'Til Grim's Light (A Grim Awakening Book 2)

by Michelle Gross

  “What’s Ryan got to do with this?”

  “Your mom has always liked Ryan, probably from the very beginning when she first met him.” He sighed. “She’s never once smiled at me until today and even that was forced.”

  “She just hasn’t gotten to know you yet.” I looked ahead at the houses and trees that went by.

  “You sound so sure…”

  “Killian, look at us.” I tilted my body around to face him as much as my seatbelt would allow. “You couldn’t stand the fact that you had to protect me, and I was afraid of you but now look.”

  He arched an eyebrow and his smile turned devilish—so mischievous that I knew I dug myself in a grave for what I might have admitted. “What about us?” I felt like a deer caught in headlights, and his tone dropped a level, sounding huskier. ‘Is there anything different about us now?” There was a twinkle of no good in his eyes.

  I turned forward and groaned. “You’re impossible.”

  “Still waiting on what’s different, Love.” I looked out the window, trying to ignore the fluttering going on in my chest and stomach… calling me ‘Love’ was definitely a reason why we were different now. He knew it too, he just wanted to get me started.

  “We get along just… fine,” was all I offered him, choosing my words carefully. He must have thought I would admit something because he looked disappointed. Only it didn’t last as his eyes traveled down to my cleavage, which was mostly hidden by the seatbelt. There was still enough visible that his breathing changed—becoming more labored. There was a sudden shift in the air. I moved the seatbelt a bit so that it didn’t press against my shirt so much. Now that I thought about it, wearing a pink bra underneath was very noticeable. But that was what I wanted when I left the house.

  Only I couldn’t think right now. I went to pull my jacket over me but almost never got my body to obey. The air was thick with his intoxicating scent, surrounding me. I felt his presence next to me like one felt the need to breathe and when I finally let myself look over at him, I wished I never did. My body was getting all tingly and all he was doing was looking ahead driving.

  With a barely functional brain, I admired him. I really loved his hair. It was always out of place but in a way that looked great on him. I wanted to run my hands through it…and I realized my hands were reaching out toward him and I yanked them back.

  Killian noticed and when I saw that his eyes were solid black, I knew it was his incubus voodoo working on me. He brought his hand up to his face and shook his eyes as if trying to throw off a bad feeling before looking back over at me. “Melanie, I…”

  “Where are we going?” I asked purposely, avoiding what he might have said. He didn’t seem to like that he had no control over his seduction powers lately.

  “My house.” My mind went back to the R-rated in zero seconds flat without the need of his incubus nature helping me along. “I figured that’s where you wanted to go. You said you were coming over in the text.” Oh, yeah.

  “But you were already at my house,” I added.

  “Yeah, it’s easier to keep you safe if you’re with me.” That was the only reason?

  “Oh,” I managed to mumble. I never hid disappoint well.

  “Was there another reason?” His voice held a tease, but I was already upset.

  “Of course not,” I said, crossing my legs and leaning against the door. “I hope you have books or movies or something so I don’t die of boredom.” Seemed I had a while to go before I got rid of my childishness, but he brought out the best and worst in me.

  “Yeah, I grabbed a few things while you were at school yesterday, actually.”

  We rode in silence until we were pulling in his driveway. I unbuckled and got out, the wind slapping me in the face. He was already waiting for me at the bottom of the steps. Now I remembered why I never wore my hair down, my hair was constantly slapping across my face. I moved my head awkwardly, trying to get it out of my face.

  He was walking in front of me and it was only natural that I noticed the way his jeans hugged his butt perfectly. Very nice, I thought. And that was when I also noticed, very embarrassingly, that I was bent forward as I checked him out… I blushed and quickly raised up. Too late. My gaze went up to meet two very teasing and knowing eyes. He gave me a smirk.

  I looked away and straightened my voice, faking a cough. Playing it cool. Only we both knew what I had been doing. “What?” I mumbled innocently. I let the wind carry my hair into my face so that he couldn’t see anything… like flaming red cheeks.

  “Are you coming?” I moved my hair from my face to see that he was already walking in. I hurried to catch up. It was nice and warm when I slipped inside.

  And, oh, God.

  It smelled like him in here. I looked over the place again since I didn’t get a chance to the first time with Ryan popping up. I ignored the pang I felt when I thought of Ryan and tucked it away for now. I could tell the home was older. The wallpaper even looked out of date, beige, and weird patterns, yet still beautiful. The stairs were wooden and so were the floors.

  I followed the rustling of bags through the hallway past the stairs into the living room. Shopping bags were scattered over the couch and floor. The TV on its stand still had the plastic on it. I sighed, he hadn’t been joking. It looked like he had only now bought anything. I started snooping through the bags as he came up beside me. “I wasn’t sure what you liked.”

  He bought a ton of movies, books, and even a board game. I smirked, tossing it aside. “Movies and books were fine,” I said.

  He grabbed another bag and pulled out a Blu-ray DVD player and shoved it in my hands. “Here, you can hook this up.”

  I looked up and huffed at him. “But the TV isn’t even hooked up.”

  He was already heading into the hallway. “Then you better get started.”

  “And what are you gonna do?” I grumbled, looking into the hallway where he disappeared.

  “Make some grub.” He yelled from somewhere in the house, possibly the kitchen. I arched my eyebrow in his direction before turning my attention back to the task at hand. I took the DVD player out of the box and placed the box and plastic into a bag to throw away later. By the time I was finished hooking up his TV and everything else, and even categorized his movies on his TV stand for him—I realized I was doing his housework. I rubbed my forehead and groaned.

  It bothered me that I had nowhere to put the books he bought, and it equally bothered me that they were in bags so I placed them in a neat stack next to the TV stand. If he planned to stay here a while, he needed to get something to put them on. My mind could not tolerate the book abuse.

  Whatever he was cooking, it made a scent trail through the house and smelled so delicious. I followed the amazing smell to the end of the hallway where the kitchen was. Killian was standing in front of the stove, something about seeing him in such a normal way had my pulse skyrocketing. I held the bag of trash I carried with me and asked, “Where is the trash can?”

  He pointed to his left, not looking back. “In the closet.” I walked around the table and tossed the trash away before closing the closet door back. I fiddled with my shirt, making sure my cleavage was still eye-catching as I walked next to him.

  “What are you making?”

  “Chili.”

  “Mm.” I tiptoed next to him to peek at the food, but my chin wasn’t even able to reach his shoulder. He leaned over enough so that I could see.

  He was leaning over me, getting closer, so close that I could lick my tongue across his lips or chin if I wanted to. And I shouldn’t want to do something as weird as that but that was exactly how he made me.

  “Say that again,” he groaned in my ear, feathering it with a tickle-tingle sensation that made my skin ripple on that side. I shivered.

  “Say what?” I wondered if this was what animals felt like when in heat?

  “What you said before, say it again. In. My. Ear.” His voice was husky as he punctuated the last three words. A
sweet growing ache moved between my thighs, spreading into my stomach. I looked up at him. Really looked. His eyes were still the beautiful dark brown they always were, they weren’t black right now so it meant this was us happening, nothing else.

  His lips curved in a devious way. The more I let myself look at him, the more I wanted everything about him. I craved to know everything I didn’t know about him. With each passing moment, my heart began to whisper things like forever with each beat.

  “That smells good,” I mumbled, sliding my hands across his muscular arm. Something similar to a growl tore from his chest.

  “Before that.” He leaned his body around to face me—away from the stove. I had better access to reach him and brought my hands over his amazing chest. Hard abs ran underneath my fingertips. His hands found my waist, pulling me in. Thank God because even this didn’t feel close enough.

  My softness met with his hard chest. “Mm,” I moaned, giving him what he wanted to hear again.

  His hand tightened around my hip as the other went to my hair, threading itself, and he bent my head back. “Oh.” He was rough with me, but I found that I liked it. He tilted my head back further with my hair and I relaxed my neck so that he could. I watched his eyes swim with desire as his mouth came down over my neck. Goosebumps broke out over my flesh as he sucked along my collarbone. Heat ruptured inside me. “Oh—” I arched into him as his teeth grazed over me before it turned into feather-light kisses across my neck—then he would repeat it all again. I gripped his shoulders, positive that I would fall to the floor if I didn’t.

  He gripped me like a madman, his touch becoming less composed and more frantic. He pulled himself away from my neck long enough to grab ahold of my legs and hauled me up against him. He moved forward a few steps and tossed me over the table, it slid a few inches from the force of my weight. I gripped the table and panted, making sure the table was going to hold my weight. Killian didn’t seem to worry, he pulled my thighs apart and moved his body in between them.

  Everything about this situation was turning me on and when I watched the way his body moved to control mine, I knew I was freaking putty for his making.

  There was a moment of panic when I felt the hard length of him pressing against my thigh. But it was also creating a pulse between my legs—making my stomach clench. My skin flushed with desire and I needed him touching me more.

  It was a battle of nerves and desire. When his hard-on pressed against my sex, my nerves seemed to be winning and I stiffened. And all I had to do was look up and see the desire washed over his face and somehow, it won over my panic.

  Nerves forgotten, I brought my arms around him forcing him to lean over me. He groaned in response as his hands roamed up my back. Then his hands stopped. I looked up to him—skin flushed and achy. Everything about this was new for me and exhilarating. There was a moment where we just looked at one another, devouring each other with only our eyes—taking everything in. One hand left my back and pressed a finger against my bottom lip. He brought it down, exposing the inside of my mouth before letting go.

  “Will you stop staring already. I’d rather do the kissing part now,” I urged him. His eyes liquefied into black, fading in and out between his brown and black. I could feel his scent spilling around me, coaxing me into the dark side but I was already there. Only now I felt more laid back and hazy.

  “Don’t tempt me, Love.” Love, I freaking loved when he said that word.

  He studied my lips as his thumb pressed into my collarbone. There was disappointment clear on my face when he still didn’t kiss me. He pulled at my jacket, tossing it on the floor. His eyes fell over me and the disappointment started to dwindle. He yanked my shirt down from both shoulders. I could hear the fabric stretching as he pulled it down, exposing my pink bra. My breath quickened, the rise and fall of my chest was his only interest.

  His mouth started along my neck again and I whimpered—feeling displaced and out of my mind. I clung to him, urging him further down by pushing his head. He bit my collarbone and cupped my boob through the bra. He slipped the strap off my shoulder, letting it hang over my arm as he pulled the cup down, exposing my pink nipple. I watched it disappear in his mouth and the pleasure was more than I could handle. The sensation was foreign and when he sucked roughly—gripping my breast even harder, my core clenched. I was afraid of exploding into a billion pieces from his mouth alone.

  “Killian,” I moaned. It felt amazing yet too much all at once. The ache between my thighs had me feeling wild—out of control. The ache was torturous yet… I didn’t want it to go away. I wanted to see where it would take me—take us.

  He gave me a sly look with my nipple still in his mouth. I moaned in frustration and he bit my nipple with a grin. It was game over for me.

  He had me. I was his and he knew it.

  “Too much, Killian!” I pushed at his head, taking his mouth off my pebbled nipple. When I saw his eyes again, they were liquefied and so was my brain.

  I pulled his face to mine—drunken with his scent wrapping around us and did what I wanted to do since the beginning. I kissed him, tearing my nails into his scalp and across his back. He growled and his tongue slid across my teeth. He pushed me down—I fell back against the table as my head smacked the wood with a loud thud. He stared down at me through half lidded black eyes. He was incredibly good looking.

  I wondered what he saw when he looked down at me. My arms were bent out beside my head as I watched him above me. My shirt was still pulled down, revealing one boob. My mind was in a weird haze, but I knew what to do. I smiled and went to pull him close, but the black of his eyes faded back to brown and he leaned away from me so quickly that it was more of a jump. My smile dropped and I leaned up.

  “Killian?”

  He covered his face with his palm and panted. Now that I got a better look, he was sweating a lot. He brought his shaky hands to my bra and shirt, covering me up. “Go to the living room, I’ll be there in a minute.”

  My feelings were all over the place. I was feeling embarrassed—mortified, but I was also worried. “Killian, what’s wrong?”

  “Melanie!” He smacked his hand down on the table causing me to jump. “This should have never happened,” he paused, “not this way… He’s going to fucking skin me alive!” He took a deep raggedy breath.

  I slid off the table and hurried to the living room. My heart pounded in my ears. All I could think about was starting back where we left off. Did he mean Grim? Was he upset that his incubus nature was getting between us or did he regret what we did? Unease made its way into my stomach.

  I waited impatiently in the living room. I didn’t know how much time had passed but I put on a movie. He came in some time later carrying two bowls of chili. He handed me a bowl and placed his on the coffee table. “Is water okay?” I nodded and he disappeared and came back with two bottled waters and a pack of crackers.

  We ate in awkward silence. I placed my empty bowl down on the coffee table. “It was good.” He glanced over at me and I added, “The chili, I mean.” Then blushed. Of course, he knew that... I really shouldn’t let myself say anything sometimes. He grunted in response and nothing else was said. Thirty minutes further into the movie, I was feeling uncomfortable on the couch—and I might be fishing for some of his attention.

  There was nothing else to do… so why not try again?

  I splattered out on his couch, taking up every cushion besides the one he sat on. He went still next to me—I grinned on the inside. I waited a bit, stealing peeks at him as he watched the movie stiff as a board. I would catch him looking at me from the corner of his eye but when I turned to face him, he would turn away.

  I wiggled around some more on the couch and his shoulders grew tighter—winding up with his rigid frame. It was getting harder for him to pretend he wasn’t staring at my legs… the ones that were sliding closer to him every few seconds. I finally stretched them out across his legs. He sucked in a breath and I did too when I felt his erectio
n with my foot.

  He tossed my legs off him and stood up, facing in the opposite direction—as if to hide what was going on in his jeans. I sat up quickly. He adjusted himself in his jeans. He raked his hands through his hair with a frustrated groan. “This isn’t working.” He turned and grabbed my wrist. He was dragging me out of the living room. And I was feeling disappointment and fear—had I went too far? “I’ll take you home.”

  I pulled out of his grip. “Why?”

  “Because this was a bad idea to think that it would be okay to be around you when I’m like this.”

  I leaned my weight on one hip. Every move I made seemed to upset him—his eyes fell over me, nostrils flaring. “Killian, it’s okay,” I tried to tell him.

  “No, it’s not. I can’t even fucking think straight right now,” he argued and reached for me again but I wouldn’t let him. “It’s only this hard when you’re around.”

  “What gets harder?” We both caught the unintended pun, and I glanced between his legs. He swore under his breath and grabbed my arm, pulling me toward the front door.

  “Put on your shoes,” he told me.

  “No, Killian. You being an incubus demon doesn’t bother me.” I had already gotten over that bridge on my own.

  He ignored me and started looking for something. “Where did you take your jacket off?”

  “You took it off me in the kitchen.” I took pleasure in the moment he let himself devour me with his eyes. “Killian!” I yelled but he was already in and out of the kitchen, shoving my jacket in my hands. “You’re being a jerk,” I huffed. “And embarrassed.” And ashamed.

  His jaw tightened and his eyebrows furrowed in anger as he glared over at me. “You’re lucky I’m taking you home right now and not doing what I really want to do with you.”

  “And what’s that?” I snapped back with anger.

  “Fuck you.” My anger all but faded into blushing cheeks. “Not the romantic shit you want—” he went on, “—No, I can’t give you that when I’m in incubus demon.” He brought his hand between us. “All I can think about is fucking you over and over, and since I’ve been back around you, I’m having these sick and twisted thoughts about taking you away—locking you up, keeping you there all to myself so that I could do what the fuck I needed to get you off my mind.” I stood frozen like a statue as his eyes broke through me. “I’m guessing you want to go home now.”