“The most important rule is rule number one.”
When he doesn’t immediately continue, I arch into him, causing him to release a small groan as a heat starts in my core, wanting him a lot more with every tortured sound he makes.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” he asks. “Seems rather abrupt.”
He turns my face, his eyes narrowing on mine like he’s searching for valid permission.
He needs to feed on sexual energy after spending so much of it on this party. Vance said he doesn’t feed anymore. It’s what I tell myself to feel better about how stupid this probably is.
“I want to spend my birthday with the only person who planned to spend it with me, and I don’t want to overthink it. Are you sure you want to do this?”
His lips twitch, and he pushes my jeans the rest of the way down. Normally, I’d be a little shier at this point in the process—half dressed and awkwardly getting onto the part where we’re lost in the moment—but it’s Damien. He’s likely seen the vast majority of my body in every state of undress.
His lack of boundaries are disturbing…until you get to know him and understand him a little better. You know…if you can appreciate the fact he’s not a typical man and all.
To be honest, I’m still adjusting.
“Then let me explain rule number one. It’s simple, really,” he says, his lips brushing over mine as his hand runs up my hip. “Don’t fucking die.”
Chapter 19
VIOLET
I’m the one working not to smile this time, since I know he’s being serious. He fortunately doesn’t notice as he lifts up and pulls his shirt over his head.
I’m not sure where it lands, because my efforts to restrain a smile get lost as I gawk, taking in every uncovered inch of Damien Morpheous.
It’s…not something I’m prepared for, because it’s like he’s meant to be stared at, and I’ve been exposed for far too long.
His lips find mine in a surprising, hungry kiss, and I pull him down, bringing his body close enough to touch mine, wishing my shirt was gone as well. My fingers dig into the firm flesh of his back as I kiss him with a little more eagerness, and my hips arch into him, finding just a teasing amount of friction.
He groans into my mouth as he breaks the kiss, breathing raggedly against my ear as he grinds himself into the cradle of my thighs.
“You have no idea the power you hold over me when you look at me like that, Violet. Remember I’m a man cursed to be starved for attention and pleasure, and you’re giving me as much as I can get of both in one dose.”
His hands lift and catch my wrists, pulling my hands off him as he pins them to the bed on either side of my head. Holding me there, he stares down at me.
“The second I’m inside you, tell me to put on the chains,” he says as he lifts up.
As he lets go of my hands, I keep them where they are, even as I find myself tempted to touch him again.
He toys with the hem of my shirt before he tugs it hard, whipping it over my head without me even sitting up. In nothing but my underwear, I take in the smirking Morpheous who is kneeling between my thighs as he spreads them wider.
He pulls a necklace from his pocket—a leather cord bound around a crystal—and slips it over his head. I don’t argue when he lifts my head and slides a matching one onto me.
“This keeps me from feeding and from losing my mind completely. Starvation makes a man’s monster try to creep out. Still, the chains are a good idea, because I lose control of myself at a certain point, and I take selfishly if I’m not stopped,” he says, leaning down to brush his lips over mine like he’s worried I’m going to back out.
The crystal of his necklace drags across my skin as he hovers over me. His attention dips to my neck, kissing a spot there that has my entire body humming.
“I’m going to use a lot of my gift on you, since it’ll be the most pleasurable for you that way,” he murmurs, lifting my leg over his hip. “Possibly the best experience of your life,” he adds with a cocky grin against my neck, only forcing me to swallow against the nervous knot in my throat. “But you have to tell me to stop when you feel the beginnings of pain. Okay?”
I nod lazily, as I try to pull his body down against mine instead of letting him just hover.
He easily resists my pull, since he’s a helluva lot stronger than me. It makes me question just how strong Vance is, since he kicked Damien’s ass. That makes me question how strong Arion is, since he kicked Vance’s ass…I think. Didn’t he?
I shake out of my distraction, because Damien kisses another spot on my neck. “You’ll easily be safe so long as you do that. It’ll get gradually more painful, and you’ll have no choice but to tell me to stop. I’ll very likely stop myself, because there’s only a certain point where I can lose my control,” he goes on, his hand carefully moving between my back and the bed.
I feel my bra come undone, and as he continues talking, he slowly moves it away, one arm at a time.
“Wait!” I shout, causing him to startle and close his eyes as he exhales harshly around a groan.
I quickly dig into my loosened bra, feeling the vials start to roll down the sides of my breasts, and breathe out in quick relief when none of them break.
Damien’s eyes reopen, and the defeat there quickly fades to amusement when he sees why I’ve stopped him.
He gently takes all the vials, and he’s off me in the next instant. It’s amazing at the speed he has. One second he’s on me, then across the room, and the next, he’s plucking my bra off me completely as he resettles himself between my legs again.
“I’m happy we didn’t crush those,” he drawls, lips twitching as his eyes soak in the sight of me with an intense appraisal that I pretend to be okay with.
“Me too. Rookie mistake,” I say very seriously, since my bra is more armed than usual these days.
His lips capture mine again in a slow, drugging kiss that seems to go on and on.
By the time he stops, I feel like every inch of me is on fire and desperate for his touch.
“Chains and pain, Violet. Don’t forget,” he murmurs against my lips as the slight rattle of chains from behind me draw my eyes open again.
I look up at the chains mounted to the wall behind the headboard, a huge steel band anchoring them there as they hang down to the bed just above my head. The cuffs attached to them are at least three inches wide and two inches thick, and they almost look silver.
“The necklaces do all the work, though, in case I do forget to stop you, right?” I ask.
“You won’t. You think you will, but you won’t forget,” he goes on. “These necklaces just give you control of me. I get splitting migraines if I don’t do as I’m told.”
A small thrill shoots through me, and his eyes narrow on mine, even as his lips strain against the smile trying to spread over his extremely tempting lips. “Don’t get too hot about it, Violet. You’ll want me in control other than that.”
“Stop talking and prove it,” I say with a small grin, testing my authority.
He vanishes in the next instant, and my smile falls.
His weight is gone, and the room is empty, even though I’m sure he’s standing close.
I start to move my hands over my breasts when I feel too exposed, unsure how many more times he’s going to do this just when things are getting good.
Firm hands grab my wrists abruptly and shove them above my head. My breath comes out harshly when I realize he’s still over me, but I can’t feel him or his pressure on the bed.
“The mind is confused when it can feel and hear something it can’t see,” he murmurs, his lips dragging across my cheek. “I can’t handle seeing a woman look directly into my eyes when I bring her pleasure, or else I lose all control,” he adds, his free hand dragging down my bare side as his others keep mine clasped over my head at the wrists.
Maybe it’s the masochist in me, but I really wouldn’t mind seeing what that’s like…