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As soon as Wicked walked inside her small house and locked her door, she dropped the protection shield. Before she could make her way into her bedroom, her front door opened. Swinging around, she frowned to see Thorne walk inside and close it behind him.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Wicked frowned.
“Finishing our conversation,” Thorne replied as he put keys in his front pocket, which answered the question of how he had opened the door. It was technically his house.
“Listen, thanks for dinner.” There she went again, not wanting to be rude. She really wasn’t living up to her name. “But I think you need to leave now.”
“What are you afraid of? Or should I say who are you afraid of?” Thorne persisted.
“And again, you were not listening since I told you my fear.” Wicked was so done with this conversation.
“You put some kind of shield around us which indicated you were afraid someone might hear what you had to say.” Thorne had walked deeper into the house, closer to her.
“I don’t need anyone hearing my business,” she countered. “And people in this town are nosy.”
“True, but that’s not it, and you know it. I know it. And I’m not leaving until I know what it is.” Thorne leaned against the hallway wall crossing his arms over his massive chest. “Bruce said it has something to do with your friend Kira, who stayed here for a few days.”
“Bruce is a dumbass.” Wicked snorted, her mind swirling with ways to torture her familiar. She had planned to tell him more and had been getting to that, but then the talk about the rent had thrown her. It was best this way. She wasn’t meant to have a relationship, especially with someone as hot as Thorne McAllister, who was way out of her league. “You can stand there all night for all I care. I mean, it is your house, but I’m going to bed. I have an early appointment and need my rest.” She totally wanted to ignore the way his eyes flared at the mention of going to bed, but dammit, she couldn’t, and the kiss they had shared slammed back into her mind.
When he didn’t say a word but continued to stand still as a statue staring at her, she shrugged and headed to her bedroom. “Lock up when you get bored and leave,” she said with sarcastic snark. Even though her tone and actions indicated she didn’t care, she did care, more than she wanted to admit even to herself.
Wicked was surprised when she was grabbed and pushed up against the wall. It wasn’t aggressive, but it did scare her because she wasn’t expecting it. A scream slipped past her lips. She even struggled against him.
“Wicked, stop!” Thorne demanded, trying to keep her from smacking him. “Stop before you hurt yourself.”
“I’m going to hurt you, not myself,” Wicked hissed, then saw an opening. The smack against his cheek echoed in the small hallway. They both stilled, both looking shocked. “Oh!”
A slow grin tipped the left side of his mouth. “You little wildcat.”
She was so close to apologizing until she saw his grin. She went to do it again, but this time, he caught her hand.
“Once is quite enough, Wicked,” he warned, but the grin stayed in place. “You smack me again, I’ll spank your ass.”
“You wouldn’t!” Her eyes opened wide in shock.
“Oh, I would.” Thorne released her hand as if daring her to test him.
She decided it was a test she didn’t want to take. She was never a good test taker anyway. With a sigh, she dropped her hands to her sides and leaned against the wall. He had caged her in, one arm on the wall above her head, his body close while the other arm hung freely at his side.
“What do you want from me, Thorne?” She lifted her eyes to meet his. He was so close. His scent and presence filled her, and she craved him like nothing else, even chocolate, and that was saying something.
“Everything.” His low reply reached her ears, and she shook her head.
“You can’t have everything.” She had to stop herself from reaching out and touching him. Her fingers tingled at the thought. She was so screwed it wasn’t even funny. She tried to fool herself into thinking she didn’t want him, when in fact, she did with a fierceness that frightened her.
“I’m a patient man.” He slowly lifted his hand, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. His knuckle ran down her cheek, chin, and finally throat before dropping away. “I’ve waited this long to get to this point.”
“And what point is that?” she whispered, ’cause she really freaking wanted to know. Damn him.
He remained silent as he stared at her. Without touching her, Thorne leaned closer and tilted his head, but his eyes never wavered from hers. As soon as their lips touched, her eyes rolled to the back of her head and her lids closed. How in the hell could she fight this man when all she wanted was his lips on hers?
Before she realized it, her arms were wrapped around his neck, of her own accord, and he was smashing her into his body.
Having no clue how long the kiss lasted, all she knew was her eyes split open slightly to see a rainbow of color. Her magic was out of control. She needed to focus, get herself together. When Thorne cupped her ass, lifting her up his body, the thought of control drifted completely out of her mind. Hopefully she wouldn’t hurt anyone because there would be no control tonight.
He pulled away from her slightly. “I want you.” His voice was hard with desire. “But if you aren’t ready, I will walk away right now.”
Wicked sucked her bottom lip between her teeth. It was far too late for her to tell him to walk away. She wanted this more than she wanted anything. Her bitching about rent and everything was just a front. She was trying to guard her heart, but that was already gone because her heart and soul where this man was concerned was toast and had been that way for a long time now.
“I don’t want you to leave.” Her voice was soft, yet strong with conviction. Yet she screamed inside wondering what the hell she was saying. Was she crazy? Or was she ready to throw her fear to the wind and take what she really wanted for once?
He growled at her words as he walked into her bedroom and kicked the door closed. His mouth took hers once again. Wicked knew this could be a huge mistake, but at that moment all she cared about was the feeling of being wanted.
He slid her down his body and oh, how she loved the feel of his hardness against her skin. His hands worked at her shirt, and before she knew what was happening, she stood before him totally naked. He scanned her body, and she had no problem standing before him. She could read him and knew he liked what he saw, and that’s all she needed to know. Now she was ready to see him. Wicked helped him undress. She could have easily used her magic to make his clothes disappear, but didn’t. It was much, much better this way. Each body part exposed made her want him more. It had been so long for her, and she knew with Thorne it would be like no other.
Picking her up, Thorne walked to the bed and laid her down. “Fast or slow.” He moaned into her ear as she nipped his neck.
“Both,” she whispered against his skin.
It didn’t take long for either of them to be ready. Hell, she was ready when they were in the diner’s parking lot. With gentleness, he entered her. It was as if he knew it had been long for her. Slowly, to the point where she wanted to scream, they became one. She didn’t realize she held her breath until he was fully inside her when she moaned at the feel of him so deep.
He moved slowly, resting his elbows at the side of her head, keeping his weight off her. Wrapping her legs around his waist, Wicked closed her eyes and just felt, loving everything about this moment. It seemed to go on forever, and that was totally fine with her. He kissed her lips, face, neck, and breasts as his tempo stayed just right. She began to match his pace; she was not a lazy lover.
“Open your eyes and hold on, Wicked.” His voice had her opening her eyes slowly. “I’m about to show you exactly who you belong to.”
She didn’t argue, didn’t say a word other than gasp as his hips moved faster, his eyes more intense as he rose off his elbows onto his hands. They became one in a way that Wicked had never known. She was a part of him, and he was a part of her. It was amazing. It was absolutely... wicked, and no matter what happened after this night, she would never forget it, and she’d hold it close to her heart always.