Chapter Nine

Aliana’s POV

I couldn’t breathe!

Or maybe I was breathing too much, pulling in ragged gasps of air that only seemed to fan the fire Dikaios had lit inside me. Which was only cut short when his hand suddenly shot out, stopping my movements and breaking the kiss.

I whimpered in response…

I didn’t want him to stop! I wanted him. I wanted to feel more of him and--- He let out a groaned warning, his fingers flexing and holding onto my body like I was the anchor keeping him locked in reality. Hell, his grip on my ass was bruising in the best way, and his hold on my hair had my scalp prickling. His mouth hovered so close that I could feel the heat of him against my lips...

“I promised myself I couldn’t act on it,” he murmured, his voice strained with desire. “I wouldn’t let my animal side control me.”

Dazed, I looked up and I met the blaze of his crimson stare. The hunger in it should have terrified me. Instead, it made my pussy ache. My pulse rushed in my ears and my thighs trembled…

“But you’ve ripped away every chain that held the beast back, little girl,” he warned, his warm breath fanning my skin. “I hope you’re prepared for the consequences.”

I should be terrified…

But for some reason, I wasn’t. Not even when he swept me off my feet and carried me off did I manage more than a girly squeak, which he seemed to thoroughly enjoy. And while I hated the damsel in distress role, being plastered all over his magnificent chest and toned body wasn’t the worst place to be.

I gasped when my back hit the bed, loving the feeling of soft silt that wrapped around me like a cool embrace. But before my mind could catch up with me, Dikaios hovered over me, his red eyes glowing in the dim light…

I swallowed thickly, my body knowing where this was going, but my mind struggled to keep up. I knew I should be asking a million questions, pulling the break, and making sure that this was truly something I wanted…

But I wanted him!

“You’re trembling,” he murmured, his voice a velvet caress and a growl all at once.

I was…

Whether it was nerves, excitement, or something I hadn’t thought about yet, I wasn’t sure. But my inexperience and his daunting size were probably a big part of it. When I didn’t reply, he reached out his thumb and brushed along my jaw, so gentle it nearly undid me.

“I--- I don’t know what’s happening to me,” I confessed, my breasts heaving as if I’d been running a marathon. I didn’t understand why I felt so insanely attracted to him. Even with all my previous boyfriends, I’d been careful, making sure we had “The Talk” and that they knew my boundaries. That they were the person I wanted to give myself to and that it was something I could treasure and savor as a wonderful memory...

Right now, I was simply a woman who desperately needed this man to fuck me!

Like--- what the hell?!

He didn’t reply. He didn’t explain. His smile was slow, wicked even, and unbearably knowing. And like a moth drawn to the flame, I was helplessly pulled towards him. He kissed me again, deeper this time. Coaxing me to open up and taking me apart piece by piece.

My fingers slid into his hair, desperate to pull him closer. Ignoring every rational thought that screamed at me. That I should run and protect myself. Instead, I arched my back, aching to feel more of him. He was heat and shadow, danger and safety...

Everything I should fear, yet everything I craved!

His mouth left mine, tracing down to my throat and leaving a trail of scorching hot marks all over my skin. His lips lingered at the hollow of my nape where my pulse thrashed wildly, paying special attention to it. He nipped and sucked, leaving me a moaning mess. And worse, the ache between my legs was becoming unbearable!

Fuck it!

If he didn’t fuck me soon, I might just combust!

“Ani,” I moaned, gripping onto his arms, his biceps--- clutching onto his back! A whimper slipped from me before I could stop it. My cheeks were burning with embarrassment, but I couldn’t help it...

“Your voice is so sweet when you whisper my name like that,” he murmured, groaning as he rubbed his erection against my aching core. His words were soft, but they carried the weight of command, heavy and irresistible. “I can’t wait to make you my own!”

His?

I didn’t even know how or when he’d gotten naked, but suddenly I felt the head of his shaft at my entrance--- and finally my mind caught up with my body!

Shit!

“Wait,” I gasped in panic, my hands pressed to his chest. He stilled instantly, the tension in him coiled tight. But his eyes softened when they found mine. No anger or disappointment that I’d so often been met with before. Just red, glowing eyes that held mine, patiently waiting until I spoke…

“I-I---,” I stuttered, my whole body suddenly burning with embarrassment. Of all the times to discuss my virginity, being naked, horny as hell, and with a Greek god on top of me, was NOT the most gracious timing…

“I need you to know that I’ve never---,” I continued, but my voice broke. My fingers flexed on his skin, itching to pull him closer again. But I couldn’t continue until he knew the truth. I didn’t want my first time to be remembered as the time sex sent me to the ER! So with everything in me, I just blurted it out:

“I’m a virgin!”

The words hung in the air, and hell, I didn’t even notice that I’d closed my eyes while saying it. As if that would save my face! But as I peeled them open, I found that Dikaios hadn’t moved at all.

Or rather...

His smile shifted, slow and devastating, but there was no mockery in it. Instead, there was something that almost looked like reverence gleaming in them. Hot and searing, as if it wanted to touch my heart, body, and soul...

“Then I’ll be careful,” he promised, his voice soft and achingly tender. “I will not take what you don’t give. I want you, but only if you’ll let me have you.”

IF I wanted him?!

Are you freaking for real?!

He made me feel like a child in a candy shop – and oh boy!

He was ALL the candy!

Still…

Hearing him say that had the knot that was clogging up my chest loosen. The choice was mine, and while it didn’t feel like it was a choice anymore, I at least knew if I said stop, he would…

I nodded, although I wasn’t sure if it was courage or surrender.

Maybe both?

It didn’t matter…

All that mattered was that when he leaned down to kiss me again, I knew what I was in for.

Or so I thought...

“I want to make you feel good, little girl,” he murmured next to my ear, his hot breath fanning my neck and sending shivers down my spine. “You’ll never know another man after me!”

And that was a promise!