24 #2
“Yesterday, when they shot you,” he said, voice low, “I saw something.”
“What?” She shifted forward, the blankets sliding down her body.
“I had a vision of me running through Braderhelm. I felt such dread. Dread I hadn’t felt since my mother—” Takeshi paused, rage and fear simmering beneath his eyes as he fought for control.
“Hey.” Khalani’s voice rose, beckoning him to return to her. When he refused to look at her, she climbed off the bed and sat next to him, placing her back against the door. She warily reached out and touched his leg.
“You’re not stuck in a dream. You’re right here. With me.”
Takeshi sucked in a harsh breath, and she withdrew her palm. But he glanced down at her fingers, lips pressing into a thin line as if he didn’t want her to pull away.
“I saw someone on the floor,” he continued, staring ahead as he spoke.
“As I get closer, the vision becomes hazier. I’m lying in a bed with someone right beside me, fast asleep.
I’m not able to turn my head and see who.
All I can sense is their finger touching mine.
And I don’t feel so much anger anymore. I feel… whole.”
Takeshi turned in her direction, his face only a couple inches from hers.
“Have you ever felt something like that before?”
“I have,” she whispered, no longer breathing..
“Was it me?”
“It’s always ever been you.”
Takeshi swallowed, his throat bobbing, but he suddenly pulled back, shaking his head.
“I can’t fucking do this.”
“Don’t go, Takeshi. You can trust me.”
“I can’t even trust myself, Kanes!” Takeshi cursed, chest heaving as he closed his eyes, like it was the only way to escape the hell he was living in.
“I just want one night where I don’t hear these voices in my head,” he rasped. “One night where I can pretend my mind isn’t splitting apart and I’m not one breath from killing everything.”
“Then use me.”
He turned sharply, as if he didn’t hear her correctly. “What did you just say?”
She gulped, in the back of her mind knowing this was a terrible idea, but for some reason, she didn’t move. They were two twisted souls in the world, searching for something to keep them sane.
“If you want to forget everything, then use me.”
His eyes blazed with a relentless fire, but he turned away, dismissing the notion. “You don’t know what you’re asking.”
“I know exactly what I’m asking,” she said. “I don’t have all the answers. I don’t know how to fix what broke between us. But maybe we can pretend everything’s not falling apart together. Just this once.”
Takeshi was eerily still, waiting for her to take the words back. But she’d already laid her soul bare for him.
She just needed him to pick it up off the floor.
“I’ll give you one more chance to change your mind,” he said in a voice that was too calm, too predatory as he turned to her. “After that, you don’t get to.”
The low warning lingered in the air, but Khalani lifted her chin, making her choice.
“Well, I’m still here. So, what are you going to do about it—”
She yelped, suddenly lifted off the floor in one swift motion. Takeshi positioned her so she was straddling his legs. His hands were steady as they firmly gripped her hips.
He looked maddeningly at ease, like he had her exactly where she belonged. But a fiery need set in his jaw. He leaned in, crowding her space, capturing all of her focus.
“You made the wrong choice,” he whispered.
“Why?” she breathed as he bent his head toward her neck, nose grazing along her skin.
“Because I’ll unmake you.”
He licked her pounding pulse.
Khalani’s head fell back against the door, her chest heaving, goose bumps forming along her arms.
Like she was slowly being set on fire.
One hand gripped the back of her neck while the other secured her body closer until no portion of them was separated, and she felt every inch of him.
Takeshi bit her neck, the sting sharp and punishing, but he tenderly sucked the same spot, a moan escaped Khalani’s lips, and his mouth found hers, refusing to let anyone else hear her sounds.
Their tongues tangled, fighting for control. His hands molded to her body, and she held his face, grinding her hips in a feverish movement that made him growl low in his throat.
He stood, keeping her legs securely wrapped around his waist. Still kissing her, he carried her to the bed, dropping her to the sheets.
Takeshi hovered over her, their eyes locked like she was the only person worth staring at on the surface.
Khalani didn’t like the distance and reached for him, but he caught her wrists, pinning them on either side of her head.
“Not a chance, Kanes. It’s my turn tonight.” Takeshi’s deep voice caressed her body, making her feel weightless.
Only when she nodded did he move to the foot of the bed, eyes trailing her with unrelenting passion. He hid it well before, but for once, he let her see his hunger.
“Take off your pants,” he said.
She licked her lips, heart pounding against her chest.
“You don’t want to do it for me?”
A slow grin tugged at his lips. “I want your control. When you shatter for me tonight, then we’ll both know it was your choice.”
His words danced through her veins. Takeshi refused to move until she gave in.
And she’d come too far to back down now.
Ever so slowly, she peeled her pants down, making him wait for it as she gradually bared her thighs. Takeshi intently tracked the movement, not blinking.
Khalani heard his breath hitch when she kicked the fabric off, bare from her stomach down.
He didn’t say anything. His expression was unreadable as he studied her, and she grew more antsy by the second, the silence gnawing at her.
But then he said, “I knew you were going to be the death of me.”
Takeshi prowled forward and decisively spun her body so she lay straight in front of him.
Nerves.
Excitement.
Anticipation.
She experienced every emotion.
But then…he got on his knees.
Her breaths came faster, feeling like she was about to combust.
He wrapped his strong hands under her thighs, spreading her open. She waited, feeling his powerful gaze resting upon her. In that moment, Khalani wanted to dive into his mind and see herself through his eyes.
To learn just how much power she wielded.
But she felt Takeshi’s mouth on her and cried out.
He abruptly stopped, looking up from between her legs, his eyes hooded.
“If you don’t want to wake anyone up, you better be quiet. Or would you prefer I gag you?”
Khalani could barely inhale, let alone find the right words to speak.
So she flipped him off instead.
He let out a dark chuckle and dove back into the depths of her world.
Takeshi was relentless.
Insatiable.
When he centered on the small bundle of nerves, she had to bite hard on her lip to keep from screaming.
He memorized her. Finding her weakest spots and attacking those with merciless precision, until she no longer felt like her body was her own.
For those blessed moments on the surface, she gifted it to him.
He closely studied her reactions. Every intake of breath. What made her gasp and dig her nails deeper into the bedsheets. And when he dipped his long finger inside her, stars lit behind her eyes.
“Takeshi,” she exhaled, her voice trembling. “I can’t…I can’t take it.”
“You can. And you will.”
He hit a new spot that sent so much pleasure crashing through her body, her muscles clenched, and she cried out. But he tightened his grip around her shaking legs, holding her like he’d never get to again.
By the time she finished convulsing, Takeshi stood, the evidence of her release on his lips.
“Come here,” she whispered, out of breath. She held out her arms, wanting to give him the same feeling he gave her.
But Takeshi’s brows drew together, his chest rising and falling rapidly. His gaze flickered with some inexplicable emotion as she reached for him. Like he wanted nothing more than to go to her.
But he didn’t move.
“Takeshi,” she repeated, feeling him slip away.
His eyes burned, a deeper pain flickering beneath his expression. Without another word, he left the room.
And shut the door firmly behind him.