Page 136 of Blood Day

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 focusand 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.

Chapter 29

Lily

I screamed,the unexpected pain shredding through my mind and yanking me back into the moment.

A moment filled with danger.

Unadulterated terror.