He reached around, unclasping my bra. “I wish I were a Luxen.” Sliding the straps down my arms, he let the material fall to the floor. Then he bent and kissed a sore spot on my shoulder. “I wish I could heal you with my touch.”
Moved by the admittance, I placed my hand on his cheek. He kissed my palm and then hooked his fingers under my panties. A second later, they joined the rest of my clothes. I helped him out of his, nowhere near as graceful as him, because every time my fingers brushed his bare skin, I lost a little bit of myself.
We stepped into the steamy stall, under the steady pour of water. I ran my fingers along his smooth jawline. Our eyes met, and my throat tightened with emotion.
He dipped his head as his hand slipped down my throat, between my breasts and further down, over my stomach, stopping just above my core. “I would do anything for you, Serena. You know that
,
right?”
I lifted my head, brushing my lips against his. “I know.”
His hand moved another inch south, and hot, sweet darts of fire sped through my blood as his hand slipped between my thighs. He kissed me and then pulled back. His tongue slid over my lips, then inside, matching the slow, languid thrust with his fingers. Tremors started in my stomach. Muscles quivered. He tormented me until I moved my hips against his hand. A small, keening whimper escaped me as my release came out of nowhere.
Hunter pulled me to his chest as my body shuddered. Water slicked his skin, muscles taut and rigid from holding back. And then he turned me around, placing my palms on the tile wall. He circled an arm around my waist as he used his thigh to separate mine.
“I thought I lost you when they showed up at the post office.” His cool breath danced over my cheek.
I closed my eyes. “You didn’t. I’m here.”
“It doesn’t change the taste of fear.” He cupped my breast with his free hand, running his thumb over my hard nipple. “I’m never going to let you out of my sight now.”
My breath was coming in quick, short bursts. “That’s kind of hard.”
“Not impossible, though.” Hunter slowly slid into me, inch by inch. Moving so deep that I felt like I’d come apart in a shower of sparks. The steady friction sent my body blazing. Slow and steady strokes soon became not enough. I moved back against him, and his low growl had my blood pressure skyrocketing.
“Harder,” I whispered. “Please.”
Hunter thrust into me, each stroke harder and faster than the one before. Every rocking movement mounted my pleasure and deepened my cries. Powerless to do more than wiggle against him, I tossed my head back against his shoulder and let him take me. The arm circling my waist was like a band of steel, holding me where he wanted, keeping me in place to receive the long, delicious strokes. And when my body started to spasm around him, he caught my chin and forced my head back, claiming my mouth with his as he spent himself.
I don’t remember much of the shower after that. I was lost in the heady buzz of pleasure that only sparked alive again when he took his time drying me off afterward. Somehow, we ended in the bed, his large body poised over mine. I was ready for him again, hot and achy.
He ran his thumb over my cheek in a feather
-
light touch, but I stirred restlessly. Lust pricked my skin. He moved his fingertips down my throat, over my shoulder. A small sigh escaped me. “Want to know a secret?”
“Depends.”
He chuckled. “It’s about the moment I knew I wanted you, that you’d be mine.” Slowly, he moved his hand to the swell of my breast. “That I’d fall in love with you.”
Hearing him say that affected me deeply
.
It took a moment to speak. “When?”
“Sooner than you’d think.” Using his thigh, he parted mine
,
and then lowered himself, moving against me in a slow, undulating grind.
“When?” I asked.
“The first day you were in my cabin.” He rocked his hips again. “When you threw the statue at my head.”
My hips tipped up as surprise washed over me. “That soon?”
“That soon.” He lowered his head, moving his lips across my cheek. “I didn’t realize it then.”
“I didn’t throw the statue at your head.” I spread my thighs, cradling his.
“My bad.” His other hand slid up the flare of my hip, up my stomach. He stopped just below my breasts, his thumb brushing over the swell. My breath caught as his kisses reached the corner of my mouth. I turned my head slightly. Our lips brushed and it was electric. “It was my thigh.”
A giggle escaped me a moment before he lowered his head
to the space between my neck and shoulder. Sliding his hands to my hips, he nuzzled my neck. He let his hand stray higher, nearly reaching the peak of my breast.
I wanted him to move faster and yet keep this slow, torturous pace. “I have a secret to tell you, too.”
“You wanted me the moment you saw me in the parking garage?”
My laugh was cut off when he cupped by breast. “That wasn’t it.”
“I bet that’s the truth though.” His eyes remained latched to mine as he teased my nipple. I moved my hand down his chest, and my stomach muscles tightened. “I wanted you then, too. Wanted to strip you bare and fuck you on the hood of your car.”
His words sent a dark shudder through me. “Wow.”
He chuckled deeply and then lowered his head, flicking his tongue over one pert nipple. I moaned as both of my hands flattened against his lower stomach, and his muscles bunched. “So what was it?”
“Huh?” I had no idea what he was talking about.
He pressed down, moving his hand to my other breast. His tongue swirled over the nipple. “You said you had a secret.”
“Oh. That.” My head went back as my breath came out in short gasps. He drew the rosy peak into his mouth as he caught my other nipple between his thumb and forefinger. “God,” I moaned. “Hunter…”
“Focus.”
My lower body started to move in tiny circles. “I was totally turned on when you threw me on the bed.”
“Knew it.” His mouth tugged on my breast and his tongue rasped over the tip, driving me insane.
“It was hot.” My hands slipped over rock-hard abs that dipped and rippled. Masculine perfection. My hips rocked against the thick muscle pressed against me.
“You are hot.” His voice was thick, smoky; his lips moving against my breast. “You turn me on. You make me care about things I never cared about before. You make me think. You make me warm.”
He caught my nipple between his teeth as he shifted his hips forward, sliding deep inside me. I cried out, thrusting my fingers into his hair as he moved slowly, deeply.
It felt like I would burst into flames as he sank into me, again and again. I wrapped my legs around his hips and we met each other, thrust for thrust. His mouth was everywhere, trailing kisses down my throat. His hands cradled my hips, holding me still as he grinded against me. He whispered something in a language I didn’t understand as he buried himself over and over again
.
Something was different about this time. Each touch seared me and seemed to break him. I realized slowly that we were making love. It didn’t mean that the other times meant any less, but this time, this was what making love felt like.
Lost in the blinding pleasure, I looked down when he lifted up far enough that I could see where we were joined together. The sight of him moving in and out of me was erotic and intimate, but no more powerful than what the act symbolized. Higher and higher I went
,
until I threw my head back. Spasms rocked through me.
My gasping moans quickly escalated, and once again his lips were on mine, silencing my hoarse screams as I came apart. Hunter quickly followed, his hips pumping furiously until he stilled
,
pressed against me, inside me.
Hunter rested his forehead against mine, and I could feel his heart pounding just as fast. His body jerked and he groaned. “That was…yeah, that…”
“Agreed.”
He pulled out and rolled onto his side, pulling me into his arms as he pressed a kiss to my cheek and then my lips. And well, that led to other things equally amazing.
Later, much, much later, I stood in front of the window overlooking a patio below. Hunter and I had only been able to ignore the lure of food for so long and
,
after eating a hefty dinner, both of us had fallen asleep the moment we hit the bed for a second time.
But I hadn’t stayed asleep for very long.
So much was running through my head. My future was one big fat unknown, but with Hunter by my side, I knew we’d make it. Things might not be orthodox or how I pictured spending my life, but I was alive and I was with someone I loved. However, I did know that things wouldn’t be easy.
I pulled the sheet around me as a shiver raced down my spine.
Mel’s death had been avenged and the knowledge she had unwittingly gained would be passed on, but I had a feeling it wouldn’t be enough. In the end, everything would change even more so than it had already.
Out there, there was a secret government organization working with and against two alien races that not only had infiltrated mankind, but also had become an intricate part of society. There was a whole alien race potentially planning to make war and the good guys…
There was a whisper of movement and then I felt Hunter’s arms wrap around me from behind.
Well, the good guys really weren’t typical. They really weren’t the good guys at all, but if I discovered anything, there was no such thing as white and black. There was a lot of gray in the middle.
“Couldn’t sleep?” he asked.
I leaned back, closing my eyes. “I didn’t mean to wake you. I know you have to be exhausted.”
“It’s fine.” He lowered his head, pressing his cheek against mine. His breath teased the corner of my lips. “Are you okay?”
The question was rather large, all things considered. My life was forever altered and would never, ever be the same. Maybe one day I could go back to a job like I had before. Maybe a million aliens would descend on Earth tomorrow. But right now? I had to live in the right now.
Hunter pressed his lips to my temple. And right now wasn’t so bad. I turned in his arms, loving how they immediately tightened around me, fitting me to his chest. I tipped my head back and smiled. “I’m okay.”
His eyes were a deeper blue as they locked on to mine. “I know.”
“Then why did you ask?”
“Figured it was the
human
thing to do,” he replied.
I grinned. “You’re getting better at that kind of stuff.”
Hunter laughed deeply. “No I’m not. But that’s fine. You like me like this.”
Yeah, I did. He was still like the damn panther. If anyone got too close, he’d rip them apart—anyone but me. Emotion clogged my throat as I stared up at him. My gaze memorized every inch of face
,
and I rose onto the tips of my toes. He met me halfway, sweeping his lips over mine. His lips and embrace were cool, but all I felt was a wealth of warmth.
So
right now
would do just fine.
Acknowledgments
Writing acknowledgements is never an easy thing to do. Nine out of ten times you end up forgetting someone and that can be a tad bit awkward. And I always end up forgetting someone. First off, I want to thank my agent, Kevan Lyon, for putting up with my crazy on a regular basis, and then Karen Grove, editor extraordinaire, for jumping in on the project. Thank you to Stacey Morgan for reading
Obsession
and providing much-needed feedback on how to out-snark other characters. A big thank-you to the team at Entangled for bringing the book to life, and to all the readers of the Lux Series who wanted to see this world brought into the adult playground. Hope you enjoyed!
About the Author
#1
New York Times
and
USA Today
bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing, she spends her time reading, working out, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell, Loki.
Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories…which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Spencer Hill Press, Entangled Publishing, Disney/Hyperion, and Harlequin Teen.
She also writes Adult and New Adult romance under the name J. Lynn and is published by Entangled Publishing and HarperCollins.