuing a second guttural sound, he blinked several times. When he finally came into focus, I was already wiggling under him, taking gasping breaths. His eyes darted back and forth across mine, his chest heaving. My pulse raced, my mind spinning. What did he think I was going to do?

Darkness and anger still had their hooks in him, dragging him closer to a horrible end. I felt it, my heart squeezing from the comprehension.

“Kage,” I repeated in a mere whisper, trying… hoping I could break him out of the daze he was in.

With a sharp breath, he lowered his head until our lips were almost touching. I could swear the man was going to kiss me. I even arched my back, maybe hoping he would. His breath was hot, as uneven as mine. We were locked in a moment that had no meaning. Or maybe it did.

“Juliette.”

What in God’s name had happened in his life? The sadness in his tone was overwhelming.

With a sharp drawback of his head, he lowered his gaze, almost immediately returning it to my eyes before doing the unthinkable.

Kissing me.

But it wasn’t just any kiss; the action was rough, breathtaking. He pushed open my lips, thrusting his tongue inside. As he swept it back and forth, I fought his firm hold, longing to touch him. I craved bringing his body even closer if that was even possible.

Every sound he made fueled both of us, the moment of intimacy as if he was taking my last breath. Dancing vibrations skittered through every part of me, his roughness creating an intense throb between my legs. We weren’t meant to be together. We weren’t compatible, yet I never wanted this to end.

The way he was shifting his hips back and forth created a stream of friction. He was hard, pulsing between my legs. My nipples were taut, straining against the fabric. And I was aware my shirt had managed to be pulled to just underneath my breasts.

Kage shifted to the side, allowing his hand to crawl under my shirt. The moment he cupped my breast, I moaned into the kiss. Nothing about this was gentle. Neither one of us wanted it to be.

We were too hot and bothered by each other, crazed with lust and anything else, but that didn’t matter. He pinched my nipple, twisting the hardened bud until a flash of pain washed through me. But the pleasure wasn’t far behind, already taking me to new heights of rapture.

The moment he released his hold on my wrists, I slipped one hand between us, fighting the buckle and belt, struggling to unzip his pants. There was no pretense, no foreplay. As soon ashis cock was free, he took over, using his knee to push my legs apart and instantly shoving my thong aside.

As he impaled me with one hard thrust, another series of electric shocks tore through me.

Another moan.

Another breathless moment.

His shaft pulsed, filling me completely. My pussy muscles clamped around the thick invasion. He pulled out, driving into me again, going even deeper.

Deeper still.

I threw one leg around his hip, gasping for air when he broke the kiss. His smile was almost evil as he bit down on my lower lip before dragging his tongue from one side of my jaw to the other.

There was nothing as incredible as the feel of having him inside of me. Or the way he was taking what he wanted. I closed my eyes, allowing the pleasure to fill me before sliding my arms around his neck. Just feeling him on top of me, touching his skin was nothing I should want, but everything I craved.