Page 45 of While He Breathes

“Go back to sleep, Little Flame,” I whisper, carefully hitching her leg up to give me the perfect view of her swollen pussy and the small plug in her ass.

I drag a finger through her folds and swallow down a groan at how wet she still is. She must be aching for me, and while the part of me that wants to give her the world begs to give her what she needs, the darker side of me, the one that became more and more prominent with each day she was away, wants to keep her denied. Maybe then she’ll know better than to leave me.

I shake off the thoughts of leaving her tied up and needy for days on end and get back to the task at hand, giving her clit a few soft circles before wrapping my fingers around the plug and tugging gently.

Ember groans as the soft silicone pulls free, and I quickly move to the bathroom to wash it and my hands.

It’s less than thirty seconds by the time I return with a damp cloth, and she hasn’t moved at all. Her breathing even as her body drags her back into slumber.

I clean away the lube from the toys and the arousal that gathers at the top of her thighs.

My poor, needy girl.

I throw the cloth onto the bedside table to deal with later and strip out of the sweatpants and T-shirt I found in my office after I stormed out earlier, before climbing into the bed behind her.

I pull her body until it’s flush with mine, her perky ass pressed to my aching cock.

Ember’s not the only one who was left aching earlier, but I haven’t been able to bring myself to take care of it.

The only place I plan on coming is inside, or on, my little flame.

I band one arm around her ribs, keeping her steady against me, and the other drops to her pussy, cupping it possessively.

She lets out a soft moan in her sleep at the contact. So fucking responsive to me.

Her hips shift against me, her body desperate for the release I didn’t give her earlier, but I’m not ready to end either of our torment just yet.

Instead, I reposition her against me and notch my cock at her entrance, surging up slowly until I’m full seated inside her.

I may not be able to fuck her the way I want to, but I won’t deprive either of us of the comfort of sleeping inside her warmth.

Ember lets out a sigh of contentment, and I can’t help but smile against her hair.

We have a lot to work out, but she’s back where she belongs.

In my arms and my bed, impaled on my cock.

The sunlight streams through the open window, and it takes me a few moments to realize the space beside me is empty and cold.

Dread rolls over me, and I shoot out of bed, my heart beating erratically in my chest.

Fuck.

She has to be here somewhere. There’s no way for her to get out unless she sets the place on fire, and I can’t smell any smoke.

I shove my legs into a pair of sweatpants before checking the bathroom.

A flashback of blood and Ember’s too-cold body fills my mind, almost knocking my legs out from under me before I blink past them and realize the room is empty.

I’m both relieved I’m not walking in on another scene like the one that haunts my nightmares and frustrated that she left the bed without telling me where she’s going.

Not that it’s one of her rules, but perhaps it should be.

I step out into the living room and find it empty and the television off.

Where the hell is she?

The kitchen turns up the same result, and my chest clenches with worry.