This Side of the Grave (#5 Night Huntress)

“After tomorrow, we won’t see each other for a little while,” I replied, voice low and throaty. “So I want to make sure that you have something to
remember me by.”
Chapter Twenty-one
I reached out to Bones with deliberate slowness, batting his hands away when he sought to pull me down again.
“No,” I said, pushing him flat against the bed. “Tonight, I’m in charge. Your only job is to lie back, relax, and”—memory of words he’d once said
made a soft laugh escape me—“let me work.”
His brow arched even as a wicked smile tugged at his mouth. “I’d tell you to be gentle, but we both know I wouldn’t mean it.”
No, he wouldn’t, and that knowledge only fueled my desire. Bones might be a master at control, but once pushed past his limit, he made love the
same way he fought; ferocious, unbridled, and inexhaustible. I couldn’t count how many bed frames we’d ruined in our time together, and I hoped
there were many more broken ones ahead of us in our future.
“Close your eyes,” I told him. He did, and I pressed on his lids lightly to punctuate my next point. “Keep them closed until I tell you otherwise.”
That little smirk still hugged his mouth as he complied. “Fancy me calling you mistress as well? You could always punish me if I forget and
address you as Kitten.”
“No ‘mistress,’ and no more talking, either,” I said, biting back my grin even though he couldn’t see it.
Then, with far more slowness than I usually used, I unbuttoned his shirt, letting my knuckles brush his skin. Once that was off, I moved to his pants,
controlling my urge to reach inside and instead treating his zipper to the same slow handling. With his pants undone, I dragged them down an inch
at a time until they slid past his feet. Then, at last, I allowed myself to stare. Bones’s body was a pale, smooth landscape of beauty, the only dark
interruptions being the thin line of hair on his stomach that flared to a patch of darker curls cradling the only fat thing on him. His skin gleamed with a
vampire’s natural incandescence, emphasizing the hard muscles, lean lines, and enticing contours. His entire body invited touch, and I accepted
that invitation.
My fingers grazed his chest, measuring his reaction in his deepening scent and the thrum of power in the air. His eyes remained closed, arms
folded beneath his head for comfort—or maybe because he knew that showed off his chest to greater benefit. Probably the latter. Bones had
mastered the art of seduction before this country even elected its first president. I continued trailing my fingers down his chest, enjoying the feel of
him underneath their tips. He might be far more experienced at making someone weak with desire, but I had an edge, too. I knew everything he
liked, and I was going to exploit that knowledge to my fullest advantage.
I splayed my hands along his ribs and moved them slowly up to his raised arms. His power tingled against my palms, sending pleasant vibrations
through me. Then, I placed both hands on his chest and rubbed my thumbs across his nipples. They hardened to match the rest of his body.
“I love your hands,” he sighed. “You think I look like an angel? Well, Kitten, your hands are my heaven and your eyes are my home.”
The words warmed me, but his voice was its own temptation with its smooth English accent and sensual undercurrents. If I let him keep talking,
he could entice me into doing whatever he wanted instead of what I’d planned.
“Shhh . . .” I drew out. Bones might not be able to see my smile, but he could probably feel it as I brushed my mouth over his in a feathery kiss.
“Mmm, my mistake,” he murmured, stretching in a way that sent muscles rippling down his body.
I licked my lips, forcing down my urge to follow those ripples with my tongue. Instead, I let my hands wander at will, stroking and touching him from
his face to his feet and back again. Honestly, I hadn’t spent so much time just handling him before. Lust usually cut short such a thorough exploration
since I lacked his patience and control. Tonight was different, though. Feeling him this way, lingering over the curves of his body and enjoying the
low sounds of pleasure he made, was more than arousing; it was affirming. Bones was mine, and no matter what the future threw at us, we’d meet it
together, come hell or high water.
He rolled onto his stomach when I directed him to, revealing those wide shoulders, the narrow curve of his waist, and the twin hard mounds of his
buttocks. This time, it wasn’t enough for me to merely caress him. I crouched over him, running my mouth down his spine and feeling his shiver
underneath my lips.
The taste of his skin and his scent was like an aphrodisiac. I climbed on the bed, letting my hair tease his flesh as I continued to drag my mouth
over him, licking and nibbling everywhere. He began to make low, guttural noises with every new inch of his back, ass, and legs that I gave the
same thorough attention to.
“Sweet bleedin’ hell, luv, this was a smashing idea.”
His voice was strained, and his hands were now clenched into fists. I didn’t comment on him speaking this time, but bit gently into a muscled
cheek, not breaking his skin with my fangs, just applying pressure. Then my tongue crept out for a long lick while I pressed my bare breasts against
the back of his thighs. His shudder reverberated underneath my mouth and along my subconscious as his arousal touched me even though his
hands stayed where they were.
“More.”