Page 59 of Claimed

His eyes locked on mine. “I have almost everything I want.”

Oh my.

My heart jolted. Then his arm banded my waist and pulled me close. His hand slipped down my curves and stroked my butt cheek. Stunned by the warmth flooding my chest, I did nothing to stop him.

I took a deep breath. I couldn’t think with his palm flat against my nightgown, the fabric a thin barrier from his touch. I twisted out of his grip and headed toward the door.

Achille grabbed my arm.

I paused, looking at his hand, then at his face. A softness gleamed in him, pleading for something more than obligation.

I hesitated, my heart warring with my mind. Then I stepped forward and hugged him. His body tensed, a rigid wall of muscle. My head touched his chest. His steady heartbeat pounded through me. Slowly, his arms encircled me, a hesitant embrace that grew firmer.

I clung onto him, my breathing shallow. His body heat seeped through my clothes, warming me. It swirled around my nipples and swooped low on my belly, where his thigh pressed into me. My fingers flexed on his back, exploring the hard planes of muscle, which seemed to be everywhere. His ragged breath brushed against my neck.

The world fell away. We were just two broken souls, trying to glue ourselves together. I wanted this—needed this. Elise would want me to take comfort wherever I found it. His hands moved to my waist, and I bit my lip to stifle a moan.

“Violet.”

He said my name. My actual name. It had never sounded so beautiful, whispered like a prayer.

“Kill.”

I looked at him, and it was a mistake. A tumultuous feeling threatened to sweep me off my feet. Why did every interaction with him make me lightheaded and shattered? My mind hollered at me to stop, but my body yearned to close that final distance.

Then Achille did it for me.

His lips crashed into mine. It was pure dominance. His tongue pushed into my mouth. The taste of him fucked me. It’d been so long since our last kiss that I stood there, rigid, letting him stake his claim.

He’d jolted my heart back to life. I’d been empty. Hollowed out by grief. A wild hunger clawed at my insides. I closed my eyes. I fisted his shirt and dug into his chest. Raising myself on my toes, I kissed him back. We stumbled, and he moved me against the wall. Bestial sounds erupted from his throat. He planted kisses down my jaw. His hot mouth crawled down my neck. He bit me and growled. My hips rocked, and he rolled his in response, grinding his hardness against me.

This is your sister’s ex.

I snapped out of it and shoved him off. I glanced at myself in the mirror. His saliva shone on my neck. He’d even made a small impression with his teeth.

“You bit me.”

Achille shrugged, smoothing his hair. “Don’t walk into my room looking like a snack.”

I ran away, my mind swirling with half-finished thoughts. I hurried into my bedroom and slammed the door. I leaned against it, inhaling deep breaths.

Fudge.

I kissed him…again. What was wrong with me? I’d almost let him rip off my clothes. I fingered my raw skin, imagining a deeper mark. The worst part of it wasn’t the kiss—it was that I wished he’d bitten me harder.

TWENTY

ACHILLE

I watched her sleep again.

The nightly ritual had wormed into my routine. Checking on Jack was one thing. He was my blood, after all, but with Violet, it was different. I paused at the doorway, my gut twisted up in knots.

An outsider would never be content in my world. Even her accent didn’t belong here. Any songs she’d write about me would be laced with heartbreak, proof of what I couldn’t do, protect her from myself. And damn, that was a cold blade to my chest.

I turned away and closed the door.

I left the house and drove, meeting my brother at Afterlife. I had to find the prick who’d murdered Elise. We lounged in a booth by the stage, the same one I’d sat in when Romeo introduced me to a cute brunette with a big, friendly smile. I replayed the moment she’d slid her hand into mine, my stomach churning. I had no angst over Elise’s death, but I wished I could resurrect her to demand one question: Why didn’t you tell me I had a son?