Page 30 of A Midnight Romance

Lux

O nce Sebastian and the team have left the room with the woman who remains passed out but breathing, I exhale with relief.

The exhilaration I feel about it all is nothing short of utterly unique and nothing like I’ve ever experienced. To be a part of something bigger than myself—this world with River is dangerously addicting, and I find myself entrapped by the thrill.

I stare at River while he faces me. His forehead knits and his expression is difficult to read. I’m not sure if he’s proud or upset by the change in direction the night went.

“How are you feeling?”

I struggle to find an accurate word to describe how I feel so I settle on the only words I can think of. “Good, I think.”

“You’re bleeding.” His fingers wrap around my wrist, lifting my hand to eye level.

My eyes glance down at blood dripping from a cut inside the black gloves. The injury looks deep, but oddly, I can’t feel any pain. “I didn’t even notice.”

“Let’s get you cleaned up,” he says, helping me stand.

I nod and follow him into the bathroom also covered in plastic wrap which brings out a chuckle from both of us.

River’s soft but commanding hands grip my waist as he lifts me onto the counter.

He nestles himself between my spread legs and pulls my hand up to his face.

With a gentle tug, he removes the black leather glove, exposing a slice in my palm from the corner of my wrist to between my thumb and index finger.

“I don’t think it’s deep enough to need stitches, but we can have our on-call doctor take a look at it when we get back to the manor.” He moves my hand under the water to rinse it off. “Hold it here, I need to grab some bandages from my bag.”

River twists to walk away, but my legs lock him in place.

“Don’t leave,” I say. The deep red blood drips from my palm and down my arm. I need a Band-Aid, but I also need something else more. Adrenaline is pulsing through my veins causing me to feel more alive than ever.

He meets my gaze. “Are you all right? Do you need something else?” he asks me in a low whisper. Then he brings my palm up to his lips and presses a long kiss on top of my wound, making my throat run dry.

“I killed a man with that hand. And I’m not sure how to feel about it,” I say, thinking he’s going to be repulsed.

“And you think that bothers me?”

My eyes remain locked on his as he kisses around the flicker of my pulse at the base of my wrist. “It doesn’t?”

“Not one bit.”

Carefully, I pull my hand away from his hold and cup the front of his pants. “I want you, River.”

River’s jaw flexes. “Now?”

I pull my lip between my teeth and pull down his zipper just as his pulsating dick springs out. With my palm wet with my blood, I slide it along his shaft.

“Fuck,” he groans.

Squeezing tighter around the base, I let my hand coat every inch of his ribbed skin .

River’s body falls into me, the sound of crinkling plastic in my ears. Pushed against the chilly bathroom mirror, I free my other hand to continue rolling up and back down his length. As his dick stiffens in my grasp, River’s shoulders tense.

“Come for me, River.” I say continuing to stroke him.

“You are wild and beautiful, you know that?” he says into the sensitive skin behind my ear.

I move my head to the side, capturing his darkened eyes. “It’s because of you. You bring it out of me”

“You do that all on your own.” With one hand, he grips both of my wrists and pins them above my head against the mirror while he uses his free hand, shoving it down the front of my pants.

Then gives them a quick tug. I use my hips to shimmy both articles of clothing down, but without warning, River thrusts his red-coated dick into me.

“Oh god.” My head falls back.

His movements are fast and erratic right off the bat, like he’s craving me just as much as I am craving him. With every roll of his hips, my pussy clenches around him, as if not wanting to let him go.

“River,” I moan.

Thrust .

“My blood is everywhere.”

Thrust .

“I know,” he responds with a distant smoothness in his tone. “And it’s fucking beautiful.”

His words cause a deep groan from somewhere in my body—I’m not sure where, but it’s raw. The lower half of my body hums as tingles inch their way up my spine as a climax builds.

Thrust .

Suddenly, he lets go of my wrists and snakes one arm through my hair, gripping the back of my head.

“Look at us, Raven.” He tilts my head, giving me a full view of the scarlet mess covering where we’re joined.

My eyes roll with pleasure but I snap them back as I feel his stomach muscles tighten from underneath his bunched-up hoodie. He’s about to finish, and so am I.

With one last powerful dip of his hips, my most sensitive spot gets sent over the edge. Panting, he releases my hair and collapses into me afterwards. With my limbs trembling, I thread my fingers through his longer on top strands and hold him tighter into my chest.

“This place is going to be a bitch to clean up,” he comments, which make us both laugh.

River’s hard body slides down mine until his lips are back on the sensitive area between my legs. “We just had sex for the second time.”

A short time after River and I had sex in the bathroom of the house we killed Duncan in, the guys returned to clean up. We made the drive back to Thompson Manor together, where River bandaged up my hand and then we spent all day in his bed.

Stevie was just leaving for work as we returned. I wasn’t in the mood to give her a complete rundown of the night, so I sent her a quick text saying I’d be in River’s room and I’d see her later after she was done work .

“What can I say, I can’t get enough of you,” he mumbles into the soft skin beside my pussy. His warm tongue slides over, lapping up everything when he made me come minutes ago.

I giggle, enjoying every moment of pure euphoria. Killing and then fucking is a high I’ve never experienced. His cock makes me feral, desperate—and I don’t recognize myself.

“God, you taste good,” he mutters. He darts his tongue inside me, then takes a generous lick from back to front. My stomach drops, and my eyelids flutter closed. “Feed me again, Lux. I’m craving everything that comes out of you.”

Letting my legs fall to each side, I give him exactly what he wants—full access to all of me. A tight moan escapes, as I drift back into oblivion, but a beep from the intercom rips me back to reality.

River flips the blankets up, his mouth wet and shiny. “Ignore it.”

“You should get that.”

He groans with a playful frustration. “It can’t be as important as this.”

I thread my hands through his tousled hair and reluctantly pull his head away from me. “We’ve been in your bedroom since we got home. Besides, I’m getting hungry.” River lets out a resigned groan. “Fine. I can’t have you starving.”

“We could have dinner together,” I suggest.

“I wasn’t planning it any other way. But after, we come right back in here.”

“You got it.” I pull the blanket up over his head, then I swing my legs off the bed and onto the floor, skipping over to the intercom, and pressing the talk button. “Hi,” I greet whoever’s on the other line.

“Ms. Lux.” Ben’s voice sounds surprised. “I was just calling to ask if you had any dinner plans.”

“River and I will be having dinner in the dining room this evening. ”

“Of course, I’ll prepare the table for four.”

River props himself up on one arm. “Four?”

Sharing the same thought, I ask, “Who else will be joining us?”

“Ms. Lux’s sister is here with Sebastian.”

“Stevie is here,” I say under my breath, then grab my phone on the nightstand to find missed text messages from Stevie.

Stevie: I’m back. Do they know I’m staying here?

Another text came through ten minutes after.

Stevie: No worries. Security called River’s cousin. I told him to let me in.

River lifts off the bed and heads to the closet naked. My eyes follow his tight glutes as they shift when he walks, giving me a fully delicious view. “I’m glad she decided to stay. It’s safer.”

“Me too.” I swiftly grab my joggers and sports bra from the floor. “I was getting a little worried she’d change her mind. My sister is hardheaded.”

“I know. Like I said before, it runs in your family.”

I slide on my pants and chuckle at his comment.

River’s head pops out from behind the wall. “I love strong women.”

“I’m glad.”

River emerges a few moments later wearing a tight black T-shirt and gray sweatpants. “I guess we’re all having dinner together then.”

It’s a shame we don’t have time for round three.

“I guess so.”

He grabs a hat from one of the many hooks on the wall.

“Ready? ”

“Let’s go.” He gives the wound on my hand a soft kiss, then reaches around to clutch my other hand. I fall in step behind him as we leave his bedroom, and walk to the large dining room where Sebastian’s already seated.

“Are you two done fucking yet?” Sebastian quips, grabbing a roll from the bowl in the middle of the table. “I had to let your sister in since neither of you were answering your phones.”

“Yeah, sorry about that,” I apologize as River pulls out the chair for me. I smile at him, a light flush on my face. But then I scan the room and don’t see my sister. “Where’s Stevie?”

Sebastian opens his mouth to speak. “In your bed—”

“No. Stevie’s right here.” She walks into the dining room and gives me a quick hug, then rounds the corner of the table and sits across from Sebastian. “I had to let myself in and find my way around this insanely large house all by myself.”

“Glad you were able to find your way around. I’ll ask Aunt Mae to give you a tour,” River offers.

Stevie sips from the wineglass in front of her. “That would be helpful. Thanks, Batman.”

Sebastian spits his water out, spraying drops across the table. “River? A superhero?”

“What? I could be a superhero,” River says, like he’s offended by his cousin’s response.

“I mean, he’s a tech billionaire”—Stevie’s eyes dart to Sebastian—“and you’re the assistant. The shoe fits.”

“I’m not Robin.”

The door to the kitchen swings open before Stevie has a chance to rebuttal. Mae comes barreling into the dining room. “A family dinner and I wasn’t invited. ”

“This isn’t a family dinner,” Sebastian corrects his aunt, before shooting a glare at Stevie.

River lifts from his chair and pulls one for her to sit in. “Join us.”

Mae shuffles excitedly and takes a seat. “This is great.”

Then he returns to his seat by my side.

“Okay, who’s thirsty?” Ben calls out, emerging from the kitchen, with a bottle of red wine in hand. When he finds Aunt Mae seated with us, he adds, “It’s a full table tonight at the Thompson Manor.”

Mae’s rosy cheeks beam with happiness. “It is.”

Ben adds a place setting for Mae, then pours each of us a glass of red wine before he goes over what’s on the menu tonight.

“So, how did the project go last night?” Mae’s focus bounces between River and Sebastian. They must have mentioned to her about my sister knowing. That’s why she feels comfortable bringing it up.

Unsure if everyone is aware I’ve told Stevie or not, I stay silent, letting the guys take the lead.

River brings his napkin and places it on his lap. “Well, it didn’t go exactly according to plan, but we were effective and finished in record time.”

“That’s great to hear.” She raises her glass in the air, proposing a cheer.

We all raise our drinks for a quick toast. It should feel unnatural to be toasting about the man we murdered, but this is becoming my new normal and I’m ready to embrace it.

Sebastian clears his throat and leans back with a smirk on his face. “Oh, and Aunt Mae, guess who ended up surprising us at the last minute and pulling out the knife I gave her?”

Her fork suspended midair while her eyebrows raised with curiosity. “And who would that be? ”

River turns his head toward me, a prideful expression on his face, while I watch the color drains from Stevie’s face.

“Lux?” Her pupils dilate.

And suddenly the tips of my ears burn with being put on the spot. I push the food around on my plate, avoiding the stares from everyone at the table, because this does seem strange to be proud of. “Yeah, it was me.”

“Oh, Lux,” Mae gasps. “How are you feeling? Are you all right?”

“I feel better now.” I shrug. “He deserved what he got, and I’m glad I was the one to do it.”

“Well, all right,” Mae replies with slight disbelief. “River must have been shocked,” she adds, glancing over at River.

“I didn’t know he gave her a weapon,” River says, shooting Sebastian a glare.

“ Mr. Controlling ,” Mae teases. “I bet that was difficult since you had no idea.”

I finally chance another glance at my sister, and I hate that I’m responsible for the look on her face.

Maybe we should change the subject.

“How was your day, Stevie?”

Her eyes rapidly blink as if trying to collect herself. “Um, yeah, fine.”

“Stevie owns a mortuary,” I tell everyone, full of pride for my sister.

“She mentioned that,” Sebastian says.

Mae turns to my sister with a smile. “Yeah, she was telling us about it the other day at breakfast. And you will be staying with us too, right, Stevie?”

“It looks like I will.”

“Good. I can’t wait to hear all your stories from the mortuary.” Mae brings her wine glass to her lips and sips it.

I catch a subtle but genuine smile on my sister’s face at Mae’s comment, and it makes me grateful to have included her. I’m sure after tonight’s dinner conversation she’ll have a lot of questions and will probably need to process things all over again—especially in light of the new events.

We spend the rest of the evening talking about Stevie’s business, my writing, and small bits about how we grew up. After dinner , Stevie and I walk back to my room hand in hand like when we were kids.

“I’m really glad you’re here.”

“I know. Me too,” she says with a light hearted eye roll not wanting to admit she’s intrigued by this family too.

“I’m sure you want to talk about the conversation we had at dinner…” I trail off, not sure if I should breach the subject again.

“Yeah, what the hell was that? What did they mean about you stabbing a guy ?”

I take a deep breath as we approach my bedroom door, knowing it’s going to be another long night of questions from Stevie.

“I’ll answer any questions you have. I’ll also do my best at explaining everything from how I’m feeling, even though I’m still processing it myself.”

I don’t want to keep things from her anymore, and I really want her to accept what we’re doing. There’s a difference between hearing about it and actually experiencing it. This is the new me and it’s important my sister accepts who I am.