Page 43 of The Hollowed
“Alex?” Luci called for him.
He was at her side, just like he’d promised.
“What is it?” Alex asked, catching the unease in Luci’s expression. She was still half-dressed, but he forced his gaze to stay locked on her eyes instead of letting them drift lower.
“This doesn’t look normal to me,” she said, her voice full of confusion.
Reluctantly, Alex let his eyes follow to her side before he dropped to one knee and leaned in to inspect the wound more carefully. What he saw made no sense. The bleeding had stopped, and though the flesh remained raw and pink, it no longer looked fresh. It looked older, like it had been healing for weeks and not hours.
“Is the vaccine supposed to speed up the healing process?” he asked.
Luci shook her head and strands of damp hair stuck to her cheek. “No. I didn’t design it that way. It’s strange, I’ll keep an eye on it, but honestly, I can’t explain it.”
A soft laugh broke from Alex as he looked up at her. “Well, if you don’t have an explanation, I sure as hell don’t.” He finally felt some relief as his mouth curved into a smile. “I’m just glad you’re okay,” he said as he rose to his feet and cupped her face with both hands, his thumbs brushing against her skin. He reassured himself she was safe.
His voice dropped an octave lower when he confessed, “I don’t know what I would’ve done if I lost you.”
Luci covered his hands with her own and met his gaze. Over the years she had become his reason to keep going, and without her, he wouldn’t have had a reason to keep fighting, maybe even a reason to keep living.
Alex knew how desperate and obsessive it sounded, but he didn’t care because it was true.
“I’m not going anywhere,” she said.
From where Alex stood, towering half a foot above her he caught the subtle shift in her breathing, how her chest rose and fell too quickly, how her throat bobbed as she swallowed. The shower earlier had given him a boost of energy but this — hearing her voice tremble with conviction and feeling her pressed so close. It was as if she’d just breathed new life into him.
“I belong with you,” Luci whispered, leaning in until her breath brushed against his lips.
That was the moment his restraint shattered.
His hand slid to her waist, pulling her against him as his mouth finally claimed hers. This kiss was fire and famine all at once. He felt a starved man tasting the sweetest fruit after years of deprivation, and when Luci kissed him back, Alex knew that he could never be sated. No matter how many times he kissed her, no matter how many lifetimes they shared, he’d always want her more.
“Alex…” Luci’s voice spilled across his lips, followed by a needy whimper as she tilted her head just enough to expose her neck.
A low growl tore from his throat as both hands moved to grip the backs of her thighs. In one motion, he lifted her effortlessly. Her startled yelp only ignited something primal in him, making him stumble back a step before tightening his hold as he carried her toward the bedroom.
Every nerve in Alex’s body was lit, kept alive by the way her fingers tangled in his hair, how her lips bruised his. Her body molded against him like they’d been carved to fit together. For the first time in his life, Alex didn’t feel like he was just surviving. He felt like he was living, and he swore he’d spend every momentproving to her that she was worth waiting a lifetime for.
Alex’s grip on her never loosened as he kicked the bedroom door closed with his foot and gently lowered her onto the mattress. His body hovered over hers, like letting go or looking away for even a second might undo everything.
Her chest rose against his. Her lips parted as if she were about to speak, but she didn’t. Instead, she searched his face with wide dark eyes that made his heart beat faster than any fight he’d ever been in.
“Tell me,” he whispered as his forehead pressed against hers, “what do you want from me?” His voice trembled as though he wasn’t sure he deserved the answer.
Her hand cradled his jaw, and her thumbs brushed over his stubble. “You,” she whispered. “All of you. No more holding back.”
The sound that tore from Alex’s throat was half a groan, half a plea. Whatever remained of his restraint crumbled completely, and he kissed her again, slower this time, as though he wanted to etch the memory of her lips into his very bones. His hands shook as they traced her sides, not from hesitation but from the sheer desperation of wanting to give her everything she asked for.
“Then I’m yours,” he promised against her mouth, each word spoken like an oath that couldn’t be broken. “For as long as you want me Luci — I’m yours.”
Her answer didn’t come in words but in the way she pulled him down to her, closing the space between them with a hunger that told him she felt the same.
Luci’s fingers fumbled at the hem of his shirt, tugging impatiently as though the thin barrier of fabric was suddenly unbearable. Alex caught the tremor in her hands and without hesitation, reached down to pull the shirt over his head.
He watched as her breath hitched and her eyes roamed overthe scars that littered his broad chest. Before she could find her words, Alex leaned back down and captured her lips in another searing kiss before he trailed lower.
He moved slowly, pressing soft kisses along her jaw, down the curve of her throat, and across her collarbones. Each one felt like a vow spoken against her skin. When his mouth reached the edge of her bra, he paused only long enough to meet her eyes, silently asking if she wanted him to go further.
Luci’s answering nod was small, but it was all he needed. He continued, waiting for her to lean forward just enough so that he could slip his hand to her back and undo the clasp. The moment she threw it to the side, his lips brushed down the valley of her breasts, laying hot, messy kisses to each one and rolling his tongue along her hardened buds until he had her moaning and begging for more. Then, he went lower, worshiping every inch of her as though she were the only thing in this broken world worth a damn thing.