Page 19 of Lethal Attraction

He removes it, giving me a loopy smile. “Is my Mystery Girl shy? Your cheeks are so red.”

I’m burning alive.

“Look at how pretty your blush is,” he comments in awe as his eyes trail down my chest. “Fucking perfect.”

I’m so lost in my embarrassment that I don’t realize his hands are sliding to my backside until he lifts me up and slams me back down on him, taking the breath out of me as our skin slaps together.

My hands brace quickly on his chest as my teeth grit and my pussy clenches around him. “Reed!”

“That’s right, Little Devil. Say my fucking name.” He rasps roughly as he bounces me on his lap.

The nickname has a wave of arousal sweeping over me as he lifts his hips in rhythm and fucks me with abandon. I have no idea how he’s lucid enough to take control, but I firmly grasp that I’m no longer in charge as I’m forced to take every inch of him. My nails dig into his skin, leaving marks as my moans turn to desperate cries of pleasure.

He collars my throat with a hand, pulling me down to him before our lips meet in a sloppy, heated kiss that makes my fucking toes curl. He rests his forehead against mine, those cloudy eyes finding me and pinning me with so much longing and fervor. “Your…knife,” he chokes.

I nod against him before grabbing it out of my boot and clicking it open.

“Carve your fucking initials into my skin, Thalia,” he commands.

It’s the hottest thing ever.

Even if I know he only thinks of this as a dream, my poor, dumb heart explodes. No one has ever been able to match my freak. Not until Reed Bellamy, and it’s doing something strange to me.

I want my mark on him.

I want him to remember me after I’m long gone.

I want to be the one he can’t stop thinking about, because after tonight, I know I won’t. It’s like this total stranger is becoming embedded into my fibers, slowly rewiring himself and intertwining our destinies. I’m called to him, and I can’t stop myself as the heat rises to a scalding temperature and my knife’s blade lifts to his chest. There isn’t an ounce of hesitation as those low-lidded eyes stare back at me in encouragement.

He wants this.

I cut into his skin, reveling in the way his body shudders beneath me before he slams into me quicker and harder. I try to keep my wrist steady as I carve the letters TK above his heart.

Seeing my initials on him does something primal to me. I’ve marked him. He’s mine.

As his blood wells up from the cuts, I trace a finger over it before bringing it to my lips. I seal my lips around my digit as my eyes close and I hum at the explosion of copper on my tongue.

He tastes good.

His hand snatches the nape of my hair, dragging me down to him as my eyes fly open. His hips shoot off the bed, slapping into mine so hard that specks dance in my vision as the beginning of my climax begins to crest.

“Do you like the way I taste, Little Devil? Do you like the way I fucking bleed for you?” He groans.

I nod quickly. “Yes!”

He slams me down on him, and it’s like everything reaches a head. My core spasms uncontrollably while a broken sob escapes past my lips. My climax grips me in an iron fist, sending my whole body shaking as I fight to hold on to Reed like my life depends on it.

“Fuck!” he curses loudly before his motions turn sloppy and he buries himself deep. Heat floods me, and I gasp as he wraps his arms around my waist and drags me into his chest.

His embrace is warm, and for a small second, I let myself relax into him. My cheek squishes against his chest as one of my hands buries in his hair. I listen as his heart rate begins to slow down and our pants become more even and light.

My mind is reeling, but I’m…comfortable. I feel safe. When was the last time I felt I could trust myself with another person? The last time I felt seen rather than just heard?

Am I thinking too deeply about this?

I lift my head slowly, not surprised to see that he’s fallen back asleep. I’m honestly shocked he stayed awake this long, but it leaves me with more questions than answers.

“What am I doing?” I rise off him, gently removing his hands from me and placing them back over his chest. Something akin to disappointment pangs my chest as I turn away from him and press a fist to my forehead. “He’s just a guy, Thalia. They’re all the same.”