Page 52 of Thorns of Silence

My rasping breaths tumbled from my lips, and the throbbing between my legs intensified with every passing second. I was completely naked from the waist down while he was fully dressed, on his knees, his mouth inches from my pussy.

He lifted his eyes. “Have you thought about my proposition?” It was all I could think about, but I’d never admit it. Instead, I shook my head. “Maybe I can convince you,” he offered with a self-satisfied grin, but his eyes had become harder.Dangerous.

He didn’t wait for my response. Instead, he put his mouth on my clit and sucked. My toes curled, and I felt that same finger work its way into my pussy, stretching me.

I moaned, feeling the vibrations in my throat, and I brought my hand to my mouth, smothering whatever sound came out. The reaction earned me another finger and a long suck of my clit. I pushed my hand into his hair, gripping his strands as he laved me hungrily. My hips rocked against his face, desperate for release as my orgasm built in my belly.

He worked my clit like a champ while pumping his fingers into my pussy. I remembered how it felt to have his strong body pounding into me, and it was all I needed to push me over the edge. I bit into my palm as my walls convulsed around his fingers, my limbs shaking.

My fingers curled into his scalp, holding on to him like he was my life raft as the euphoria washed over me, more intense than ever before. I sagged into him, limp, while Dante’s mouth turned gentle but didn’t stop as he lapped up the wetness at my entrance. His eyes were closed as if he were savoring me, and I couldn’t look away from his expression.

I was trembling, a leaf with nowhere to fall. A leaf he’d vowed to safeguard, only to tear to shreds. My thundering heart slowly eased and his self-satisfied grin came into focus.

I wrenched my hand away from his hair and a myriad of insults rushed through my mind. I wished I could scream them all at him because I hated how my body reacted to him so quickly and easily when itneverreacted to any other man.

I blamed him for it.

Dante stood up, towering over me, then leaned close until there was less than an inch between our lips. He waited, for what I wasn’t sure.

All I knew was that I had gone too far. My chest quaked and my hand trembled with the realization of what I’d just let him do.

“We could be good together,” he signed. “So fucking good.”

His eyes held mine, something darker than the shadows slithering through them. Maybe he had his ghosts too, just like I had mine. Silence settled in the air, putting pressure on my lungs.

Trying to find my breath, I pushed at his sculpted chest.

“I’m not interested.So thank you. I got my itch scratched. You can go now.”

* * *

“You just got back home,” I signed, scolding my sister.

Reina had spent days with Amon in his apartment a few streets over, and now she was already going back to him. It terrified me how completely under his spell she was. It couldn’t end well.

The girls and I tried to convince her to stay home for a few days, but we were unsuccessful. She couldn’t wait to run back to Amon. I feared for my little sister’s mental state when Amon broke her heart.When, not if.The part of me that no longer believed in happily ever afters knew it was just a matter of time.

I sat on her bed, surrounded by pink. Even her attitude was pink, through and through. Perky, happy, hopelessly pink.

“Just be happy for me, Phoenix.”

I sighed. “I am, but this place is so boring without you.”

She shot me a disbelieving look. “With Raven in the house? And Isla? I doubt it.”

I rolled my eyes. “They’re not you.”

“I’m only a few streets over,” she stated calmly. “I’m going to be back. And once school starts, everything will be back to same old, same old.”

Somehow I didn’t believe her, but I let it go. “Just be careful,” I signed. “And for the love of God, sleep at least five nights per week at home. The sex can’t possibly be that good.”

Her cheeks turned pink, matching the pillow in my lap and just about everything else in the vicinity. I formed an L at my forehead, but all she did was laugh it off. “Don’t be jealous, Phoenix.”

“Of what, exactly?”

“My dashing sex god.” It’d be funny if only she didn’t have that dreamy look in her eyes.

I pretended to yawn. “Sis, you need glasses.” She flipped her middle finger and scratched her nose with it. Then both of us burst out laughing.