Darkest Sins (Perfectly Imperfect #9)

“They can. When you love someone, you can forgive anything.”

“Not this.”

I lean toward him until my lips brush over his. “How about a trade, then?”

“I have nothing to offer you, cub. Only my blood, my life, and the army of ghosts at my back everywhere I go.”

“Then, I’ll have you just the way that you are, my demon,” I say into his mouth. “And I don’t care about the ghosts.”

Something breaks inside my chest, causing physical pain. It’s so massive that, for a moment, I can’t draw breath. My eyes bore into Nera’s, looking for lies or deceit. There is none. Justtenderness. Love. I don’t deserve it. Don’t deserve her. But I’m going to take it anyway.

“Done.” I bite her lower lip, sealing the bargain. “I was already yours anyway, tiger cub.”

Years of waiting to see her again, dreaming of touching her one more time while knowing I’d never get another chance. Longing. Pain. Rage. Love. Everything that was brewing inside me for so long finally explodes. I grab the sides of her silk shirt and tug at the soft fabric, tearing it off her body and causing a small yelp to leave Nera’s lips. She pushes my shirt off my shoulders and sinks her teeth into my neck while my hands find the delicate black lace that holds her full breasts. I tear it off, too, then slide my hands up her thighs, raising her skirt.

“Ass. Up,” I growl.

Her arms wrap around my neck as she nips my lips. “It’s so hot when you bark orders at me, demon.”

I hook my fingers on the string of her panties and slide them down her legs. My cock is stretching the fly of my pants so taut that I barely manage to lower the zipper.

“I’ve dreamed of being inside you again for years,” I say next to her ear as I trail my palms down the small of her back to grab her ass, positioning myself at her entrance. “I’ve imagined how you’ll smell. The tiny sounds you’ll make.” Slowly, I slide inside her warmth, one agonizing half inch at a time, savoring every single moment. “I’ve wondered if it would feel the same. Like before.”

A strained noise leaves her throat as she takes me into her wet core. Her eyes are closed and her hands are in my hair, pulling some of the strands free of their restraint. “And does it? Feel the same?”

“Even better.” I thrust to the hilt, then grab her chin, tilting her face to look at me. “I’ve missed you so fucking much.”

I’m about to blow, but I make myself stop and hold still, capturing her gaze with mine. The sensation of being inside her, our bodies joined in the most intimate of ways—is this how it feels to be alive?

“Can you grasp the vastness of nothingness within my soul if you’re not near?” I pull out, then slide into her again. Small tremors quake her body, and her eyelids flutter like the wings of a butterfly, but her amber orbs stay pinned to mine. “Everything is gray and empty. You are my lifeline, tiger cub, because there is no life for me if you’re not in it.”

“I wanted to die,” she manages through ragged breath, then gasps as I plunge back into her heat. “When I thought I’d never see you again, I just wanted to die.”

One of her hands slips down, grabbing my chin and mimicking my hold. Our breaths mix as we gaze at each other with unwavering stares. Pain shoots across my scalp when she squeezes my hair in her fist. The jolt travels straight to my pulsating cock inside her spasming walls, revving up that need for release.

“Don’t you fucking dare leave me again,” she says through her teeth.

“Over ninety-nine million,” I growl as I keep slamming into her. “That’s how many seconds I’ve spent without you. And every single one felt like death, Nera.” I crush my mouth to hers. “Never again.”

My eyes are locked on hers as I pull out and push into her again. And again. And again. The dresser rattles from our unrelenting rhythm, banging against the wall with each hammerof my hips. Nera’s soft whimpers transform into moans, ardent and getting louder. So I slide my palm over her lips.

“Bite down on it, cub.”

Two rows of white teeth sink into my flesh. I use my free hand to grab her leg, opening her wider. My cock wedges deeper with every thrust, the pressure in me building. We can’t be any closer than we are now, but it still doesn’t feel like enough. I increase my tempo, slamming into her at a devilish pace. Her teeth clamp harder on my hand.

With the lights flooding the room, I can soak up every delicate detail of her pretty face. Her brilliant eyes, twinkling like two distant stars. The perfect bow of her rosy mouth. Tiny, button nose. Every one of her features is engraved on my mind, and still, I can’t stop watching her.

Thrust. Mine! Another. Another. The dresser wobbles. My tiger cub! My shining star. I should pull back, go easy—I’m being too rough with her—but I can’t. What ifthisis just a dream? What if I wake up and she’s not here? I pound into her faster. Harder. More.

Her dark-blonde hair has come fully undone, and it’s plastered to her sweat-dampened cheeks. Rugged breaths, fanning my skin. The smell of our vigorous lovemaking. And the muffled mewling sounds that manage to escape her throat.

Mine. All mine.

Nera’s body starts to shake, her pussy pulses around my cock. As she releases her bite on my hand, I crush her to me and slam my mouth to hers, swallowing her scream as she unravels. Wave after wave of tremors racks her body. I hold her gaze through every ebb and flow. My beautiful tiger cub. My lifeline. Coming undone for me.

But once isn’t enough. I need to see it again. Right fucking now. I pull my aching cock out and press my thumb to her quivering core, massaging her clit with slow but firm strokes. A moan leaves Nera’s lips as she arches her back, her eyes closed.

With my free hand, I seize her chin, squeezing lightly. “Look at me.”