Chapter 26
I should be excited about the next chapter in my life. Another chapter was starting, though. Only it was one I hadn’t anticipated.
Instead of having the night I should be having, I was in the arms of a criminal. My life was at stake.
If anyone had told me that night when I was shuffling through the list of the men offering me various sums of money for my virginity that I’d be in Paris, spending the night in the bed and in the arms of a billionaire who had more private jets than the number of fingers on both my hands, I would’ve told them they were nuts.
But the very idea of it would’ve melted my panties off. I’d never have been able to predict what’d wound up transpiring. I guess the moral of the story was,
Be Careful What You Wish For.
I was exhausted in mind and body. I had somehow gone from trembling to completely still against him. He was muscular, strong, and holding me like I was something precious. What a contradiction!
His hand occasionally moved either up or down my back and every once in a while I’d feel his lips or fingers moving in my hair. A whimper involuntarily escaped my lips and then he was pulling my leg up to wrap it around him. I was pretty much totally on top of him, trying hard to ignore the e******n poking me against my inner thigh. I tried to ignore the fact that it was scaring the heck out of me.
I worried that the longer I lay here awake the more likely he would do something s****l so I decided I should try to sleep. I just wanted this day to be over.
I had no idea what tomorrow would bring but today had kicked me upside the head and it needed to be done. I cried softly, tears dropping onto his naked chest. He just stroked my head and my back as if he was the solution, not the problem.
Then he took my right hand and held it against his chest over his heart, not letting go. His left hand was moving up and down my back. My left hand was at my side, clenched into a fist.
I don’t know how long I laid there crying on him, lying in a puddle of tears on his chest, while he stroked my hair and my back and rhythmically stroked my fingers with his thumb on his chest against his loudly beating heart but eventually I felt my eyes droop.
This beast was comforting me by holding me and stroking me and somehow it was working. I guessed it was working because it had to work.
My fist loosened and my breathing started to even out. I had to act like I had no problem lying with my body on his or else he’d take me against my will. Or maybe I just shut down out of being totally, completely, devastatingly overwhelmed.
Azriel’s POV
She felt so f*****g good in my arms. I was a ‘wham, bam, f**k off, ma’am’ kind of guy.Property © of NôvelDrama.Org.
Not one to spoon a chick after I f****d her, not one to snuggle up with. Not ever. I’d always just left after s*x, never prescribed to the whole ‘aftercare’ bit after a scene.
Why did this feel so good, so right? Why did I make this deal with her tonight?
The answer in my head was crystal clear. Because she was mine.
I hadn’t even f****d her yet but she was already mine; I knew it in my core that it was my job to look after her so that’s what I wanted to do. Right now, holding her, her sleeping on me, felt so f*****g right. I was jumping ahead to a result I wanted but that I wasn’t patient enough to wait to earn.
I was surprised at myself, my actions. Earlier today I couldn’t wait to f**k her. Couldn’t wait to tear those panties down and plunge into her, holding her by the hair while I showed her who she belonged to.
When she got mouthy with me I wanted to haul her over my knee and spank her until she begged for mercy. Now, I just wanted to comfort her. I wanted that even though I knew being here with me was the source of her tears.
Her life had shattered into a million pieces by me, a bastard who could go to any extent to get what he wanted.
Right now I just wanted her to stop trembling and fall asleep in my arms. I wanted those stress lines off her pretty face.
I felt a warm tingling in me as I heard her breathing even out. A while later I touched her cheek and when I did, she, obviously asleep, nuzzled into me, like she did want to be there. I let out a long breath and closed my eyes.
Claire’s POV
Sensation woke me. Sensation between my legs. What was happening? I opened my eyes. I was in the insanely attractive Greek-God like male, Azriel Clarke’s bed, on my back. It was bright in the room. Daylight.
Then it hit me that he was nestled between my legs, with his mouth on me down there.
Holy crap.
I felt my entire body go tense. I couldn’t see him. He was under the blankets. But he had my h**s in his hands and his tongue was flicking down there, on my clit. f**k!
My panties were sliding down, down, down, and off. No one had ever done this to me. I’d never even let a man touch me before….. because of my stupid plan.