"It's okay. I'd like to be polite and let you sleep. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow."
She took a deep breath, drawing my focus back to her cleavage. This had a devastating effect on my senses. Tension gathered in my jaw. My stomach clenched.
"Please stay," she said. "I'm really not comfortable with you out of my sight, especially with all the Lamias hanging around."
"What about Bijarki?" I asked with a smirk.
"He's a big incubus. He can take care of himself."
"Take it you're jealous they're all into me, then?"
I had a hard time containing myself. She was such an easy target when it came to other creatures paying attention to me. Her inability to hide her discomfort was downright endearing and brought out the joker in me. I loved playing with her even when I knew I'd get scratched-like playing with a tigress.
A shadow passed over Anjani's face. She raised her arms to her side in a gesture of exasperation. "Yes! Okay? Yes, I'm jealous!"
Her raised voice stunned me. My heart stopped.
"I can't bear the thought of other creatures touching you or even getting close to you, okay? Is that what you want to hear? Well, there you have it! I don't want you looking at them. I can't get you out of my head, and I'm still shaking from your kiss! There! Happy?"
Her confession floored me. My mind suddenly put two and two together. The glances, the frowns, the way she got so defensive around me. Her whole play about influencing me with her succubus nature had been her way to prove herself strong. Whether she'd wanted to prove it to me or herself was still unclear. Nevertheless, it ignited something inside of me.
Silence fell between us as we looked at each other. My heart raced, frantically struggling against the constraints of my ribcage. She was so beautiful and fierce, and yet, in that moment, her vulnerability made my spine tingle. It must have taken great strength for her to tell me the truth about how she felt.
Anjani took a deep breath, then crossed the room in several wide steps. The closer she got, the faster my heart throbbed. She pushed me against the wall, and the next thing I knew, her mouth was on mine. Her lips beckoned mine to open, and I took her with everything I had.
My arms wrapped around her body. My fingers slid over the silk as our tongues met. My hands found her bare back, and I felt her quiver as my skin touched hers. She pushed her chest forward. Her arms coiled around my neck as I pulled her closer to me.
We were hungry and unable to stop devouring each other. I deepened the kiss, my fingers pressing into her flesh. She ran her fingers through my hair, building more tension in my lower body.
I felt her relax as her succubus nature unfolded, streaming through me like white fire and making my head light. I welcomed it all, everything she had to give, including everything she'd struggled to hide. I kissed her face and made my way to her ear, my teeth nipping the lobe. She trembled in my arms, and I instinctively pushed my hips forward, eager to make her feel everything that she was doing to me.
Our lips found each other again, molding perfectly into a kiss that nearly threw me off the edge. I ran my hands up her back and gently scratched my way back down. She moaned and abandoned herself in my arms, her heart echoing into mine.
There was no turning back from here. There was no way of pretending this kiss didn't happen. Something had shifted between us, and it could no longer be ignored. Our bodies reacted to one another like strings plucked in unison.
And I couldn't get enough of her.
Jovi
///
It felt as though it took us forever to regain control of ourselves. Anjani eventually pushed herself back, taking deep breaths as we looked at each other. Our eyes said what our mouths couldn't.
I took her hand and guided her to the bed, on which I lay and took her in my arms. We were both exhausted, as the events of the day finally started to kick in. She fell asleep first, her body perfectly molded against mine. I drifted off slowly, listening to the sound of her breathing. Her hair tickled my nose.
As dawn cast its warm light into the tree, I ran my fingers through those seemingly endless curls, patiently waiting for Anjani to wake up on her own. I didn't have the heart to trouble her dreams. I leaned forward, breathing her scent in. Meadows and sunshine flickered in my mind, along with the image of her dancing across the tall grass. Sunlight made her glow like a diamond.
She'd gotten me hooked without even trying. On the contrary, she'd done her best to keep me at bay. Unfortunately, her best was no match for the mind-blowing chemistry between us. It was as absolute as the sun rising in the east. The effect she had on me was undeniable. All I had left to do was ride that wave and prove myself worthy of her attention.