Page 17 of Echoes of Nevermore

“You’re gorgeous, do you know that, Star?” he says, and I turn around, facing him. He isn’t wearing a shirt, and I can’t help it. I stare, wondering how anyone can look that good. My mouth goes dry, and my skin burns with anticipation as he stalks toward me. He’s pure man and predator, watching me, and on the brink of going in for the kill. I’m the prey, not scared at all, but thrilled to find out what he has in store for me.

“Did you hear me?” he continues his prowl, his eyes never straying from me.

“Mmmhmm.” I purr, betwixt reminding myself to breathe and trying to still my racing heart.

He only stops when he’s between my legs, cupping my knees loosely. “Then you were ignoring me?” His eyebrow arches as if he’s daring me to answer. I almost intentionally lie to him to see his reaction, but I shake my head instead. He trails his fingers from my knee and back to my crow tattoo, clutching my arm, and brings it to his mouth. His lips press lightly onto the crow, kissing my arm, and then he runs the pad of his thumb over the area. “Did you know a crow rarely travels alone, never straying too far without its flock?”

I silently nod, watching him. He looks up at me, his irises bursting with hope, and by the way he stares, it’s almost as if he expects me to say something. “I did,” I profess out loud for his benefit only. He lets out an exaggerated breath, bending at his waist, and kisses my cheek. His arm stretches behind him, finding the light switch, and then he turns off the light.

In the dark, he releases me, and I miss his touch instantly. I’m not ready for him to stop what he started, but I also don’t want to be over the top right now. He climbs over my legs, thumping his hand on the pillow a couple of times, before he settles into the sheets.

I roll on my side to face him, ruminating on the night, and a thought pops into my mind. “Corbin?”

“Hmm?” he mumbles, snaking his arm under my neck and pulling me close. His mouth finds mine, and I moan as soon as they connect. His kisses are gentle and brief as his tongue explores my mouth. He pulls back, resting his forehead on mine. I’m not as patient as him. I kiss him hard and desperately, arching my back to reach him better. I suck on his tongue and use every bit of strength I have to keep myself from moaning again. I can’t remember ever being this turned on from kissing someone. It’s like he knows where all of my buttons are and how to press them by just kissing me.

I catch his bottom lip with my teeth, and he groans using a deep, throaty tone.

“Star.” The way he says my name sounds like he’s in pain. I don’t think I bit him that hard, did I? “What did you want to tell me?”

“It’s not important.”

“Humor me?” he repeats the words I’ve heard him say before.

“Ok. Do you know what your name means in Latin?”

“Latin?” He says the short word with such power that I almost change my mind and tell him to kiss me instead.

“Yes.”

“No. What does it mean?”

“It’s funny. I thought you knew, since you called me crow.”

“I’m not following.”

“Corbin loosely translates to crow.”

“How do you know that?” I don’t answer because I don’t know. I don’t speak Latin. I barely speak English some days, so taking on another language is out of the question. My body stiffens and a feeling of déjà vu is suffocating. I repeat the words to myself, “Corbin loosely translates to crow...A crow rarely travels alone, never straying too far without its flock…” I shot upward, gripping the blanket, digging my nails into its surface, and I gasp.

“Corbin?” I say his name in a panic.

“What’s wrong?” he reaches for me.

“I remember.”