Page 139 of Kill for a Kiss

I should pull back. Tell her to wait.Focus. But then she whispers against my mouth. Her voice is barely a breath. “Please.”

I press two fingers to her lips. A quick signal for silence while I slip my mask back over my face. She nods, steady and trusting. I hold her from behind. She bends over a bit. I lift her leg up a little, her dress going with it.

Through my earpiece, Damon’s voice hums, repeating the plan. Stan checks in, casual and cocky. Kaye follows, crisp and calm. Their voices barely register. They’re background noise.

All that matters is Elle. She fits right in my arms. My hands are all over her, needing to anchor myself to her perfect body.

I fumble her dress up, sliding the lace aside. Slowly, she sinks her dripping pussy onto me. A quiet gasp leaves her lips. With a groan I barely hold back, I grasp her hips and hold us still for a second.

After a heartbeat, I move against her, fast and tight. She trembles through every frantic roll of her hips. I feel her clenching around me, taking every silent thrust I give her.

She’s greedy for it, rocking back with me. “Such a good girl,” I whisper, inaudible to the earpiece connected to her comms.

She sighs, shuddering all over. Her warmth flutters, sending shivers up my spine.

This is her first time walking into fire like this. Her first time stepping willingly back into this hell we both called home at one point. But right now, I know what she needs. She needs to feel me. To know I’m here. For her. Forever.

My thrusts are quick and brutal, but my lips and hands are gentle on her. She deserves more than a swift fuck in the dark. But if this is what she wants, I’ll give her anything and everything she asks for.

I feel her break first, her body clenching tight around me. I follow, breath locked in my chest, groaning low as I pull her closer.

The world doesn’t wait. The curtain shifts. The music drifts. The voices outside of this curtain are louder now. Damon’s voice cuts through the comms. “All stations ready. The event start soon.”

I steady Elle against me, smoothing her dress out. She’s still shaking a little. So I brush a kiss against her hair. “You with me?”

She nods. I fix my mask, securing it on me.

“Let’s finish this,” I whisper. We fix our clothes and slip from behind the curtain, sinking into the shadows of the empty upstairs hallways. Everyone’s below by now, waiting for the show to start.

We’re halfway to the east wing when Stan’s voice hisses through the comms. “So there’s a problem,” he says. “Clo got Lix. Think shefed him Kys.”

I stiffen. My hand tightens on Elle’s wrist before I force it to ease.

Damon answers fast. “Bring him to my study. Now.”

Stan’s breathless. “I’m trying to get him up, but—” He grunts.

Damon’s voice is colder now. “Get him to me.”

“I’m trying!” Stan snaps. “Feels like I’m dragging a corpse.”

My jaw locks. Stan and Lix are down. Damon’s distracted.

Kaye’s voice cuts in next, whispered and urgent. “Guys… Clo’sgone. I had her in sight, but she fucking vanished in like, a blink of an eye. No lie, that is some straight-up spooky shit.”

My gut twists. Each exit route in my mind slams shut, one by one. I move faster, pulling Elle closer. Her breathing’s stuttering fast. Her grip’s loosening on me. Her body’s slowing.

Then I catch sight of a vent close by, hidden behind a marble pillar. A faint hiss of air. A sudden dizzy spell. I blink, creasing my brows.

Elle stumbles against me, her fingers weakly clenching in my jacket.Goddamn it. I recognized it too late. The air’s laced. Pumped through the vents. We’ve been breathing it in. We’re being drugged. But I didn’t see it. I was too distracted. But I don’t blame Elle. I don’t regret stealing a moment behind the curtain with her. I don’t regret any moments I’ve stolen from her since I took her away from here.

If this is the end—if this is what does us in—I’m glad she was the last thing I had.

The last thing I see is her. Swaying against me. Mask slipping. Eyes wide. Beautiful when they were brown then. Still beautiful now as blue.

***

My head pounds like a spike’s been hammered straight through my skull. The world lurches sideways when I move. I catch glimpses through the haze—masks over faces, blue eyes, black suits. Theseare Clo’s puppets.