Chapter Twenty-Five: Safe Words and Coming Home

I pulled back just enough to look into his eyes. Part of me wanted to laugh, but I knew better. I knew that if I gave him the go ahead, Vincent would track Peter down and wipe him out of existence. It was a heady kind of power, one that I had never experienced, and it scared me. What scared me even more was that I was considering it.

What was that old saying? Evil only prevails when good men do nothing?

"You would do it." I murmured, brushing my fingertips along the muscle feathering his strong jaw. "Wouldn't you?"

"In a heartbeat."

"Even though he's a cop?"

There was a wicked edge to Vincent's grin. "Especially because he's a cop."

At that I did laugh. The sound was breathy and didn't sound like my own. "Let's put a pin in that for now."

"You're actually thinking about it?"

"I would rather find a way to put him behind bars, because if I stoop to that level, I'm no better than him. But if the opportunity rises, I'd be stupid to overlook it. He's hurt more than just my family." I gave him a wry smile. "The bad guy only ever has the chance to come back in the stories because the hero took the high road."

"And you're not a hero?"

"Hell no. And neither are you."

There was something like pride shining in those green depths as he stared at me. I would be a liar if I said that look on his face didn't cause my whole body to flush in response. Without questioning myself, for once, I tangled my fingers in his soft hair. His pupils blew out as he met me halfway, his arms tightening in an entirely different way than they had only moments before. Within the span of a breath, teeth and tongue were fighting for dominance, and the lust that had banked since we entered my apartment came back with a vengeance.

I couldn't get close enough to him.

In a movement I was quickly coming to love, Vincent hitched my legs up around his waist. He walked us back until he could set me on the counter, and then he settled himself between my thighs. A low moan dragged out of my throat as his erection pressed against me through our clothes. Goosebumps erupted over every inch of my skin as he skimmed his hands under the collar of my jacket, pushing it down my arms with a deliberateness that ached. I nearly growled at him.

"So impatient," he murmured, his breath coasting over my collarbone as he peppered kisses along my skin.

"Don't even start with me."

He laughed, the bastard, then continued his slow perusal. Once my arms were out of my jacket, he pitched it in the direction of the dining room. It missed the chair, but neither of us really cared at the moment. With the lightest touch, he drew my arms back up to wrap around his neck. His eyes were on mine as his fingers closed around the bottom of my top. His eyebrows arched, and I nodded at his unspoken question. He dragged the shirt over my head with the same agonizing slowness he had used with the jacket. The cool air in the apartment swept over my skin once my shirt was gone, and my nipples pebbled in an instant. Vincent's eyes raked over the newly exposed skin, and there was a hunger in his gaze that I knew was reflected in my own. My hands grasped at his jacket, but he caught my wrists before I could divest him of it.

"I wanted to take my time with you last night," he said, the darkness in his deep voice an entirely different beast than the one I was used to. "I blew that all to hell. So let me have this."

"Okay."

A blush crawled up my neck to settle in my cheeks, and Vincent's eyes glittered as he watched it. He was still moving with such restraint, his touches barely more than a tease as he brushed his fingers along the waistband of my pants. The anticipation was going to kill me if he didn't touch me. When he finally slid my jeans down my legs, I couldn't help the near whimper that escaped me. He went to his knees as he yanked the pants off completely, my underwear with them. And when he stayed there, my breath stalled in my throat.

That sense of power swept through me again. Because here was Vincent Monroe, one of the most lethal men in all of Valarian, on his knees. For me.

I was lucky I didn't come undone on the spot.

That ghost of a smile danced across his face as he looked up at me. Because, goddamn it, he knew the exact brand of havoc he was wreaking on my heart. And he was relishing in it. I forced myself to breathe again as he skated his hands up the back of my calves. When he reached my knees, he spread my legs apart so that I was completely bared to him. My chest was heaving as he kissed up my inner thighs, getting closer and closer to where I wanted him. Where I needed him.

"Juliette."

"Hmmm?"

His huffed chuckle caused a new round of goosebumps to erupt over every inch of my skin. "Do you have a safe word?"

That startled a laugh out of me. "Are you planning on me needing one?"

"Vanilla sex or outright kink, I believe you should always have one. And I'm sorry I didn't ask yesterday." The look on his face sobered me, and I forced my lust addled brain to get it together long enough to focus on what he was saying. "So, do you have one?"

"No."

"Then think of one." He squeezed my knees, an encouraging and comforting gesture. "It shouldn't be something you would normally say in the bedroom."

I rolled my eyes at him and used my foot to nudge his shoulder. "I know how it works, Vincent."

"So then pick one."

"Forest." Because as he stared up at me, those eyes of his were all I could think of.

His grin was slow as he nodded. Then he didn't waste another second before he was on me. He ran the flat of his tongue up the very center of me, and my blood turned molten. My head fell back to rest against the cabinet behind me, and then my eyes slipped closed. His hum of approval reverberated down to my bones, and I had to grip the edge of the counter to keep from sliding off.

This man was going to be the death of me.

Then his mouth closed over my clit, and I lost all train of thought.

He slid two fingers into me, curling them in a dizzying rhythm. A low moan rasped out of my throat, and it was like it snapped the tight leash Vincent had on himself. There was no more slow, teasing strokes. He was a man with a purpose, and he brought it to fruition before I could catch my breath. My release shattered through me, and it took everything in me to stifle the scream that wanted to burst forth. I settled for breathing his name as I came back to reality.

He stood in a fluid movement, drawing me into his arms with a sinful edge to his smile. It felt indecent for my naked skin to brush against the leather of his jacket. But I couldn't bring myself to protest as he carried me through the apartment. My eyelids were fluttering as I rested my head against his shoulder. There was a low rumble in his chest, and it took me a moment to realize it was laughter. I raised my head and narrowed my eyes at him.

He didn't comment before he tossed me onto my bed. A startled squeal burst from my mouth as I bounced against the mattress. I hastened to get my wits about me so that I could keep an eye on him. I had seen many sides of Vincent up to this point, but the predatory gleam in his eyes as he watched me from the end of the bed was new. It was doing funny things to my heart, making it uncertain if it wanted to pound or skip a couple beats. Our gazes held as he stripped. With each piece of clothing that fell to the floor, my mouth went dry. Christ, this man was beautiful. The lines of his body could have been carved by one of the great artists of the past. From the wide set of his shoulders to the tapered V that dipped below his waistband, Vincent was everything I could've ever imagined for myself.

Add in the fact that he seemed to see me more than anyone else ever had, and I was starting to understand why none of my past relationships had ever worked. This is what I had been waiting for. He was what I had been waiting for.

Or maybe I was lust drunk.

That was probably what it was.

"Juliette."

My gaze snapped to his at the sound of my name on his lips. His eyes smoldered into mine as he watched me through lowered lashes. The movement made his scar more prominent, and damn if that didn't make my thighs clench.

There was something wrong with me.

"Yes?" I asked, realizing he was still waiting on an answer.

"Stay with me," he murmured, moving onto the bed. He invaded my space, making sure he had my full attention before he continued. "I'm not finished with you just yet."

This man was going to send me into cardiac arrest if he didn't watch it. His touch was gentle, yet firm, as he took my face in his hands. His mouth covered mine and I let out a low moan. He took advantage of that and swept his tongue into my mouth, devouring me. I gripped his shoulders, pulling myself even farther into him. My hands skimmed up his arms, and I traced the hard planes of his chest. I could feel the rapid beat of his heart pulsing against my palm, and it made me smile into the kiss. A guttural sound dragged out of him as I let my hands slip lower.

One moment, I almost had him in my hands. And in the next Vincent had me flat on my stomach. The movement stole my breath again, and I let out a sound of protest.

Vincent's hand cracked against my ass, and my whole body went still.

Shit.

In the next breath he was smoothing his hand over the assault, taking away the sting of it. My hips wiggled as I tried to break from his hold. Apparently, my weak attempt was amusing to him, if the laugh that fell from his lips was any indication.

"What did I say?' he asked, his voice low.

Double shit.

"I can't remember."

"You little brat," he muttered, spanking the other cheek hard enough that I was certain I had matching handprints. His calloused hands gripped my hips, jerking them up so that I was on my knees with my face still down in the pillows. I tried to sit up, but a hand on the back of my neck kept me down. Heat banked in my core, and I cursed. Another of those low laughs had me clenching around nothing, and I was going to lose my mind if he didn't quit teasing me.

"Vincent," I hissed.

The broad head of him nudged at my entrance, and I went still again. Waiting. Vincent took the opportunity to trail his hand down my spine, the gentle touch raising goosebumps in its wake. I glanced back at him over my shoulder, and our eyes met. There was barely a band of green left around the black of his pupils, and my heartbeat went unsteady at the sight. Vincent gathered both of my wrists in one of his hands and pressed them against the small of my back, rendering me completely helpless.

"Your safe word?" he asked, eyes dropping to where we were almost joined.

"Forest."

"Good girl."

Fuck. Me.

And so he did. Over, and over again.

___________________

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