Chapter 5
Star
I moaned in response to his brutal kiss, unclear why my hunger was so intense. I’d been truthful in wanting to hate him, to blame him and his friends for interrupting my mission.
Yet the closeness I’d felt from minute one had all but consumed me.
Now, with the way I felt from being in his strong arms, I was torn with the flood of emotions I didn’t understand.
Every aspect of the Savage was unforgiving, his actions rough and relentless. I’d never been kissed before, wondering if when it finally happened I’d be disappointed.
I wasn’t.
How could I be, since his claim of my mouth and my body had already weakened my knees. There was a strange set of feelings that I’d been unable to process, a longing that had struck me as hard as the anger I’d felt earlier.
Perhaps even more so.
All the warning bells were still going off in my mind, but they didn’t seem to matter. All that did was a crazy and random spot in my brain telling me that by being with him, I was safe.
His touch and the way he was holding me sent a wave of white-hot heat into my very core, leaving me trembling all over.
The kiss itself was pure liquid fire, creating a haze around my head that left me wanting more.
So much more.
My pussy throbbed, my nipples aching and unimaginable things skittered through my mind.
Filthy things I wanted him to do to me, cravings that no good girl should ever have, certainly not one incapable of caring about anyone. At least not this way.
Hunger coiled in my belly, a tight knot that threatened to consume me much like the man was doing.
Correction, the Savage. I had to remind myself that only part of him was even human, but my control and all sense of decency had shattered.
If this is what happened to men created in the image of a god, then I was all for it.
His tongue swept back and forth, consuming my mouth as his hold illustrated his control over me. How was that even possible? How could I allow him to touch me this way?
He was absolutely gorgeous, carved to perfection.
While at first his actions were frantic, now they’d slowed. He was taking his time, his actions slow and methodical. Tasting me.
Taunting me.
Uncontrollable need flared, driving aside rationality.
Every time he growled, the deep, intense sound vibrated against my skin leaving me breathless. No matter how many times I continued to tell myself I shouldn’t feel this way, my body refused to listen.
Being able to touch him, stroking his arm and shoulder, tangling my fingers in his hair brought a sense of calm. I’d experienced something similar once in my life, at a time when I’d been lost both physically and emotionally.
Strong arms had captured me, keeping me from danger.
A warm scent had welcomed me, the closeness ridding demons.
And a promise made had been a promise kept of ensuring my safety.
That was all I remembered. Feelings. A whispered few words furrowing into the darkest portions of my mind. Nothing was real, yet everything had allowed me to continue, building strength and determination while moving forward.
The moment felt insane, as if I’d finally succumbed to the lingering effects of radiation poisoning. It could last in someone’s bloodstream for years, slowly claiming the person’s mind while ravaging organs. It was a great fear, a reality of those living in the Graveyard.
But at least on a night when I could have perished, the Savage had kept me alive. In turn, my body craved his touch, his lips. His cock. It wasn’t lost on me that he’d be my first, something so personal I dared not tell him.
A moment of being the frightened girl who dwelled underneath a dozen layers of armor struggled to reach the surface.
She’d put a stop to this, fearful she wasn’t good enough.
She’d continue the act of defiance to mask the shame of being a virgin.
Until being faced with this man, this… Savage, that girl had succeeded. But not tonight.
Tonight, the wild girl, the one who desired to feel something entirely her own overcame the angst. And fueled a passion she didn’t know existed.
Another sound erupted from his depth as he pulled his lips away.
His fingers dug into my scalp while holding me in place, close enough he could drag his tongue from one side of my jaw to the other.
In doing so, every inch of me tingled, the wash of heat soaring through my veins powerful enough to ignite my core.
While the pads on his fingers were rough, hardened by days spent in the wild, his touch was surprisingly tender. Stroking me.
Caressing me.
Boosting the desire threatening to overcome every bit of common sense. I wiggled in his hold, floored at the yearning swirling around me. It was as if I could hear voices telling me this was right. This was perfect. This was the future. Insanity. Fucking insanity and yet, I couldn’t hold back.
I kissed him back, pressing my lips against his in a way letting him know I was eager, willing. Hungry. He rubbed one hand down my back, digging his fingers into my buttocks. All while heat twisted in my stomach. I could no longer feel my legs and my mouth had a mind of its own.
Our tongues danced once again only this time, the intimacy was rougher. Needier. The moment was exciting, everything the fantasies written in my mind from reading books had offered. Had promised. Romance. Hot sex. A man craving me. I could envision a future together if only for a little while.
The thought was blasphemous, an indulgence that few were offered and no one achieved. Yet here I was pretending that after this, some sense of normalcy would occur when everything was slowly crumbling all around.
A king and queen determined to destroy all those opposing a tainted realm. A twinge of fear and I slammed my hands against Rage’s shoulders, managing to push him away.
We were both gasping for air, our eyes darting back and forth across the other’s, his so much like mine. Rimmed in gold. An awakening of his soul inside. A Savage. I craved a Savage. How was that even possible?
The air was dense, the heat soon to suffocate us. For a few seconds, I was certain he’d pulled away the same as I’d done, coming to his senses. I was nothing but his prisoner in an ongoing war where the enemies had changed, those trustworthy almost nonexistent.
Everyone was out for themselves.
In the seconds of searching for reasons, for a telling regarding the other’s intentions, perhaps even hoping for a glimpse into a soul, I couldn’t breathe.
I sensed he was the same. Uncertain. Unyielding. Unnecessary.
The angry desire built again, swirling and feasting on emotions until something broke inside, a dam smashed by a longing no one would be able to understand.
We ripped at each other’s clothes, grunting and growling until we were completely breathless. I yanked off his shirt, taking long enough to bask in his physique. The men not encumbered by drugs and steroids had mostly withered away to skin and bones thanks to famine and fatigue.
Not this man. He was perfect in every way, every muscle carved to chiseled perfection. At least he allowed me another indulgence of tracing the outline of his muscles with my fingertips.
His fingers yanked at my shirt, tugging it free from my pants so he could slide his hands underneath.
The first touch on my stomach brought more than merely another deep throb between my legs.
His fingertips seared my skin, the intensity of fire forcing my head back and leaving me fighting a scream.
No one could know what was happening between us.
And this would never happen again.
Very slowly, he removed my top, his chest heaving as he opened his fingers, allowing the material to fall to the floor. A nervous laugh left my lips even as he grabbed another handful of hair, yanking my head until my neck was exposed.
I tried to remind myself that he was a trained killer, but in the throes of such amazing passion, all I could think about was that this was an incredible way to go.
My legs trembled and I closed my eyes while digging my fingernails into his arms. All while he swiped his tongue down the side of my neck, his heated breath leaving a trail that was followed by a series of goosebumps.
When he replaced his tongue with his teeth, raking them just under my jaw before moving across my collarbone, I knew I’d broken his skin with my tight hold.
But he didn’t seem to care. With every second that passed, my heart continued thumping against my chest, my pulse skyrocketing.
I was so dizzy from the passion, so breathless that I feared passing out.
A rustle of wind filtering through the cracks in the walls created a momentary howl. The sound was a reminder that there were real monsters eager to destroy any sense of joy. Anyone who took their eyes off the ball was much easier prey.
An awful noise, mournful and hollow pounded in my ears.
Was I imagining creatures just outside the door?
Were my body and mind eager to succumb to fatigue?
Or was this another sign of things to come?
I heard my breath hitch just before Rage pinched my chin, pulling my head so I was forced to lock eyes with him.
“I will protect you.” The four words were clearly enunciated, entirely too complex given the circumstances. Even with the number of Savages he’d traveled with, they couldn’t fight dozens of Borgata or worse, the Freedom Hunters whose sole job was to hunt and capture Savages for sheer entertainment.
But hearing Rage’s voice, the deep, almost melodic cadence brought a sense of hope in a hopeless world.
It also brought another, more intense wave of hunger.