Chapter 124: Chapter 124
Music Recommendation: False God by Taylor Swift.
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"Elias, what was that?"
Amara’s voice broke into the heavy air, shaky with surprise. Her eyes were wide, and her lips parted as if the words themselves were confused to leave her. Her hands were still slightly raised from the instinctive defense she hadn’t even executed. She looked at him like she wasn’t sure if she should run or demand an explanation.
Unfortunately, Elias didn’t give her either option.
He moved like something had finally snapped inside him, like every restraint that had been a thin thread stretched too long, had finally torn up in his hands.
His jaw was set hard, his breath was tight in his chest, and the faint gleam of sweat along his temples caught the dim light of the room.
Before she could finish the question, and before she could even step back, his hand caught her waist.
His hold was firm and possessive. Like it belonged there and always had. He yanked her forward in one harsh drag that stole the space between them, and his mouth crashed against hers.
It wasn’t gentle.
It wasn’t even cautious.
It was hunger, frustration, and five thousand unspoken words set ablaze and shoved through the rough collision of lips and teeth.
Amara gasped into him. She was beyond shocked, as her fingers twitched at her sides as instinct screamed to resist.
The second his tongue pushed past the seam of her lips, hot, desperate, and rough, the fight bled out of her knees. Her breath stuttered.
Her hands, traitorous, lifted to his chest like she could push him away, but instead they curled into the fabric of his shirt.
The taste of him filled her—bitter smoke from the cigarette he had crushed beneath his shoe minutes earlier, and the salt of sweat from his skin, along with the raw heat that came with his anger. He kissed her like he was trying to brand himself into her mouth, slow but forceful, the kind of kiss that burned and seared.
She tried to pull back once, her lips breaking from his just enough to whisper, "Eli—"
His fingers slid up, threading into her hair with a tight grip at her nape, tilting her head back and swallowing her protest whole. He growled against her lips, low and primal, the sound vibrating through her jaw. His kiss dragged on, slower now, but deeper, and controlled.
That was Elias.
Even in desperation, he was measured. Even in fire, he knew how to drag the burn until it consumed everything.
Her breath hitched as his hand spread across her lower back, keeping her flush against him. His hardness pressed against her stomach in a clear, undeniable confession. He didn’t hide it. He didn’t even try to mask what he wanted.
Amara whimpered into his mouth. She hated herself for it. She hated the way her thighs pressed together involuntarily, and the way her body betrayed her outrage with heat.
He pulled back just enough to speak, his breath ragged against her wet lips. "You think you can walk away like that? Laugh with another man in my face?"
His eyes were wild, dark, and the vein in his neck pulsing hard.
Amara blinked, breathless. Her voice trembled when she finally found it. "You... You had no right..."
Her words ended in a strangled gasp when he shoved her against the nearest wall, his palm slamming beside her head, caging her in. His body pressed into hers, and every hard line of him pinned her soft curves.
"No right?" he hissed, his lips brushing against her ear, making her shiver. His other hand still clutched her waist, his thumb stroking slow, deliberate circles against her skin through the thin fabric of her blouse. "Amara, I’ve done nothing but hold myself back. Nothing but fucking choke on restraint every time I looked at you. And you dare tell me I have no right?"
She sucked in a breath, her chest rising against his. Her heartbeat thundered in her ears, confusion and arousal tangling until she could barely tell one from the other.
"Elias—" she tried again, but her voice cracked.
He caught her chin between his fingers, forcing her to look up into him. His thumb traced the outline of her swollen lips, slick from his kiss, and his jaw clenched at the sight.
"You think I don’t see it?" he said, low, and the control in his tone made it even more dangerous. "I’ve seen the way you look at me when you think I’m not watching. The way your breath stumbles every time I get too close." His thumb pressed harder, smearing the wetness across her bottom lip. "You want me just as bad as I want you. And I’m done pretending otherwise."
Her lips trembled under his touch. She wanted to deny it, scream at him, and tell him he was wrong. However, her body betrayed her in cruel ways. Her nipples tightened under her blouse, hard against the fabric. Her thighs clenched tighter. Her breath kept hitching like a liar.
And Elias saw every single reaction.
His gaze dropped to her chest, the rise and fall quickening, then lower, his eyes darkening when her hips shifted against his unconsciously. He chuckled, rough and humorless, dragging his eyes back to her face.
"Look at you," he murmured, dipping his head until his lips grazed her jawline. "Already trembling. Already soaked, aren’t you?"
Her gasp was sharp, shame flooding her cheeks. "I—I’m not—"
Her voice faltered when his hand slid lower, past her waist, skimming over her hip until he gripped her thigh. His fingers dug into her flesh as he lifted her leg against him, slotting himself even closer.
Amara’s head hit the wall with a muffled thud as she choked on a moan.
He smirked against her neck, his lips dragging open-mouthed kisses down the sensitive column of her throat. The kisses were slow, deliberate, and hot. He sucked hard at her pulse, making her gasp his name again, softer this time.
"Say you don’t want this," he whispered against her skin, biting lightly just above her collarbone. "Say it, and I’ll stop. But you can’t, can you?"
Her fingers clenched tighter in his shirt, nails scratching his chest. She squeezed her eyes shut, her body screaming in contrast to her mind.
Elias slowed, his mouth hovering over hers again. His breath mingled with hers in ragged pants. His control was vicious, dragging everything out, and refusing to let either of them escape the storm building. His thumb stroked her trembling lip again, eyes searching hers with dangerous hunger.
"Amara..." he whispered, her name a curse and a prayer all at once.
And then he kissed her again. Slower, deeper, and controlled this time. His tongue slid against hers with precision, teasing, dominating, pulling her into his rhythm until she was panting helplessly into his mouth.
Her knees buckled. Only his grip on her thigh and waist kept her from collapsing.
The kiss stretched on, endless, and devouring. Her body heated more and more until she thought she would burn alive.
When he finally pulled back, both of them gasped. His lips were red and wet, and his eyes were darker than she had ever seen.
"One day," he muttered, voice raw, forehead pressing against hers. "One day, you’ll understand why you’re mine. Why you’ve always been."
Amara sighed. She should hate him. She should claw her way out. But her body... her body wants him more than her breath.