Ignoring that, I press my lips to hers.
It’s gentle, not hard like the first time. A warm, lingering touch, mouth closed. I do it again, brushing our lips together lightly.
She wasn’t expecting gentleness. I can tell because she stares up at me, startled.
“Close your eyes. Unclench your hands from my hair. And get your knee out of my ribs.”
“How many more rules will there be for this one kiss?”
“Do it. Now.”
She does everything I asked. Grudgingly. Then, when I only stay still, staring at her sweet mouth, she whispers, “Hurry up and get it over with.”
Her voice trembles.
I know it’s not from fear.
I also know the way to deal with her isn’t with brute force. She won’t respond to that. It’ll only make her fight harder.
This girl needs to be teased open.
Unfurled slowly, one petal at a time.
I gently kiss one corner of her mouth. Then the other. Then I softly kiss her nose and chin.
“What the hell are you doing?”
“Kissing you. Shut up.”
She makes an aggravated noise, which I ignore. Trailing my lips down the side of her neck, I pause to press another gentle kiss to the pulse throbbing there. I stroke the tip of my tongue along it.
A fine tremor runs through her chest.
She says my name breathlessly.
I ignore that as well.
Nuzzling my nose into the curve where her neck meets her shoulder makes her shudder. I inhale deeply against her skin. She smells so sweet, I want to bite her.
So I do.
“Malek!”
“The sooner you stay quiet, the sooner this will be over. Keep interrupting me, and I’ll make this kiss last all night long.”
Which, now that I think of it, might not be a bad idea.
She’s breathing hard now. Tense and trembling beneath me. I know exactly why she wants me to stop. It’s the same reason I won’t.
She likes the feel of my mouth on her skin.
And I like how much she hates that she likes it.
I kiss a soft trail along her clavicle to her shoulder, nosing the neckline of her white cotton T-shirt aside to get there. I kiss my way back and dip my tongue into the dent at the base of her throat.
“Please. Stop. Stop this.”
Her voice is hoarse. Her whole body trembles. I feel like someone just lit me on fire.
“You want Spider to die?”
“I just want this to be over.”
“It will be.”
“When?”
“Soon enough.”
When she opens her mouth to protest, I slide my thumb inside it and growl, “Suck on that, or I’ll give you something to choke on.”
Her teeth press down hard against my finger. I fist my other hand into her hair.
“Draw blood, and I’ll make Spider’s death last a few weeks.”
She makes an angry noise, staring up at me in fury.
“You want this to be over? Close your eyes. And suck.”
Our eyes clash. She doesn’t obey me immediately, so I wait to see what she’ll decide.
I know full well that the bite of an adult human can cause massive destruction to a finger. Possibly even sever it. She’d do damage to her teeth and jaw, but I doubt she’d care.
I don’t care, either. It would be worth losing a finger just for this look on her face.
Finally, she closes her eyes. She exhales a short, angry breath through her nose.
When she starts to suck on my thumb, my already-hard dick throbs in response.
I lower my head and kiss her throat, licking and nipping at it. She moans around my thumb.
That sound shoots an arrow of heat straight through my body, right down to my balls. I’ve never heard anything sexier.
She’s your enemy. Enemy! Remember?
My brain keeps trying to tell me that, but my dick has other ideas about our relationship.
Other, very strong ideas.
I remove my thumb from her mouth and replace it with my tongue.
She forgets she hates me kissing her and arches into me with a sigh, opening her mouth to kiss me back passionately.
She’s all heat and shivering nerves, pounding pulse and hunger. If her earlier angry resistance surprised me, the way she responds when she’s aroused surprises me even more.
She’s needy. Greedy.
Almost as much as I am.
The kiss grows deeper and hotter. We’re both breathing hard. I’m starting to sweat. I love the way her mouth feels. The sweet, soft heat. Her warm lips. I love the way she clings to me with her body curved and both hands dug into my hair.
I love the feel of her hard nipples against my chest.
I want to feel them against my bare skin, not through my shirt. I want to suck on them, bite them, pinch them until she begs me to fuck her.