Page 70 of Shai

either.”

“You assume right. Your place is here.”

He nodded, seeming more at peace with the idea than I’d anticipated.

“So… what does that mean?”

“It means… that we pick up where we left off.” I waved a dismissive

hand. “Before the Void that is. I’m not including that period of time. You would have fucked a tree if its branches were big enough.”

Elijah didn’t bother to argue, his hand tightening around the glass while

he remained deep in thought. I wondered how much he actually remembered from that time. It was probably better for him if some of the details were sketchy. I leaned forward over the table, waiting until his gaze collided with mine. “Tell me you love me, Elijah.”

Alarm flashed across his face. “What? I don’t…” He shook his head

frantically. “I can’t… you’re...”

“You killed a man for me.”

The headshaking grew more pronounced. “I didn’t kill him for you. I

killed him because it was my only way out of there, and I wanted to live. You said it yourself that I was a survivor. That’s what it was, surviving. Nothing else.”

I waited, riding his wave of denial until it crashed into the inevitable

conclusion, his whole expression changing as it dawned on him. “After everything you did to me, the way you manipulated my every move, I’m still sitting here with you. I’m still giving you the time of day.”

My smile grew wider, the victory already won without me having to force him to say the words. “And you still want me.” His gaze trailed over me in a way that said he was seeing me properly for the first time, the dull flush that appeared on his cheekbones all the answer I needed. “Why don’t you come over here and kiss me.”

He pushed his chair back, his movements jerky and uncoordinated as he rounded the table. I twisted around in my seat to face him as he came to a stop in front of me. I tipped my head back to look up at him. He looked so confused that I almost felt sorry for him. He’d made his choice as soon as he’d followed my instruction. Regretting it after the fact was just pointless. “Just give in to it, Elijah. You were mine from the first moment I saw you. We both knew that.”

“You locked me in a room with a snake.”

I sighed wearily. “Are you going to bring that up every time we disagree on something or have an argument? Would you rather my men had known that I was already giving you special treatment?” Tired of the conversation, I grabbed a handful of his shirt and dragged him closer until there was nothing he could do but look at me. “Kiss me.”

Indecision flashed across his face, but his tongue was already moistening his lips, his breathing not as steady as it had been. Elijah needed to learn to read himself as well as I could. Sure enough, his lips lowered to mine. I pulled back, the devil in me refusing to make it easy for him. He chased them, a laugh escaping from me as he closed the distance, his hands lifting to grip my head and hold it in place as he devoured my mouth as if it were the tastiest thing he’d ever encountered. I met him in kind, parting his lips so that I could slide my tongue against his. Neither of us was interested in soft or exploratory, the heat between us igniting into an inferno instantaneously.

Pushing my chair back from the table to create a bigger space, I encouraged him to straddle my lap so that his ass nestled on my hard cock. Elijah’s fingers tore at my shirt in his desperation to get to bare skin, buttons popping off in every direction. I tore my mouth from his, grabbing his wrists to still his actions. His gaze when it met mine was distinctly glazed, a pretty flush covering his cheeks and the top part of his chest. Transferring his wrists to just the one hand, I ran my hand down the length of his torso, Elijah leaning into the touch like a cat starved for affection, a delicious line of goosebumps breaking out wherever I touched. “I hope your reluctance to dress properly wasn’t meant to annoy me. Because I have to say I’m finding it pleasingly convenient.” I ran my hand back up his chest, continuing the journey along his neck until my palm met stubble. “I don’t mind this either.” I buried my face in his neck, inhaling the fresh scent. “Yet, you showered and put cologne on. You’re a mass of contradictions.”

The skin against my lips vibrated as Elijah let out a huff. “I’m a mass of

contradictions.”

It was a fair point. I drew back so that I could see him properly, my

fingers playing over the enticing bulge tenting the front of his trousers. “I want to clear one thing up.” A look of caution crept onto his face. “I had plans for you. I certainly wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth, but at no point was I ever willing to let you go for good. The plan was risky, but I knew you were strong enough to pull it off once all the pieces were aligned correctly. I had faith in you, Elijah, and there’s not a lot of people I can say that about.” I rubbed my hand over his cock, his hips automatically following the movement when I drew my hand away. “You’re special. You challenge me in a way that no other lover has managed before. So, you will stay here. I’m a long way from being done with you.”

I smiled as Elijah’s response to my words was to lower his lips to mine

again. I spared him only the briefest contact before I planted my hand in the center of his chest and pushed him off, waving a hand at the chair he’d recently vacated. “Sit. Time to eat.”

Elijah’s expression was decidedly petulant as he returned to his seat, his

swollen lips almost enough to make me change my mind. “I thought you were going to fuck me?”

I tucked my chair back under the table, resting my chin on my hands as