Chapter 13 Thirteen
\[HOURS AGO\]
DANIKA
The hallway lights flicker as I stop in front of the door to my apartment, clutching the straps of my backpack.
There's loud music playing inside.
Of course.
Eve never uses earphones.
I stand there for a moment, trying to breathe through the discomfort in my stomach. I really don't want to see Eve right now. But I can't stand here forever.
So, I take a deep breath and reach for the door knob, hoping that by some miracle, it's open and I don't have to knock. To my surprise, the door actually creaks open.
Please don't be in the sitting room. Please don't—
The moment I step in, I see her.
She's sprawled on her belly across the couch, her legs up in the air.
She's only wearing tiny grey shorts and a white bralette, revealing so much pale skin and limbs. Her hair is loose, falling in soft waves down her back.
She looks like a painting, so stunning it's unfair.
For a second, I just... stand there.
My throat goes dry. I can actually feel my heartbeat in my ears.
Her eyes meet mine, lighting up.
"Hey, Dani.’
I shift my bag higher on my shoulder. "Hey."
"Long day?"
"Yeah." My voice sounds too flat, even to me. "Lectures ran late."
She would've known that if she didn't skip the rest of the afternoon lectures.
She nods slowly, tapping her manicured nail against the page of the open book in front of her. "Sit for a bit?"
I almost say no, but something in her tone makes refusal sound childish. So I move closer, perching on the armchair across from her. My bag's still in my lap like a ridiculous shield.
"I wanted to ask... are you mad at me?" She finally asks, her voice soft.
I blink. "What? No."
That isn't a lie. I'm just extremely wary of her.
Eve tilts her head, squinting at me. "You just seem a little... distant. Dani, I really don't want you to think I was hiding anything."
I stiffen. "Hiding what?"
She exhales, as if she's reluctant to say it. Why do I have a feeling that it's all an act?
"It's about Kaziel."
Every nerve in my body tightens.
Eve sighs. "I wasn't sure if I should bring it up. But I knew his ex." She glances up at me, her eyes wide and innocent. "She was so different from you. Really skinny, model type, you know? Gorgeous. Like...movie gorgeous."
The words slam into my chest before I can build any defense.
"I just..." She pauses, leaning forward slightly. "I worry, Dani. I mean, guys like him...dark, broody, too-good-to-be-true types...they can say one thing and mean another. I don't want you to get hurt."
I swallow hard, staring at a small stain on the carpet because it's easier than looking at her.
"He's not like that," I manage.
"I'm sure he's not," she says quickly, her voice sugar-sweet. "It's just... men change when they get what they want. And you're so trusting. That's what makes you adorable...and, you know, vulnerable."
There it is.
The pity masked as kindness.
The venom dipped in honey.
My throat feels tight when I speak. "Thanks for... caring."
Eve flashes me a soft smile. "Of course. You're my friend. I'd hate to see you blindsided."
Then she stands, brushing invisible lint from her shorts. "Anyway, I'll leave you to rest. You look tired."
And just like that, she's gone, humming softly as she disappears down the tiny hallway.
I sit there for a while, staring at the empty couch, her words replaying over and over again in my head.
Kaziel's face flashes in my mind. I recall his voice, his warmth, and the way he'd touched me like I was made of something sacred.
I want to believe that it means something.
But Eve's words keep bleeding through the cracks of my confidence, whispering that maybe I'm not enough.
...
\[Back to the present\]
The words leave my lips before I can think better of them.
"Do you like my body?"
His eyes darken slightly, an expression of disbelief sliding over his beautiful features.
I swallow hard, uneasy.
"Like it?" he asks thickly. "Sweetheart, you have no idea what you do to me."
His thumb grazes my jaw, sliding down my neck, and a shiver races through me.
"I don't like your body, Danika," he murmurs, his tone a husky growl.
"I fight myself every damn second not to ruin you the way I dream of. To taste you until I forget who I am. You think this is about liking?" He practically growls.
Tears well up in my eyes. It feels unreal.
His voice roughens, a dangerous kind of tenderness threading through it. "No. It's worship. It's hunger. It's—fuck, Danika—it's need."
My heart thrums harder, blood rushing to my cheeks.
"All of your curves drive me insane, sweet thing. More than you'll ever know. Don't ever doubt that again," he murmurs, and the heat in his voice sinks into me, flooding my veins.
I swallow hard, unable to tear my gaze from him. He leans closer until his lips brush mine.
He kisses me softly at first, but I can tell he's holding back. But then, his kisses grow more intense, sparks shooting through skin.
My hands clutch at his chest instinctively, my nails digging into his shirt.
I'm dizzy from the taste of him, so much so that it feels like I'm intoxicated.
His hands slide down my sides, squeezing lightly. He groans thickly against my lips, angling his face to kiss me deeper. Every brush of his fingers leaves me trembling.
A soft sigh slips past my lips before I can stop it. He lifts me off my seat to place me on his lap with an impressive strength.
"I want you, Dani," he rasps against my mouth, his teeth grazing my lower lip just enough to make me gasp. "All of you."
The words, the weight in his tone, and the way he holds me so close...it makes my stomach flutter.
Every part of me feels alive.
“Can I touch you, please?” He breathes, his hand sliding between my thighs.
“Yes,” I whisper, feeling wild.
My breath hitches, a moan tearing from my throat as his fingers push my panties to the side, brushing against my most sensitive spot. I gasp as he rubs with a desperate, demanding precision.
My brain shatters.
Everything narrows to his hands, his lips, and the heat of him pressed against me. I am burning alive from want.
I whimper as he increases his tempo, sucking and nipping my neck.
"Shhh... just feel me," he whispers, his voice rough and ragged.
His fingers move with unrelenting need, stroking exactly where I am the weakest, and every nerve in my body dissolves into pure, dizzying pleasure.
I cry out, my back arching, my legs trembling uncontrollably. An orgasm rips through me, leaving me gasping.
"Fuck, you're so wet," he whispers hoarsely, one of his fingers sinking deep into my pulsating core.
My mouth drops open in a breathless moan.
He shifts us until my back rests against his chest, my legs parted.
"K-Kaziel," I moan, my body quivering as he adds a second finger, his lips grazing my ear.
"Fuck, Angel. You're so tight," he groans, and I whimper, turned on by the sound of his deep voice.
He pumps into my hole, pacing his tempo. His breathing grows heavier with every moan I release, desire flooding my bloodstream.
And finally, my body trembles violently, my eyes rolling back as I toss my head back against his shoulder. He rides my wave, pumping faster until I am a gasping mess, spraying hot liquid in the car. He chuckles, the sound of it scraping my insides.
"Oh, you're perfect, sweet thing," he whispers against my ear as I come down from my high.
My face heats up with embarrassment, and that's when my brain catches up with me.
He reaches for the wet wipes on the dashboard of his car, gently wiping us down. I feel like disappearing into thin air.
“You have nothing to be embarrassed about, dove,” Kaziel tells me, and I bite my lower lip, trying not to smile.
He makes me feel so safe. Still, this is humiliating.
“I just ruined your car,” I mumble, and he presses a kiss to my neck.
“I don’t think so. Think of it as a claiming. You claimed my property. And that shit turns me on,” he replies.
I bury my face in my hands, speechless.
“By the way, Eve mentioned that she knew your ex-girlfriend,” I tell him in a low voice. “She seems to have known you a long time ago.”
He stiffens.
“A long time ago? What do you mean? I only met her recently.” He sounds confused.
“That can’t be right. Were you a doctor at one point?” I ask, and he sucks in a sharp breath.
“You’re not supposed to know that,” he utters, his voice ragged. “How did you know?”
Slowly, I turn to look at him, worried about the change in his demeanor.
“Well… Eve had a photo.”
His gaze meets mine, darkening.
“What photo?”