Wicked Burn (Realm Enforcers #3)(45)

“There is nothing weak about you, and you worry about nothing.” She rolled her eyes.

“Oh yeah? I worry every day about where you are, what you’re doing, and what harm might come your way. I worry that you won’t call me when you need help.” He settled his raging cock between her legs. “I worry about Zane, about the nation, about his baby, and about his mate. I worry about the king, the Realm, and even the damn Coven Nine.” He leaned in until his lips hovered just above hers. “More than all of that, I worry that I’ll never get to taste you again. Each time I do, it hurts because I know it might be the last time.”

Then he lowered his head, and his lips took hers.





Chapter 17


Simone didn’t have time to answer, even if she had a reply, before Nick kissed her. He took her deep in a sensual assault that was all the more dangerous for the gentleness behind it.

She wanted fast and hard, and she wanted to forget reality. But as he kissed her, sweeping her mouth with his tongue, she could do nothing but accept him—all of him. His hard body against hers, pressing her into the carpet. His dick at her core, straining against her, wanting inside so badly.

Of their own volition, her thighs widened to make room for him. Now, with him over her, she felt alive in a way she’d forgotten.

Even with danger all around them, for the moment, only he existed.

He reared back, stretched across her, keeping her hands captive. “Your beauty, as stunning as it is, barely compares with the wonder inside you. The absolute sweetness and spirit at your core.” He threaded his fingers through hers. “The brilliance and the kindness.”

She blinked, tears suddenly pricking her eyes. Most men stopped at her face or her body and never looked deeper. Nick had always seen her in a way that exposed too much. “Nick—”

“No, baby.” He licked across her bottom lip, sending sparks of pleasure through her mouth to zing down to her breasts. “No retreating and no hiding. Not tonight.”

The struggle inside her, the one motivated by self-preservation, stilled. She settled into the thick carpet, her fingers curling between his. She didn’t have the strength or energy to fight his demand, and frankly, she didn’t want to. The memory of the little cottage he’d bought for her so long ago wouldn’t leave her mind or her heart. Not yet, anyway. “I’ve missed you, Nicholai.”

His eyes darkened in the way they did when she used his full name. “My dreams have been filled with you, even in the worst of times. You gave me hope.”

How the hell was she supposed to shield herself from that kind of truth? She stretched up and took his mouth, not surprised when he pressed her back down, taking over the kiss with heat and a demon’s fire. She tried to focus. “I have something to tell you. We need to talk.”

“We will.” He licked down her neck, kissed her collarbone, and moved to her breasts. His hands pressed hers to the ground. “Stay where I put you.” Releasing her, he caressed across her chest.

“No.” She wanted to touch every inch of him, just in case the world turned south again. Memories and dreams mattered in her world. She lifted her hands—

“Stop.” His head rose, and demand glittered in his eyes. “Hands. Back. Down.”

She faltered and then stiffened. “Bossy doesn’t work for me.”

The air changed, grew heated. “Put your hands back down, or I will.” He clasped her hips, his fingers digging in.

She grinned. “Your hands are busy.”

“Who says I need my hands?” he asked silkily.

She paused. Challenge and curiosity rose in her, hard and fast. “I do.”

That quickly, her hands slammed back down on either side of her head, invisible ropes winding around her wrists. Invisible ties much stronger than she was. Her mouth dropped open, and heat flashed through her. “Nick.”

He lowered his head and sucked a nipple into his mouth. Lava engulfed her, and she arched against him, even while trying to think. Mind control? Very few demons had the ability, and it usually took eons to develop. “Wait,” she whispered. Could he use her powers? Was she vulnerable?

His tongue lashed her nipple and then he released her to pin her with a hungry gaze. “I can’t force you to do anything you don’t want to do, and I can’t control your mind or even combine powers with you unless you let me. However, with you aroused, apparently I can have some effect on your body.” His slow smile held more threat than amusement. “Agree to behave.”

That was it. Fire flashed along her wrists, and she broke free of the mental ropes.

He laughed out loud. “Beautiful. You really want to play?”

She lifted her chin. “Bring it on.”

His gaze pinned hers, and heat slid through her brain, inside her skull. A force, one she fought, slowly lowered her hands back to the carpet. Her breath caught, and she tried to fight the bonds, but they held fast this time.

His power intrigued the hell out of her.

She breathed out, unable to look away.

Ice, the strong sense of it, washed along her torso. She tilted her head, her eyes widening. “How?”

He didn’t answer, but the ice slid lower, along her abdomen,

She tried to move, caught in the moment, but the ice didn’t stop. If she was able to look, she wouldn’t see anything, but the cube felt as real as any ice cube invented. The second the chill moved over her clit, she moaned and pushed hard against him. The ice slid inside her, and she bit her lip to keep from orgasming.