heart
thundered against my chest. His jaw tensed and his fingers curled
into the skin on my back, drawing the shirt into his fist. His lips
parted, but then he shook his head, as if there was a war going on
inside of him.
He let out a breath and gripped my arm tighter.
“Dammit, Franki,” he said. “I don’t want to
feel this way about you. I wish I could stand here and tell you that
was all you meant to me. I wish I could say you are nothing more than
an employee.”
Thunder boomed in the distance and a car passed
beside us, the lights landing on the tortured expression of his face.
“I want you, but I can’t afford to
take sides. I’m supposed to be the neutral party, providing a
place for those on both sides to come and talk things out and make
deals. I don’t take sides,” he said. “I can’t
take sides.”
He released me, both hands coming completely off
my body as he stepped away and turned his back to me.
I wrapped my arms around myself, feeling that this
was the end. This is where the awful truth would come out. I would
not let it break me.
“I can protect my employees against most of
the evil that’s out there, but with the Devil, things are
different,” he said. “I can’t explain it to you
now, but choosing you over him would mean choosing sides. It would
mean getting involved in a war I’ve worked hard to stay out
of.”
He ran a shaking hand through his hair and leaned
forward against the tree. He stood there for a long moment, his body
as still and rigid as a statue.
Then, he turned back to me, his eyes finding mine
even in the darkness of the night.
He shook his head again, then walked with sure
steps to me.
My hands dropped to my side, and I looked up as he
took my face in his hands.
“Fuck it,” he said. “You’re
worth it.”
He claimed my mouth with his, tasting of rain and
licorice. His kisses were rough and unrelenting and as my lips opened
to him, he moved his hands down my neck and arms and around to my
back. He gripped my shirt in his hands and pulled me to him with such
force, it took my breath away.
I yielded to him, my heart split wide open by the
passion in his touch.
“Invite me in,” he said, finally
pulling away. His words were tortured, as if he couldn’t bear
taking the moments from my lips to speak them. “Unless you want
me to do this in front of all your neighbors.”
I nodded, my arms circling around his neck and my
body heating at the thought of what he meant by this .
“Say it,” he said, his forehead
pressed against mine. “I need you to say it. I need to know you
want this as much as I do.”
“Take me inside,” I said, barely able
to recognize my own voice.
He lifted me into his arms and carried me up the
stairs into my building. He took the steps two at a time, all the way
to the third floor, finding my door without ever taking his eyes from
my face.
I had left the door unlocked. He threw it open and
carried me across the threshold, then kicked it closed.
He kissed me again as soon as we were inside, the
sound of his moans making me yearn for his hands on my body. The room
was quiet after being out in the storm. The only sounds were our
heavy breaths and the pounding of our hearts.
He set my feet on the floor, but didn’t take
his hands from my body. They moved to my hips, pulling me tighter
against him. He pushed me backward until my back hit the edge of the
kitchen table.
“You are so beautiful,” he said. His
voice was rough and filled with longing. “I have wanted you
from the moment I saw you beating up those vampires in the alley.”
My skin was freezing from the rain and every time
his hand brushed against the skin underneath the shirt, I trembled
with fear and desire. The thought of his hands exploring every inch
of my bare skin sent waves of longing through me, warmth growing
between my thighs.
Impatient, I reached for the zipper on his
sweatshirt, pulling it down and pushing it from his shoulders.
Underneath he was
thundered against my chest. His jaw tensed and his fingers curled
into the skin on my back, drawing the shirt into his fist. His lips
parted, but then he shook his head, as if there was a war going on
inside of him.
He let out a breath and gripped my arm tighter.
“Dammit, Franki,” he said. “I don’t want to
feel this way about you. I wish I could stand here and tell you that
was all you meant to me. I wish I could say you are nothing more than
an employee.”
Thunder boomed in the distance and a car passed
beside us, the lights landing on the tortured expression of his face.
“I want you, but I can’t afford to
take sides. I’m supposed to be the neutral party, providing a
place for those on both sides to come and talk things out and make
deals. I don’t take sides,” he said. “I can’t
take sides.”
He released me, both hands coming completely off
my body as he stepped away and turned his back to me.
I wrapped my arms around myself, feeling that this
was the end. This is where the awful truth would come out. I would
not let it break me.
“I can protect my employees against most of
the evil that’s out there, but with the Devil, things are
different,” he said. “I can’t explain it to you
now, but choosing you over him would mean choosing sides. It would
mean getting involved in a war I’ve worked hard to stay out
of.”
He ran a shaking hand through his hair and leaned
forward against the tree. He stood there for a long moment, his body
as still and rigid as a statue.
Then, he turned back to me, his eyes finding mine
even in the darkness of the night.
He shook his head again, then walked with sure
steps to me.
My hands dropped to my side, and I looked up as he
took my face in his hands.
“Fuck it,” he said. “You’re
worth it.”
He claimed my mouth with his, tasting of rain and
licorice. His kisses were rough and unrelenting and as my lips opened
to him, he moved his hands down my neck and arms and around to my
back. He gripped my shirt in his hands and pulled me to him with such
force, it took my breath away.
I yielded to him, my heart split wide open by the
passion in his touch.
“Invite me in,” he said, finally
pulling away. His words were tortured, as if he couldn’t bear
taking the moments from my lips to speak them. “Unless you want
me to do this in front of all your neighbors.”
I nodded, my arms circling around his neck and my
body heating at the thought of what he meant by this .
“Say it,” he said, his forehead
pressed against mine. “I need you to say it. I need to know you
want this as much as I do.”
“Take me inside,” I said, barely able
to recognize my own voice.
He lifted me into his arms and carried me up the
stairs into my building. He took the steps two at a time, all the way
to the third floor, finding my door without ever taking his eyes from
my face.
I had left the door unlocked. He threw it open and
carried me across the threshold, then kicked it closed.
He kissed me again as soon as we were inside, the
sound of his moans making me yearn for his hands on my body. The room
was quiet after being out in the storm. The only sounds were our
heavy breaths and the pounding of our hearts.
He set my feet on the floor, but didn’t take
his hands from my body. They moved to my hips, pulling me tighter
against him. He pushed me backward until my back hit the edge of the
kitchen table.
“You are so beautiful,” he said. His
voice was rough and filled with longing. “I have wanted you
from the moment I saw you beating up those vampires in the alley.”
My skin was freezing from the rain and every time
his hand brushed against the skin underneath the shirt, I trembled
with fear and desire. The thought of his hands exploring every inch
of my bare skin sent waves of longing through me, warmth growing
between my thighs.
Impatient, I reached for the zipper on his
sweatshirt, pulling it down and pushing it from his shoulders.
Underneath he was
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