Red Thorns (Thorns Duet 1)

It happens so fast, I don’t even see it coming.

One moment, I’m walking, and the next, Sebastian turns around, grabs me by the waist, and tugs me against him.

“The reason is her,” he says, and then his lips meet mine.

5

Naomi

Sebastian is kissing me.

As in, his lips are on mine.

His mouth is mashed to my agape one.

It feels different than what I’ve imagined. I thought his lips would be harsh, maybe made of granite like the rest of him, but they’re surprisingly soft—tender, even.

At least, at first.

I’m so caught off guard that I do the one thing I haven’t done since I was a little girl and blood flowed all around me.

I remain still.

If anything, I go limp against him as he nibbles on my bottom lip, demanding access into my mouth. And it’s a flat-out demand, as if he has the right to kiss me and has for an eternity.

The hotness of his body pressed to mine and the strong scent of his cologne are dizzying.

And not in a good way.

But in more of an ‘I’m losing control and slipping through a loophole’ kind of way.

When I keep my mouth clamped shut, he bites down on the sensitive flesh of my lip. The sharp movement nearly rips the skin and draw my blood so he can suck on it.

Feast on it.

Assault it.

I open with a start, in equal measure due to his actions and my reaction. Sebastian doesn’t slow down, doesn’t take a breather, and he uses the chance to plunge his tongue inside.

If I thought his lips were tender, I take it all back. They’re as merciless as the rest of him. He kisses like he plays, razing through my defenses, seizing the opportunity and scoring, over and over.

He doesn’t only kiss, he’s out to devour me. To paint black stars in the midst of the bright white lights. His tongue ravages my tender one until no air is allowed into my burning lungs. Until I’m wheezing, silently begging and imploring.

For what, I have no clue.

In just a fraction of a second, his hold on my waist is the only thing keeping me standing.

It’s like a foreign entity has possessed my body and I’m caught in a trance. Partly because I want to end it and partly because I don’t ever want this to be over.

The two facets clash and claw at each other, creating a suffocating tension in the confines of my shriveling heart.

I’ve never been touched like this, as if I could be swallowed whole any second. As if his large strong hands could hold my face—and other parts of me—hostage. As if his body could easily overpower mine and force me to submit.

And the scari

est part isn’t the confusion that accompanies those thoughts. It’s the sharp tingles between my legs. It’s the dipping of my stomach that matches his maddening rhythm.

It feels like hours have passed when he releases my lips, a small trail of saliva sticking between us as he pulls back. A strange sound echoes in the air and I realize it’s mine.