Page 40 of Blood Day (Blood Alliance #7)

“It would be so easy,” I whispered. “One push. You’d scream until you gargled, trying futilely to claw your way to the surface, only to fail. My blood in your system would prolong the torment, too. A cruel death. One I wouldn’t wish upon anyone.”

I shifted my hold on her hips and her arms squeezed, her skin breaking out in goose bumps as true horror gripped her heart.

I inhaled again, my cock rock hard against her lower belly. “There is nothing more alluring than terrified prey, little flower.” I kissed her neck, my hands gently exploring her sides, prolonging the torment.

“Please,” she whispered, quivering in a way that made me want to fuck her right here, right now. She would cry. She would scream. She would end up coming all over my shaft in an exquisite display of fear-induced passion. Then I’d pull her underwater, just to force that sensation to build even more.

But that wasn’t what she needed for her first time.

It wasn’t what she deserved, either.

That would be an advanced course, one we’d try when she trusted me more.

I lifted one of my hands to her hair, fisting the still-dry strands and pulling her slightly back. “Take a deep breath.”

“Cedric…”

“Take a deep breath, Lily,” I repeated.

Her eyes were filled with tears, but she did as I asked.

Then I took us both under to dampen our hair.

She froze against me, her arms locked tightly around my neck.

I waited a beat, then kicked us back up to the surface and used the momentum to take us toward the waterfall.

A sob ripped from her mouth as she attempted to inhale .

It was a beautiful sound, one I shouldn’t enjoy as much as I did. But it was so filled with life and expectation that I couldn’t help indulging in it.

She made me feel .

And while some of that feeling was tainted with regret at having stirred that sound from her, most of it was pure elation over feeling anything at all.

This little flower was turning me into a human, giving me a healthy dose of humanity and reminding me what it was like to truly live again.

I kissed her as I continued toward the waterfall, my arm encircling her lower back while my tongue relayed my gratitude.

She was so perfect.

So exquisite.

She made me want to believe in something more, to explore emotions I’d never considered before.

“Take another breath,” I told her, only giving her seconds to obey before dunking us both beneath the waterfall.

Then I went to the bench behind it, the seats allowing a good platform to sit and watch the water flow from overhead.

I sat and allowed Lily to curl herself in my lap, her sobs echoing in the small, private space.

“I hate you,” she whispered.

“I know.” I nuzzled her neck, loving the way her pulse still sang with terror. “But you want me, too.”

I slid my hand between her legs, feeling the natural lubricant that differed from the water around us.

She tightened her grip around me and buried her face against my chest. “I hate you,” she repeated, her voice hoarse .

I kissed the top of her head as I slid two fingers into her, my thumb grazing upward to find her clit.

“I hate you,” she said for a third time, her pussy clenching around my fingers and demanding more. “I hate you. I hate you. I hate you.”

“Straddle me, Lily,” I whispered. “Show me how much you hate me.”

She shuddered, her hips shifting as she pressed herself against my hand. I hooked my fingers in a way that I knew would drive her mad, eliciting a choked sound from her throat.

My opposite hand went to her hair, fisting the strands and tilting her head back to expose her expressive face.

Tears tracked down her flushed cheeks, her lips parting on a strangled moan, her eyes glazed with hateful passion.

“Straddle me,” I repeated.

Her gaze narrowed, the words “fuck you” glittering in that look. But her body obeyed.

I pulled my hand out from between her legs as she slid over my lap, those slender thighs parting around me in glorious invitation.

Her nails dug into my shoulders as though she was afraid to fall backward into the pounding waterfall. Which only made me want to push her in exactly that direction.

I caught her wrists. “Let go of me.”

Her lower lip trembled as she forced herself to comply.

Then I guided her hands behind her back and bent her arms in a way that made it easy to clasp her opposite elbow. She was essentially crossing her arms, just backward and behind her back.

Her pupils were dilated with a mixture of terror and arousal, painting a beautiful sight before me.

“Don’t let go of your elbows,” I demanded, my palm going to her breastbone while I kept my other hand loose at my side.

Her pulse picked up again, her breaths coming in pants.

“Inhale,” I told her.

She did.

“Now exhale.”

She shivered but followed my command.

“Good. Inhale again.”

Her nipples tightened with my words, her chest moving to comply. Then I slowly pushed her backward.

She immediately tensed.

“Hold your breath, Lily. And close your eyes.”

Her fear perfumed the space between us as I guided her back into the waterfall. I only allowed it to run through her hair and along her closed eyes, careful not to let it touch her nose. She didn’t know how to properly exhale yet, and I didn’t want to spoil the moment with her truly choking.

My opposite hand remained close, ready to grab her if she flailed, but she remained perfectly arched on my lap, letting me control her every move.

“Fuck, you’re beautiful,” I whispered, in awe of her obedience. She didn’t realize what this meant, how this served as a balance of trust. But she would one day understand the gift between us, that delicate foundation that gave our relationship wings to fly with.

My palm slid upward to her throat, making her swallow, then around to her nape as I pulled her back to me.

She resembled a goddamn siren, her long blonde hair darkened with water, her eyes glittering with an intoxicating mix of arousal and fear-induced tears.

I kissed her, my need to possess her claiming my focus and driving my tongue into her mouth.

She bit me, angry and scared and silently begging for more.

I squeezed her neck in reprimand, my opposite arm wrapping around her to bring her impossibly closer.

“I’m going to fuck you, Lily,” I warned her, my tongue throbbing from her vicious little bite. “I’m going to fuck you right here. Right now. Because I can’t take another second of living without knowing what it feels like to be inside you.”

I wasn’t asking for permission.

But I also wanted her consent.

A conundrum that left me breathless as I waited for her to speak.

Her thick eyelashes parted to reveal an illustrious ocean of desire, her fear having melted into a smoldering pool of exquisite need.

“I hate you,” she said for the millionth time.

Then she pressed her slick cunt against my shaft.

“Do you want me to fuck that hate out of you?” I asked, my thumb grazing her pulse as I pushed up against her, the head of my cock finding her clit.

“Yes,” she whispered, her head falling backward in clear invitation.

“I want it to be you.” She wasn’t looking at me, her voice a rasp of sound that I barely heard over the flow of water behind her.

But as her beautiful eyes returned to mine, I saw the answer I needed before she even said the words.

“Fuck me, Cedric. Make me hate you a little less.”

“Or a little more,” I mused, kissing her before she had time to ponder what I meant.

Then I angled her hips to where I needed them.

And thrust upward, claiming what was always meant to be mine.