Starlet: A Dark Retelling - Cora Kenborn Page 0,71

I back her against the door and cage her between my arms. If it weren’t for the neighbors, I’d fuck her right here against the door. Instead, I stick a boot between her legs and pin her arms, my body flush against hers.

Angel pulls at her restrained arms, and unable to move them, kicks her heel backward against the door. “Men are such controlling assholes.”

I push against her, rubbing friction between our bodies. She rewards me with a full groan. “Women are such manipulative bitches.”

Our eyes meet, and a moment later, we’re a tangle of lips, mouths, tongues, and hands. My fingers dive into her hair, weaving through the mass of dark waves to cradle her head.

She tastes incredible. Sweet and dangerous—a contradiction that fucks my mind up and sets it on a path of destruction. It’s a taste that makes a man want to protect her then do dirty, unspeakable things to her.

One hand drops from her face to her toned ass. It fits perfectly in my palm. But the skirt pisses me off, so I slide my hand underneath it to find bare skin.

No thong.

Fuck. Me.

Our kisses become frantic and teeth begin to clash as our breaths becomes choppy. As I dig my fingers into her skin, Angel draws my bottom lip between hers and bites down.

Shit, that’s it. I’m done.

Growling, I unlock the door, kick it open, and pick her up by the back of the thighs.

She wraps her legs around my waist, and as I carry her to my bedroom, she whispers against my lips, her voice hoarse from our hard kisses, “I still hate you.”

“Good,” I say, kicking my bedroom door shut.

Chapter Thirty

Angel

You can justify just about anything if you want it bad enough.

The logical side of me knew we crossed the line the first time we kissed. But again, justification made it easy. He’s a safe oasis nestled in the eye of chaos. Even though he can be bitter, there’s still beauty in his pain.

He’s cruel and bitter, yet still beautiful.

I stiffen, flung like a rag doll into a storm of static, scratches, and zigzag lightning. I can’t move as images flash through my mind.

I shake, saying the pieces of the Lord’s Prayer I can remember. I have no idea if it’s right. I can’t hear anything over the loud noises, so I cover my ears and close my eyes. I don’t know what makes me look up. It’s a feeling. One that wraps around me like a mother’s arms, but cold. Cold and dark. How can something so beautiful be so dark?

“Are you God?” I ask quietly.

“Hey, where’d you go?” Dominic’s rough voice washes over me as he stands by his bed and loosens his hold on my legs.

Shaken, I slowly slide down his body.

There’s a piece missing. I know it. I can feel it. It was right there.

“Angel?”

I glance at the floor, sure if he looks in my eyes, he’ll see through me to these images. These voices. These thoughts in my head. He’ll ask questions I can’t answer. He’ll tell me this man isn’t real, when I hear his voice.

“Nowhere. I’m right here with you.” To shut him up, I grab the base of my shirt and pull it over my head in one fluid motion, tossing it behind me.

Dominic’s eyes darken. “Fuck, Angel.” The words rumble from his throat in a half growl, half groan as he lunges for me. I’m all too happy to meet his grasp. The less we talk, the fewer questions I have to answer.

The moment his hands touch me, we turn into a frenzy of torn clothing and licked skin. He rips my bra open, and I tug at his shirt. Once I have it off, I run my hands down the hard planes of his chest, tracing the litany of tattoos when he stills both my wrists.

“Don’t be greedy. I unwrapped my dessert first.” Bending his head, he takes a nipple in his mouth.

Throwing my head back, I moan as sensation tears through me. “Dominic,” I beg. Shame is no longer a word I know. He’s pushed me past the point of caring.

Glancing up, he chuckles. “Patience, rook. You might miss something good.”

“Fuck patience,” I groan, running my hands down his chest again. “I need you now.”

“What did I say about being greedy?” He gives my ass a hard slap and moves around me until the back of my legs press against the mattress. “I’ve waited five weeks for this, so I’m going to