Born, Darkly (Darkly, Madly 1)

“Such a liar. You couldn’t take your eyes off the screen, could you? Tell me how turned on you got when you witnessed Giselle’s torture. Her limbs bound, her body stretched…until she confessed her sins.”

He’s never called his victims by name before. It feels too intimate, and that intimacy stirs a needy desire within me, awakening a hunger.

“Admit it,” he breathes into my ear. He tightens his hold around my throat, forcing my head against his shoulder. “Admit the truth, London.”

I struggle to hold on to my last bit of control, refusing to admit I’m anything like him, until he pushes his hand beneath my panties—touching me with no barrier. The chain drags across my breasts, stimulating every peak of my body. “I can’t,” I force out.

“Your body tells the truth, even if you won’t.”

He slips inside me then, his fingers sinking expertly, as if he’s spent the past three months memorizing me. I gasp and push back against him, unable to stop my body from responding. He reaches the ache deep within me, and all I can do is grasp for his neck and cling to him. Save myself from falling.

“I’m inside you now…” His teeth graze my shoulder. “Under your skin. I want to break you, so I can piece you back together.” His hand tightens, and the lack of oxygen makes my head swim, yet I’m hyperaware of every erogenous zone on my body—and I want him to master them all.

I don’t have to voice the truth; he’s right. My body betrays me with each moan and undulation as I seek release. And when he tears my blouse apart, I don’t stop him. I arch against his chest and press closer as he pushes my bra down to touch me—skin to skin.

We’re an entanglement of limbs and flesh, all searching to connect. I glimpse the ink on his arm, and this time, this close, I trace the design of puzzle pieces. A thrill arcs through me, sending a shiver racing over my skin.

“I’m the puzzle you’re piecing together,” I whisper.

He releases a growl. His fingers seek deeper, working me harder, his restraint unleashed. He pushes me down on the desk, my chest flattened against the cool wooden surface. And as his fingers plunge deeper still, the stimulation to my nipples sends me over the edge.

I hear the tear of material, feel the pressure snap at my hip, as he shreds my panties. Then his hands are grasping me at my waist. He rolls me over, where there’s no way to deny this is happening between us.

Our eyes meet.

He lowers himself over me. Brushes my hair from my eyes. The action so gentle it steals my breath. “You’re my match.”

I tremble at his words.

“Does that terrify you?” he asks.

“Yes.”

A cruel smile slants his mouth. “But you still want this.”

I swallow. “Yes.”

All the permission he needs, he hauls my leg over his shoulder and takes me into his mouth. I arch off the desk, desire burning away all inhibitions. I crave to be just as free as him—and all else that doesn’t matter falls away.

Grayson’s touch…him tasting me, so wild and uninhibited…it’s intoxicating. I’ve never been this exposed to anyone. God, the elation and pure, carnal pleasure is too much. It’s all I can feel—all I want to feel.

It’s bliss. And it’s hell.

I was damned long before Grayson found me, and it was that dark note of my soul that called to him.

I’m burning.

I’ve set my whole world aflame to indulge this moment, and as he devours me, taking me within himself, consuming my willpower, I’d burn it all down for him—again and again.

He senses the second I let go and lifts up. “Look at me,” he demands. He moves above me, his hand finding my neck and forcing my eyes on him. His fingers thrust inside me, his thumb pressed hard to my clit. “Say it. Say who you are. Admit your truth.”

His fingers never stop stroking, caressing the ache heating my flesh, as his other hand closes around my throat. The erotic sensations swallow me. The pending orgasm pulls me under. I want to taste the freedom just once.

“Killer.”

Once the truth is bared, unadulterated pleasure sweeps through me. The fire sears my muscles and singes my bones, consuming me like a wildfire. I hear Grayson’s dark groan, then his mouth is on the juncture between my neck and shoulder. His teeth sink into my skin as I grind against his hand, riding the last euphoric wave.

As I return, our breathing is heavy and loud in the quiet room. My senses come back to me. Where we are, what we’ve done. It strikes hard and fast, like a collision as I crash back to reality.