Of Blood and Smoke

Chapter 26

TWENTY-SIX

Della

It’d been a week since I last saw Josiah and I missed him. We’d settled into a sort of relationship, though he’d never given it a label. I’d gotten used to having him around and enjoyed his company and the little things that made him, him. Things like his fingers tapping when he was deep in thought, running his hand through his hair when he was agitated, an obsession with flowers, and a dislike of squirrels.

I’d taken to wearing my hair up frequently, as he seemed to prefer. He’d pay extra attention to my neck and massage it whenever I did so. Who didn’t love a massage? Not that he needed an excuse to touch me.

We’d engaged in multiple make-out sessions on the couch, but I still hadn’t managed to get him in my bed, much to my disappointment. No clue what he was waiting for but pretty soon I’d jump him and leave him with no choice.

Micha took over command of the office and the launch of their new drug, Onychinus. He had me proofreading the advertising copy—that had already been verified by the advertising department, and filtering through press inquiries that Christina didn’t have time for. It was busy. Every day was a whirlwind of emails, PDFs, file uploads and downloads.

Christina constantly sent me the wrong files, or emails without the needed attachments and when I’d approached her, she’d reiterate how “busy” she was. I tried a work-around by replying to the senders, telling them to email me directly, but the filtration system still sent them straight to her. So, it was another waste of my time in addition to all the other shit she tossed my way.

Her sabotage was too obvious for me to overlook. When I complained to Micha, he informed me that I was getting my work done regardless, and he soundly dismissed my concerns.

I didn’t like being a snitch, but I was stressed out and I knew how important a successful launch was for the new product.

I was pouring out my heart to Ashley about all of this when she interrupted me. “I know office politics are cray cray here, but I have to ask.” She took a long sip of her coffee. “What’d you do to Brett?”

We were in the employee lounge, which was more vacant than usual. “What do you mean? I haven’t heard from him.”

She tapped the screen of her phone absently. “I mean, he’s hardly around anymore. He said something about you making, what did he say? ‘Poor life choices’ and now he’s not even answering his phone. Andy’s been trying to reach him; he needs an oil change.”

Brett was handy with cars and worked side jobs doing repairs and other things, besides his illegal activities “Oh my god. He’s still mad Josiah sent a moving crew.”

“What? You didn’t tell me that.” Ashley eyed me suspiciously. “Are you two officially an item?”

Were we? I didn’t think so, but it was hard to tell. Josiah was possessive but he’d never officially labeled it to make me believe we were an item. Other than the whole “you’re mine” thing that I wasn’t going to bring up right now.

All I had to do was look at my parents. My dad sure thought his wife was his wife and look what happened—she had a whole other life. Not having a label gave me some control because then if everything went downhill, I could remind myself we weren’t a thing and move on easier. “Not that I’m aware of.”

“Sounds like a lot of effort if there wasn’t anything there,” she remarked.

I stirred my coffee with a little wooden stick I’d grabbed when I ordered. “Well don’t forget he’s a gazillionaire. What seems like a lot to us is nothing to him.”

Ashley nodded. “Good point. Anyway, how’s dad?”

My three times a week schedule of visiting my father had been downgraded to once this week with my overtime and last minute Onychinus prep ruling my life. “He’s the same, I hate it. Melinda’s been taking good care of him; such good care the home actually hired her.” I laughed. “She’s thrilled.”

Her eyebrows raised. “Wow, that’s awesome.”

“I know, right?” I polished off the rest of my beverage and broke the wooden stick, dropping the pieces into the sludge at the bottom of the cup. “At this rate I won’t get to see him again until next week.”

Ashley frowned. “I should go with you one of these times, I miss him too.”

“That’d be great. I’m sure he’d love that. If he can sense you being there, on some level. I have to believe he knows I’m there.”

“Does your mom know he’s in a rehab?”

I bit my lip. “I don’t talk to her at all. When she left him, she left me, too. We don’t even know where she is, now.” She’d made one halfhearted attempt to keep in touch years after she deserted us. She’d disappeared off the face of the earth like she’d never had a husband and kid and then immediately replaced us. I’d always been a daddy’s girl, anyway. To me, it wasn’t a big deal.

“That sucks ass.”

We stood up. “It does. I’m going back. I’ll text you if I murder Christina or Micha,” I laughed. “I’ll need an alibi.”

“Got your back,” Ashley declared, waving her hand over her head and striding away.

It was a massive relief to come home to my new place every day. I felt safe, I had more room, and when I straightened the place it up—it felt clean. The old apartment remained dirty, somehow, no matter how hard I worked at it.

Even the staff manning the lobby were friendly. Gone was the grumpy old man chewing tobacco and spitting it out everywhere while pushing an empty mop bucket up and down the hallway all hours of the day and night and cleaning absolutely nothing. The whole building was immaculate compared to my old place.

I punched my key code in at my door and pushed it open, kicking my shoes off and shoving them to the side the second I stepped through.

My purse went on the kitchen counter, and I opened my refrigerator to grab a string cheese stick. I closed the door and turned around.

“Holy fuck!” I yelled, pressing my hand to my chest. Josiah was standing right there, in a space that had been empty two seconds before. “Are you trying to kill me? How’d you get in here? Never mind, don’t answer that.”

I was positive he’d give me some stupid line about how smart he was or something, to figure out my pin code. “What are you doing here?”

For a moment, he almost looked hurt. “I wanted to see you.”

“There’s these things called cell phones; I know you have one. Maybe use it?” As annoyed as I was, I wanted to go to him. I wanted to hug him or rest my head against him. Exhaustion overwhelmed me and nothing sounded better than just being held by him.

“I see you're keeping with the whole home invader theme.”

His lips separated slightly with the beginning of a smile. “I don’t think you mind nearly as much as you're pretending.”

“I do mind an early death,” I retorted, giving him a pointed look. My heart was still pounding over his sudden appearance.

Josiah moved forward and clasped my hips. “That will never happen to you, not as long as I’m around.”

He pulled me flush with his body and just like I wanted, I rested my head against his chest. Breathing in his scent, I got comfortable and closed my eyes. I could’ve fallen asleep right then, when he began circling his thumbs against my side.

“I have something I must discuss with you,” he began, and my mind instantly went toward worst-case scenarios, forcing me to hold my breath.

He tilted my chin up, giving me a steady glimpse into his onyx eyes. I fully expected him to tell me I was fired, or my hours were being cut. Visions of my father and I being homeless began to fill my mind. Bad news had been much too frequent in my life than to expect otherwise.

“I don’t think I want to hear this.” I was too tired and stressed from the week to deal with anything and just wanted to curl up on the couch and mindlessly scroll social media.

“Come, sit,” he directed me, taking my hand and leading me to the living room.

Once we were seated, he stroked his chin and stared. He was deep in thought, and I grabbed the television remote intent on distracting myself.

I didn’t get the chance to turn it on because he snatched it from my grasp and tossed it to the side. “You’re going to move in with me,” he stated.

I barked out a short laugh. “Yeah, right.”

“I told you you’re mine and I wouldn’t joke about that.”

He was serious. I was stunned and my mouth moved but no words came out at first. “Wait... I don’t know what you mean,” I protested. “I don’t think I’m ready for that, to move in with you. And I like my apartment. You just helped me move in here, too, so how...?” I let my question trail off.

Josiah leaned back and crossed his legs, his posture at ease as if he didn’t just tilt my world off its axis with his crazy talk. “I did, and I will continue to take care of you. In fact, it will be easier.”

“You can’t just go around telling people what they’re going to do. As a matter of fact, I didn’t ask you to come here, you just broke into my house. That’s not ‘taking care’ of anyone, that’s running them over.”

Didn’t he know there was an order of steps for something as serious as moving in together? There was no way I’d be able to pay my half of a billionaire’s rent.

He gave me a soft smile. “As a matter of fact—that’s my job. You don’t have to verbally invite me, that’s a myth, and I don’t hear you complaining. I distinctly recall you asked for more.”

He was fighting dirty, and I was suddenly very aware he maintained perfect clarity of his effect on me. I did want more; I wanted a lot more from him. My skin began to feel warm and the more the heat rose, the more his eyes glittered. It almost looked as if part of his eyes moved . And I didn’t mean his eyelids like if he’d blinked, but the color of his eyes seemed to change... or do... something. Holding my breath, I shook my head. Everything was really too much lately.

Staring at him, I took in the sight. He was perfectly relaxed, almost too relaxed. He met my gaze, and a mixture of contentment, desire, and something like peace looked back at me. It was odd how he remained so still, almost as if he didn’t breathe for long moments.

And his eyes. I hadn’t really questioned it before, but I’d never seen anything like them and I’d just sort of accepted that black irises, nearly indiscernible from the pupils, weren’t that unusual. The longer I stared, the more other they became. Why did I think black irises were normal, again?

Suddenly, my heart slammed into my ribs, my internal system began yelling abort , abort and all at once I realized I was in the presence of an apex predator. Scrambling up from the couch, I went to make a run for it. How had I not seen it before? I hadn’t placed one foot in front of the other before an arm wrapped around my midsection and slammed me against a wall of steel. “Where do you think you’re going, Little One?”

Blind panic overtook me, and I pushed and shoved against Josiah, but he didn’t relent. He waited until I tired myself out and then turned me to face him, keeping a firm grip and holding me in place. “So, you’ll let me eat your pussy,” he whispered, his voice low. “But when I want something more, suddenly you’re scared of me?”

In a moment of clarity, it occurred to me that the man who stood before me, holding me and speaking softly despite the warning in his tone, was very much not human. I somehow knew that he was responsible for keeping me frozen to my bed all those weeks ago even if I didn’t understand the mechanism behind it. I did not have a sleep disorder as he’d so easily implied.

None of it made any sense and my brain railed against the sheer absurdity of imagining such a thing to be so, that anyone or anything should have the unnatural capabilities of my boss.

With a startling burst of adrenaline, I started fighting him all over again. It was all too clear he let me go willingly when I easily escaped his grasp. He could’ve stopped me in the blink of an eye.

I ran for the door, catching my foot on the edge of the sofa and nearly tumbling to the ground. Bracing myself on an end table, I flung a glance at him, and he was as stoic as ever, just casually watching me as if I were a deer grazing at the edge of the forest.

My front entry wasn’t that far away, and I scrambled for it, somehow having the foresight to snatch up my purse. He lifted his arm for a moment, pointing at me, but I didn’t stop. I grabbed the door latch, and nothing happened.

The handle moved up and down just like it was supposed to, I could hear the click of the lock, but the door remained firmly shut. Josiah slowly stalked toward me, irritation marring his beautiful features.

“Stay away from me you undead douchebag,” I snarled at him. “What the fuck?” I wasn’t one to curse that often but ever since he’d entered my life, my vocabulary had become quite diverse and now the stupid door of my brand-new apartment wouldn’t open.

“’Undead’? I’ve never died,” he stated. “Stop hitting me, you’re going to hurt yourself.”

Tears were streaming down my face, and I wiped them away once he let go. Suddenly, I felt like an absolute moron. Josiah had never hurt me; in fact, he’d done the opposite, and I’d just freaked out like a psycho. He was right when he’d said he didn’t need an invitation, I’d wanted him here, I’d wanted his touch. How many times had I let him have his way with me short of having full-on sex?

None of that changed the fact that something was very wrong with him. There had to be a reason why I’d started thinking of him as an evil spirit in my head. Maybe he was possessed? Everyone’s heard of celebrities and billionaires making deals with Satan. Anyone who’d ever been on social media, at least, had heard the insane conspiracy theories.

He led me back to the couch and it felt like I was trying to walk underwater, every step a struggle while my head felt like a balloon. I was both scared he’d explain himself and scared he wouldn’t. There was no acceptable explanation, no reasoning that I’d be able to understand, and I’d have to try and convince myself of what up until ten minutes ago had been an impossibility.

Despite all that, I didn’t want him to go away even if I’d just yelled at him. What I really wanted was for all the extra stuff to go away—the strange behavior, the sudden uncomfortable changes to my life, the unease. I wanted order in my life.

The Josiah that I’d catch in unguarded moments, the Josiah that set my soul on fire, that was the one I wanted. The one who’d cuddled with me on the couch for hours and hours, was welcome.

If I was completely honest with myself, I was sincerely hoping he’d have some other explanation for the oddities other than revealing he was a zombie or an alien, or a ghoul.

Please don’t be an evil spirit.

He helped me sit down and I took a few measured breaths.

There’s no way he’s going to say he’s not human; no one’s that crazy.

“You’re not gonna say you’re an alien, are you? Please don’t be a creep.”

He laughed. “There’s no such thing as aliens, no such thing as little green men in spaceships.”

I gave him a dirty look. “That’s not what I meant.”

He squatted down in front of me. “I’m not human, that is correct. I contain a minor amount of human DNA, but I’m not from here.”

My anxious thoughts tried to distract me. “ She doesn’t even go here” echoed in my brain . “Then what do you think you are?”

He licked his lip and reached for my hand, running his thumb over my knuckles. His fingers were warm and soothing, his touch comforting. “I’m considered a crossbreed. My father is a demon, and my mother a vampire.”

I choked on a laugh, making a sound almost like a dog. “Stop it, I’m not an idiot.”

“You know I’m not human. You’re trying to lie to yourself, but I know you know. You can feel it.” He trailed a finger along my hairline before tracing a path to a spot between my eyebrows. When he paused, I looked up and met his gaze. He watched me with a little gleam in his eye and pulled his finger away. When I glanced up, there was a faint iridescent sheen in the air, like a tendril of smoke from a snuffed candle. The mist hung lightly in the air, shimmering in soft shades of yellow and peach.

“What is that?” I asked softly, quickly looking at him again before raising my hand. The sparkle moved gently, following my fingers as I waved them back and forth. It was magical and mystical, and incredibly beautiful.

Josiah swooped his hand, and the glitter disappeared, forcing me to gasp. “That’s your aura,” he said.

“My aura?”

“Yes. It represents you and your emotions, your chemistry. Everyone has a unique aura.”

“Where’d it go? How’d you do that?” Swiveling my head, I searched but couldn’t see it anywhere anymore.

“It's still there, you just can’t see it. I cleared your natural filters for a moment so you could and then I allowed your innate guard to fall back into place.” He lifted himself and sat next to me on the sofa.

It was futile to even begin to attempt a coherent thought; I couldn’t do it no matter how hard I tried. Josiah had just done some kind of magic on me, and I just sat there and didn’t freak out. I knew I was supposed to, but I didn’t. Was this what shock felt like? “What else can you do? Are you a witch?”

“I told you what my parents are. I’m a crossbreed.”

“That means you think you're a vampire and a demon,” I stated, not expecting an answer. The odd, seemingly eccentric things he’d said occasionally began to make sense to me. The things about invitations, for example. There’d been others, but my mind was spinning.

“That means that not only will your blood nourish me, but your soul does as well.”

He tugged me onto his lap, so I was straddling his legs. I didn’t stop him. A sense of wonderment ran through me as I trailed my fingers over his face. He watched me while I traced his cheekbones and felt his skin. He felt soft and warm, and there was nothing to fear in his gaze, not when he returned my gaze so lovingly. He wasn’t cold or soulless, the two things I’d associated with vampires and demons.

I’d been terrified of him for a moment, and then all the fear had washed away. Had I really planned on running? My cheeks burned. I had; I had tried to run away from this, from him, from the man who’d been filling my thoughts for months now. Did it really matter if he thought he was some supernatural creature?

“You’re assuming I’ll feed you my blood.” What he was telling me was so fantastical it defied reason. I wanted to believe him; he seemed so sincere. It was obvious he believed it, himself.

His smile sent a shiver down my spine. “I’m doing no such thing. I know you will.”

He moved his hands to my waist, one of his rings dragging against the space between my pants and the hem of my shirt, and he pulled me closer. One of his glassy fingernails grazed the flesh of my neck, tracing a path up and down the column.

I relaxed into him, letting him soothe me. I was familiar with the legend of vampires being able to bend others to their will, but I knew that wasn’t what was happening here. I wanted to be bent to his will. I wanted someone else to be in control for once and if it was Josiah, all the better. I knew if anyone other than this man had said these things to me, I’d be gone already, straight out my front door. Even though the future with him was uncertain, I knew I was exactly where I was supposed to be, and I’d let him seduce me in a heartbeat.

“Where do you want me to bite you?” he asked, his voice low and smooth. “Here?”

First, I felt his lips gently skimming the soft skin behind my ear. Then, he asked again, his warm breath sending goosebumps scattering across my collarbone. “Or here?”

Trailing his tongue up, he stopped along the side of my neck, and I felt the delicate sharp prick of two teeth. “Tell me where to taste you,” he murmured.

I squirmed against his mouth and against his lap, his cock hardening beneath the soft material of his dress pants and pressing between my thighs. I’d angled myself for friction before I’d known what I’d done, automatically seeking him.

“The next time you bleed, I’m drinking you,” he told me, his tone leaving no room for argument. I knew what he was referring to and the taboo idea sent a flash of heat through my core, the idea not as unappealing as I would have thought.

“You... you won’t drain me, will you?” I managed to ask after a moan. Rubbing myself shamelessly against him, I fumbled with the buttons of his shirt with one hand while trying to loosen his tie with the other. With a start, I realized I almost didn’t care at this point if I died in his arms, as long has he relieved the pressure between my legs, and only if it were by his hands. It was fine if this man thought he was a creature of the night, as long as he got me off.

He smashed his lips against mine and thrust his tongue into my mouth, obliterating all other thoughts beside the feel of him, the taste of him. Somehow, I got his shirt off his shoulders and finally my hands were on him. His skin felt like satin and while I didn’t open my eyes, my touch let me know he was built like a god.

Every sweep of his tongue sent another dart of longing coursing through me, adding more weight to the heaviness burdening my core. “Josiah, please,” I begged him.

He flipped us around, tossing me onto my back, and he pulled his shirt from his arms. My eyelids fluttered open, and I took him in. His hair hung forward, thick and silky, highlighting the severe planes of his face.

I’d never seen him quite this free before, not without the mask he wore in public, not even in our private moments. He looked raw and beautiful, but wild. His sleek muscles were carved marble, the glossy strands of his hair unkept and begging me to grab a handful.

His eyes were frenzied with desire, their irises liquid smoke. I watched his lips separate, revealing a duo of gleaming canine teeth, their points impossibly thin and razor sharp. My heart slammed into my ribs as a combination of adrenaline and lust rushed through my veins. He’s going to bite me .

He slid the belt from his pants and dropped it on the floor, the buckle hitting the leg of my coffee table on its way down. He bent toward me and grasped the waist of my stretchy jeans, not bothering with the button or zipper, and ripped them off me. His chest rose and fell while his gaze traced my curves, ending at my panties. Dragging a fingernail starting from the satin band and along the silk, I heard them tear, and then they were gone.

I didn’t notice when he removed his own pants but next thing I knew, he’d lifted himself over me and was showering me with kisses. I pushed him back for a second, wanting another look at his eyes but my gaze snared on his cock.

He wound his arm down, lining himself up with my entrance. “I don’t think... Um, how...”

“You can take me,” he rasped in my ear. “You were made for me.”

His crown parted my lower lips, and I held my breath, squeezing my eyes shut as he half-inched forward. The pressure burned as he slowly pushed ahead, resting on one elbow, his hand guiding the length inside me. He kept his mouth sealed to mine, licking, nipping, and tasting me as if he wanted to eat me alive.

He’d been careful not to puncture me with his teeth but as he continued, he let go of any reluctance he may have had and gently pierced my bottom lip. A coppery flavor mingled between us as a deep, low growl vibrated from his chest and he suddenly shoved himself deep. My back arched off the couch before he switched his bite to my chest, dragging the sharp points around a nipple.

Josiah pumped his hips slowly, pulling out until the ridged head of his cock teased my clit and then sliding back inside. “You take me so well, Little One,” he said, “look how wet you are for my cock.”

He groaned as he increased his pace, dragging his length nearly all the way out with each stroke so I felt every vein, every bump. I clung to him, my mind so clouded with pleasure the tiny darts of pain were chased away.

As my body adjusted to his size I tried to meet him thrust for thrust, lifting my hips. He slung his arm underneath me and lifted me, squeezing our chests together, the new angle hitting spots so deep they’d never been touched before. On the verge of an orgasm, I breathlessly pleaded his name and was answered with a bruising kiss.

Josiah suddenly sat up on his knees, keeping our bodies connected. “This will hurt for merely a moment.” He swept my hair back from my shoulder. “Before I take your pain away.”

“What do you mean?” I asked when I found my voice.

Lightly, he trailed his lips up and down my neck, sending goosebumps across my flesh. I could feel the heat of his mouth as I swiveled my hips, trying to work myself to completion. Nearly blinded by my own arousal I circled his neck with my arms and nuzzled the side of his head, breathing in his scent and committing it to memory.

“You’re such a good girl,” he murmured right before he plunged his canines into my neck.

It felt like I’d been struck by lightning, the pain was so intense. His nails dug into my back as he crushed me against him. He clung to me like I was the only thing keeping him alive, as if I were the very oxygen in his lungs. My scream was lost beneath his growl, the sound reverberating through my apartment. White-hot heat coursed through me while his velvet tongue lapped at my skin, erasing the agony.

He fisted my hair, keeping my head bent and pulled his cock out before slamming it back inside me to begin a rhythmic dance where his suckles matched his thrusts. Soon, the sting of his bite transformed into an ecstasy that coursed through me, sending tingles of bliss sliding through my veins.

“Josiah... Josiah,” I begged him, desperate for release. My toes curled and I wiggled against him, needing him to send me over that edge. I was so close, so close to coming, my eyes were watering, the exhilaration of being in his arms almost too much to bear.

At that moment, I didn’t care if he murdered me, if he drank too much. There was no other way I’d rather meet my demise than to be impaled on his body and held in his arms.

“Fuck,” I pleaded with him. “ Please ...”

“Anything you want, my love,” he rasped against my neck, pulling away before sliding his teeth back in.

His fingers slid down between my legs, slipping through my wetness and softly circling my clit. With the barest of touches, he feathered them exactly where I wanted and every muscle in my body stretched taunt before suddenly, I was free-falling, my vision pitching black, as I exploded into a million tiny stars.

The sense of utter satisfaction that covered me as I came back down was nothing I’d ever experienced before. I’d always been left wanting, desiring the oneness that was as elusive as the blood and smoke I’d never known I’d needed. Here, in this man’s arms, I’d found it.

Breathlessly, Josiah leaned back, his hands firmly clasping my shoulders. His hooded gaze searched me with eyes full of dark fire. “You’ve never looked more beautiful than you do right now, dripping with nectar and full of my cum,” he rumbled.

He wrapped his hand around me, careful not to touch the dual puncture wounds until he swept his thumb through the mess. He pulled his finger back and slowly licked it clean, not breaking eye contact.

I hadn’t noticed until now, but his chest was stained red. My sweat and blood, and his depravation, painting a crimson-hued portrait of our lovemaking. I traced a line through it, where it hadn’t completely dried, taking the opportunity to marvel over his musculature without being frenzied by lust. His body was a work of art, the very definition of perfection. Every sleek muscle—every single inch of him, was designed to draw in the eye and seduce.

My eye , the thought occurred to me. He wasn’t bulky or steroid filled, there were no bulging biceps or over-excited pecs, just a sleek package with a trim waist and narrow hips that reminded me of the martial arts gurus I’d seen online. If I could’ve ordered the perfect man from a website or catalogue, Josiah would’ve been it. It was like he’d been designed with precisely me in mind.

Dropping my arms, I clambered off his lap, our mingled juices dripping down my thighs. Josiah grabbed me and gently pushed me back down. “What are you doing?” I asked.

“I’m going to clean you,” he answered, crawling over me and caging me in.

With long strokes, he licked my neck and moved to my collarbone, and then my chest, his mouth sucking and lapping until I felt warmth gathering in my core again. “If you keep this up, we’ll never leave the couch,” I warned him.

He lifted his eyes to mine and grinned, his lips stained. “I don’t think either of us would mind.” He flicked my nipple with his tongue.

“I can see you wouldn’t mind.”

Another flick.

“I can smell that you wouldn’t mind.”

He flipped us over so quickly my head spun. I found myself seated on his legs, his erection pushed up against my mound and I gasped at the instantaneous motion.

Even his cock was beautiful, I thought, looking down. I took it in my hand curling my fingers around it and began to rub up and down. A bead of precum pearled at the tip and I ran my index finger over it, spreading the moisture. Leaning down, I tasted him, his salty sweet flavor mixing with the metallic tang of my own lingering blood.

“You can worship at my feet later, Little One. Sit on my cock. Now,” he demanded.

His command sent another rush of desire through me, and I rose up on my knees. It still wasn’t high enough. I had to lift myself into a squat, holding his organ to position it before I could continue. Josiah helped me, gripping my waist. When the head touched my entrance, he tightened his hold and slammed me down.

I saw stars, tiny pin pricks of lights as I lifted myself up and down on his thick rod, switching up my movements and bracing my hands against his chest. I leaned forward for extra friction, my forehead against his shoulder, as my impending orgasm rushed through me and sent all my blood to my core.

The wave broke, tearing a scream from my lungs and shattering me, stealing my strength. Josiah took over, gripping my hips and pounding into me from below as I weakly clawed at his chest, completely wasted and overcome. I was delirious from the intense emotions he was pulling from the deepest recesses of my heart, and it took me a minute to realize I was crying.

I was anything but sad, riding the tumult of elation while he broke me and put me back together again, letting him take control.

Once he found his own release, I curled up on top of him. He pressed soft kisses all over my shoulder and then my cheek.

I promptly fell asleep.