Page 63 of His Darkest Desire

Had anyone ever looked at Kinsley that way? Had Liam, even for a single moment, ever looked upon her like she was everything?

And she reveled in it. She craved more of it.

Vex wanted her, and she knew, somehow, that it wasn’t because of their pact. The yearning in his eyes was not for the child she’d promised him, but for Kinsley herself.

She’d been floating in darkness for so long, alone and adrift. Her family had helped, but they could never have filled in the hole left in her heart.

Vex’s hand, his touch, his voice…

What if he was all she’d needed? He wasn’t a light in the darkness, wasn’t a guiding beacon. No, he was the darkness. And now that she was getting to know him, she could see that the shadows weren’t bad, that they weren’t something to fear. They were shelter, a shield from all the harshness and cruelty in the world that masqueraded as everything bright and good. They were a comfort.

He was her comfort.

Why not embrace the feeling of being wanted? Why not indulge in it, why not relish it, at least for a little while?

Without looking away from Vex, Kinsley lifted an arm from her chest, knowing she was exposing her breast to his gaze, and covered his hand with her own. “Did you mean what you said about not touching me?”

His pupils contracted into slits. He sucked in a harsh breath through his teeth, muscles tensing, claws lightly pricking her flesh. She felt the resistance in his arm before he withdrew his hand. Saw the reluctance written plainly in his strained expression.

“Forgive me,” he rasped, clenching his fist as it fell to his side.

The roughness of his voice sent a thrill through Kinsley.

Vex wanted her, but his vow kept him from having her. That knowledge granted her a sense of power, confidence, and control that she hadn’t felt in far too long.

But it also awoke something sensual in her. Something…mischievous.

Kinsley smiled as she lay back against the tub, fully baring herself. “You can’t touch, but…you’re welcome to watch.”

She skimmed her fingers along her collarbone before moving them to her breast, where she circled her nipple with her fingertips. It hardened in the cooler air.

Vex’s attention followed her movements, and his jaw ticked. “What are you doing, Kinsley?”

“I’m relaxing in the bath, Vex.” She slid her other hand down between her breasts and into the bubbly water. “You’re welcome to leave if you’d like.”

A growl rumbled in his chest. “I shall remain.”

Kinsley’s heart quickened as her hand smoothed down her belly. She’d never done anything like this before, had never played the part of a seductress, not even with Liam, but with Vex… God, she wanted to see him unravel.

Spreading her thighs, she slipped her fingers between them to find her clit. The flicker of pleasure caused by that first brush over the sensitive nub made her lips part with a soft gasp.

Vex’s nostrils flared, and his pupils expanded and contracted. He did not tear his gaze away from where her hand had disappeared.

Kinsely cupped her breast as she leisurely circled her clit. Heat gathered in her core, and with every stroke, her pleasure built, flowing through her body and filling her with restless energy. Her lashes lowered, but she didn’t dare close her eyes.

She dipped her finger lower, sliding it into her cunt, and pumped. Despite the water, she could feel her slickness.

What would it feel like to have his long fingers inside her, thrusting deep? What would it feel like to have his cock, with all its ridges, stretching her, filling her?

Her inner walls tightened around her finger as she withdrew it and returned it to her clit. She moaned softly.

A shudder coursed through Vex, and dark, leathery wings sprouted from his back as it arched. They snapped out, spanning at least twice the length of the tub from tip to tip. Snarling something that must’ve been a curse, he shoved himself to his feet and turned away.

“Don’t go,” she breathed.

Tension rippled through him, making those wings tremble. He stalked behind Kinsley, planted his clawed hands on the rim of the tub to either side of her head, and leaned over her. His hair fell around them, and in the shadows it created, his glowing crimson eyes enthralled her.

Through his teeth, he growled, “Not leaving.”