Page 168 of Dissection of Immortal Hearts

Mikhail’s fingers clenched her wrist. “Wait.”

She looked at him, hoping he wouldn’t take long. She didn’tknow what he’d prepared for her – an apology or yet another condescending judgement. She didn’t have the strength for either.

Mikhail’s brow furrowed. “You don’t understand. You and I… This doesn’t end well.”

“There’s no need to explain, Mikhail.”

He pulled her closer to him, bending her elbow. “Why are you here, Amelia?”

Her gaze followed their hands touching. “Can’t you accept that I simply wanted us to be two strangers sharing the night before a battle we might not survive?”

“The past will never let us be just two strangers.”

The reminder made her pulse race with irritation. She had promised herself she would never go back there. The last thing she wanted was toreturn, not tonight. “When will you stop living in the past, Mikhail?”

His jaw clenched, his fingers tightening around her hand. “I’m not living in it. It lives in me. It’s part of who I am.”

“Then I hope you have a long life together.” She pulled her wrist from his fingers, and he allowed it.

She turned her back, determined to leave once and for all. She was at the door when she sensed the air shifting behind her. One of Mikhail’s hands grasped her waist while the other pressed against the door above her head.

Her pulse quickened from the heat of his body, enveloping her in his rough embrace.

He bent down, his lips grazing her ear. “Never turn your back on me, Amelia. Not when you haven’t heard me out.”

60

Mikhail

Mikhail inhaled her distinctive scent, tinged with the rare fragrance of mirabelle. Never before had a woman’s aroma captivated him like this. His fingers weaved through her hair, and his other hand held her waist. If she was bold enough to challenge him, then he’d see it through to the end. This time, he would claim her.

“I can’t imagine a better way to spend the night either,” he whispered in her ear, tilting her head back with his fingers. “Regardless of the consequences.”

He slid his lips down her neck, tracing its curve, enjoying the quick rise and fall of her chest beneath his body.

“Then why didn’t you come to me?” she asked in a low, unsteady voice.

“Because I hate what flows from your fingertips. I hate the magic.”

He spun her around and pressed her against the door. Her blue eyes, clouded with white snowflakes, once again struck him with their beauty.

“And yet, lately, it’s hard to think of anything else except the burning desire to make you mine. Your magic. You.”

Amelia wanted to speak, but he didn’t allow her. He brushed his lips against hers and traced the upper edge, savouring their fullness. He’d often thought about her lips after that night at the restaurant. Or perhaps ever since the first time he’d seen her.

When he penetrated her mouth, the touch of her warm tongue sent a wave of pleasure through his entire body.

His hands found the hem of her blouse, slipping beneath the fabric before pulling it over her head. One piece after another, he stripped away the layers between them until her underwear joined the rest in a soft heap on the floor. Mikhail led her to the bed and pulled her into his lap, allowing his hand to wander across the smooth skin of her waist and stomach. He granted himself a few lingering seconds – to feel her, to remember her. The necklace hung around her neck, and for the first time, Mikhail didn’t see it as a magical object, but as an ornament that made the sight of her bare breasts even more breathtaking.

“Mikhail… You don’t plan on just staring at me all night, do you?”

He growled and leaned in, capturing the pink bud of her nipple between his lips. Amelia arched beneath him, her fingers tangling in his hair. The moan that slipped from her lips sent a sharp throb through his groin.

His hand slid lower, finding the sensitive bundle between her thighs.

His tongue met hers again, their kiss deep and unhurried – matching the steady rhythm of his fingers. She was hot and wet for him, and it took all his effort to remain seated. He longed to position her on her knees and elbows and claim her like an animal.

When she moaned into his mouth, he lost the little control he had left. His fingers dug into her smooth thighs as a final warning before he threw her onto the bed.