Possession (The Mate Games 3)

His gaze held mine, strong and steady. “You know why.”

“I want to hear you say it.”

“Because it’s been forbidden. I’m your professor.”

“You never cared about that before.”

“Yes, I have. You just refuse to listen to me, and I’ve let it slide. But things have changed. We can’t keep doing this without risking being caught.”

“Isn’t that what makes it fun?”

A dark laugh left him. “There are many things that make this fun. But I won’t be able to keep an eye on you if I’m sacked and sent away because I can’t keep my fucking hands to myself.” He sighed, eyes focused on the place he’d bitten me. “Or my fangs. Feck, you taste so good.”

Hunger and need deepened his voice, making my clit throb in response. Something had happened when he fed, a connection, a deepening of the bond we hadn’t yet finalized. I recognized it for what it was now. Just like Noah, Caleb needed to claim me.

“You know, if you would just give in to the bond between us, you could drink from me whenever you want.”

“I can’t.”

“You won’t. There’s a difference.”

“Saints preserve us, Sunday, you don’t understand what’s at stake.”

“Because you won’t tell me. All you ever say is you can’t. What am I supposed to do with that, Caleb? How am I supposed to take it as anything but a rejection? You obviously want me.” I emphasized my assertion by reaching forward and giving the erection tenting his black robe a squeeze.

He hissed out a breath. “Of course I bloody do. You’re the most tempting creature on God’s green earth. That doesn’t mean I can let myself have you. Not when so much is on the line.”

“What is on the line? Tell me.”

“Your safety, your eternal soul.”

“I’m probably the devil’s daughter. I don’t think my soul is going anywhere but down.”

His sapphire eyes darkened until they were practically black. “That’s not true,a stor. Your soul shines so brightly I can see it even now. You’re pure.”

“Pure?” I snorted. “I think that ship has sailed.”

“Purity isn’t just about chastity. Your heart is good. Mine is black and empty.”

The despair in his voice cut me apart. “No, it’s not, Caleb. You wouldn’t care about me the way you do if that was the case. You wouldn’t care about anything.”

“You’re right. Now leave me be, Miss Fallon. It’s because I care that I’m rejecting you now. Nothing good can come from the two of us sharing stolen moments, I swear to you.”

I didn’t quite manage to hide my flinch as I rested my hands over the slight swell of my belly. “Nothing good, huh?”

Pain burned in the backs of his eyes. “You heard me.”

“You’re a coward, Caleb Gallagher. And a fool.”

“Better a coward and a fool than the instrument of your damnation.”

“Maybe I’m already damned.”

“I hope to God that’s not the case. There is redemption for everyone who asks for it.”

“Even you?”

He gritted his teeth, a muscle ticking in his jaw. “Miracles do happen.”