Chapter 39
Frozen with realization, my body ceases struggling, though my heart continues to race. If anything, it speeds up, giving me palpitations. Confusion and relief assail me with equal measure, washing away the sharp edge of fear as I sag into the mattress.
Xavier drags his hand from my mouth to lightly grip my throat, his thumb caressing my skin. The strength in his touch is iron, unyielding, but there’s a precision in his movement that hints at control rather than aggression. However, he keeps his other hand clamped on my wrist, preventing the dagger from piercing more than his shirt. Smart. I’m still of half a mind to stab him for scaring the ever-loving shit out of me.
I blink up at him, willing my pulse to regulate. In the heat of the moment, I didn’t recognize Xavier’s eyes, but now, seeing them without the fog of danger clouding my judgment, I can. He looks down at me, his gaze devouring me slowly.
“Why did you do that?” I whisper. My voice shakes as the adrenaline begins to ebb, leaving behind a trail full of relief and irritation. “I could’ve killed you.”
Xavier’s expression behind the mask softens, but the seriousness doesn’t leave his eyes. “I’m not that easy to kill.”
“Shut up and tell me why.”
He clicks his tongue in admonishment. “I won’t always be around to protect you. I needed to make sure you’d defend yourself, even if you were in a familiar environment that’s traditionally safe. The Order doesn’t respect boundaries, holidays, or anything else that’ll get in the way of their objective. Tonight was a test and also a reminder.”
I can’t fault his logic, but that doesn’t ease my annoyance. “You can let go of my wrist now. I think I’ve gotten past the urge to stab you.”
“You think?” He shakes his head, the amusement clear in his voice.
I shrug. “Let go and find out.”
Xavier releases my wrist and his hold on my throat, and he leans back on his haunches, perfectly balanced on the mattress. I scramble from underneath him, still gripping the dagger. He glances at it. When his gaze finds mine again, it simmers with desire.
“You trying to kill me with the dagger I gave you is so fucking hot.”
I ignore the flood of dampness between my thighs. “I’m on the second story,” I say, mindful to keep my voice low. “How in the hell did you get up here?”
He tugs down the bandana, revealing his face, as well as the mocking expression covering it. “Do you really think that’d stop me, or any assassin, from getting to you?”
“I guess not, but I?—”
In one fluid motion, I throw myself at him before he can react. Our bodies collide, and the impact sends him flying backwards, his spine sinking into the mattress. I’m quick to straddle him, pinning him to the bed with the dagger pressed against his throat and my other hand gripping his hair. My heart pounds, but not from fear. It’s exhilaration, the thrill of getting the upper hand, even if it’s just for a moment.
Xavier looks up at me with a proud, almost affectionate smile. His eyes, simmering with attraction, now blaze with lust, his pupils blown. His lack of intimidation irritates me, just as much as his sexy smirk turns me on.
Right as I’m about to say something, there’s a knock on the door, followed by Gloria’s voice. “Delilah, honey, is everything all right in there? I thought I heard a noise.”
“Not a fucking word,” I whisper-hiss to Xavier. He grins up at me, and I resist the urge to make him bleed.
I raise my voice and call out, “Everything’s fine. I hit my head on the wall.”
Xavier slides his hand over my thigh, his fingers creeping along my skin, leaving fire trailing behind. I glare at him when he reaches my pussy and starts caressing it through my panties.
“Okay,” Gloria says. “I just wanted to make sure.”
“Thanks.” My voice is higher in pitch due to Xavier pinching my clit. “See you in the morning.”
At the sound of Ben’s voice in the hallway, my eyes widen, nearly popping out of my skull. I can’t make out what he’s saying, but it doesn’t matter. Not when Xavier jerks the crotch of my panties to the side and thrusts his fingers in me. Not two, but three of them.
The sensual assault has my body locking up, and my hands shaking. The blade slices into his skin, drawing droplets of blood that spill down his neck and onto my pillow. The apology on my tongue morphs into a groan when he curls his fingers and slowly drags them from my pussy, only to drive them back inside, deeper than before. I bite back the sound, cutting my bottom lip with my teeth and not caring.
“What’s going on, Lilah?” Ben asks.
Xavier uses his free hand to swipe the blood on his neck and bring it to my clit, using the liquid to dampen and caress my sensitive flesh while stroking the inside of my pussy with his other hand. When my breath leaves me in a whoosh, he smirks at me.
Between his mocking expression and the way Xavier is handling my body, all I can manage is one syllable. “Fine!”
Xavier chuckles softly, his body vibrating beneath mine, but he never stops pleasuring me. Ben turns the doorknob, finding it locked.
“Lilah, are you sure you’re okay?”
“Yup!”
My eyes threaten to close, my head falling back as euphoria washes over me, but I fight the impulse. When I look down at Xavier, his expression is soft, the hard edge gone, the intensity replaced by a different kind of fire. His eyes are hooded, his pupils so large they appear black, rimmed with silver.
“Give it to me,” Xavier says, so quiet I barely hear him over the thudding of my pulse.
The command in his tone, combined with the way he’s fucking me with his fingers, is too much. I let out a strangled whimper, and he stops circling my clit to cup the back of my head, his fingers gripping the strands. He drags my face down to his, until our mouths are touching, our breaths mingling.
“Well, goodnight then,” Ben says.
My mind and body are too consumed, too busy drowning in the haze of desire for me to answer him. His receding footsteps barely register.
“Fuck, I’m gonna come,” I whisper against Xavier’s lips.
“Yes, you are.”
I shatter, my entire body flooded with ecstasy. His fingers are relentless, stroking the inside of my pussy, prolonging my orgasm.
“Look at you,” he says. “You’re being such a good girl for me.”
His praise causes a new rush of pleasure to spread through me, and I grind down on his hand, taking everything he’s giving me.
Finally, the pleasure wanes, and I slump forward, resting my head on his chest, the knife falling from my hand. His heart is pounding as fast and hard as mine.
“What the hell did you do that for?” I ask between ragged breaths.
“To prove a point.”
I push up so I can see him, but it takes some effort. “And what point is that?”
He reaches up and drags a finger over my collarbone, leaving a streak of blood. “I don’t care where we are or who’s around, I will have you. Anywhere. Everywhere. Always. You’re mine.”
I stare down at him, speechless.
“Do you understand?” he asks.
I nod.
“Say. It.”
“I’m yours.”
His fierce expression doesn’t disappear, but there’s a predatory satisfaction in gaze that continues to burn brightly. “Good.”
Xavier rolls me over, pressing his body against mine. His weight is heavy and solid, grounding me. I rake my gaze over the blood on his neck, and guilt rises.
“Are you hurt?”
“I’m fine,” he says, waving off my concern. “This is nothing.”
I reach up and brush my fingers over the wound, feeling the sticky wetness. “But I hurt you.”
“The only way you can hurt me doesn’t include physical weapons.”
“But—”
“Don’t worry about it, little raptor.” He nuzzles my jaw, his tongue gliding over my skin, following the path he creates. When his mouth reaches the shell of my ear, his warm breath fans over the skin, and I shiver. “You can make it up to me later. Right now, it’s my turn to come.”