Run To Me (Lazarus Rising #4)(24)

Her head turned. Her gaze met his. “I’m not as beautiful as Reva.”

As far as he was concerned, she was a thousand times more gorgeous. “I guess that depends on who you ask.”

Willow blinked.

He didn’t move closer to her, though he sure wanted to do so. “I happen to think no other woman on earth can compare to you.”

Her lips pressed together. More silence. Then… “Lines like that come easy to you, don’t they? You can charm anyone you want.”

Anger hummed within him. “You think I’m feeding you a line?”

“I don’t know.” Her response was soft.

His eyes narrowed. “Why don’t you just look into my head and find out if I’m telling you the truth?”

Her stare jerked away from his. She stared out the window once more. “I see fears—”

“Is that really all you see?” Jay pushed.

But she’d pressed her lips together once more.

“Now who is keeping secrets?” he murmured.

The limo drove through the darkness. He didn’t push her again because Jay knew Willow was already on the edge. He could practically see the fine tension in her body.

“I didn’t like the way I felt when I was around Reva.” She gave her confession in a hushed voice.

He waited.

“Angry, furious, and I-I kept seeing you two together in my head. She was saying that you wouldn’t stay with me, and it shouldn’t have mattered. We aren’t lovers. I shouldn’t have cared at all. But I could feel the darkness inside of me. It was getting stronger. Worse.”

“Baby, you aren’t the only one who has a darkness inside. Everyone does.”

She licked her lips. “We aren’t lovers.”

“No.” Unfortunately, they—

Her stare came back to him. “But I think I’d like for us to be.”





Chapter Six


She’d said it. Actually let those words and the secret desire escape her. But now Jay had gone completely still. He stared at her with his deep, dark eyes, and she could see every detail of his face perfectly. His hard jaw had locked. The skin near his eyes had tightened. His breathing came a little faster. He—

“Be careful what you say, Willow. Some things can’t be taken back.”

“I don’t want to take this back.” She still felt jealous. Jealous. She was angry. She was scared. Adrenaline pounded through her body, but Willow was sure of one thing. “I want you.”

He cursed. “Fucking hell.”

Willow blinked as she felt a knot tie in the bottom of her stomach. Fucking hell. Not exactly the impassioned response she’d hoped to get. Didn’t he still want her? “You changed your mind?”

He gave a rough laugh. “Changed my mind? About you? Oh, yeah, that shit won’t ever happen. As long as I can breathe, I’ll want you.” But he made no move to close the distance between them. “Wondering about the sudden turnaround, that’s all. Because you told me to keep my hands off—”

“I want to know what it’s like. You remember your lovers. The way they made you feel. The pleasure you had.” Jealousy burned again. “But I have none of that. It was all taken from me. Every single moment. I want to get it back. I want to see what it feels like, I want to know more than just fear and pain and rage. I want pleasure, too.”

“So anybody would do?” His voice deepened. “A body in the dark? Is that all you need?”

She shook her head. “No.” Didn’t he get it? “I want you.”

Now he moved forward. Not a fast lunge toward her. But slowly, carefully, as if he thought she might run away. They were trapped in the back of the limo, where exactly could she go? Besides, Willow wasn’t interested in running from him. Not then.

His hand lifted and the back of his fingers stroked over her cheek. “Once won’t be enough.”

His touch seemed to sink right through her.

“I’ll want you again and again.”

He couldn’t know that. Once might be plenty. Once—

“And I’ll make sure you feel the same way.” His hand slid down to her chin. He tilted her head up, and then his lips pressed to her mouth. A soft kiss at first. As if he were sampling her, getting to know her taste. Her lips parted for him, though, because she wanted more. She wanted the wild rush of passion. The quick release of pleasure.

His tongue slid into her mouth. A moan escaped her, and her hands rose to curl around his shoulders. Her nails sank into his suit. The kiss started as a tender touch, but with every second that passed, it grew stronger. Rougher. Hotter.

She wanted his clothes out of her way. She wanted to see what it was like to touch him all over. To feel a lover, skin to skin. All of her memories were gone, and Willow felt as if she’d been robbed. Everything had been taken from her. Every. Single. Thing.

It was time for her to take back her life. To start living just like everyone else.

Even if she wasn’t exactly like everyone else.

She shoved at his suit coat, wanting it out of the way.

But Jay gave a ragged laugh. “Sweetheart, my first time with you won’t be a rushed fuck in the back of a limo.”

Why not? The image was hot.

“I’m going to take my time with you.” He was kissing a white-hot trail down her neck. She arched up against him as her heart pounded faster. His left hand had slid down her body. It rested on her stomach, and she wanted his fingers to move. She wanted him to touch her breasts. To touch her—all over. That was what lovers did, right? They touched. They pleasured.