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“A house of Devils is no place for an angel like you.”
“Lastly, and perhaps most important of all—fall in love within Phantasma at your own risk.”
“I’m what? Very handsome? The most striking person you’ve ever seen?” Ophelia began to nod, before realizing that perhaps that was a very embarrassing thing to do. She felt her cheeks flush as he laughed and let the cat drop back to the floor.
His mouth much too smart. Oh, his mouth.
“That, and what I’m able to do with my hands,”
“Ophelia,” he repeated, tasting every syllable. Her name on his tongue sounded like a wicked prayer. “You are exactly the person I’ve been waiting for.”
“No one has ever turned me down before.”
“I thought I told you not to follow me?” “I apologize if I gave you the impression that I do what I’m told.”
“Don’t forget, you keep finding me
“You have a response for everything, don’t you?” “Yes.” He winked, and she hated herself for thinking that the gesture was attractive. She couldn’t help it, though. Everything about him was frustratingly attractive.
“Don’t tell me you’re not going to fight back, angel,”
“Call her a name one more time,” he threatened, his tone bored but his eyes alight with mischief. “I dare you.”
“Incredible,” Blackwell echoed. “The audacity of men worth less than dirt.”
I think you’re rather a force to be reckoned with there, too.”
“Oh, bite me,” she deadpanned. His smirk grew wider. “Is that an invitation?”
Her eyes flicked down to his mouth, and like her brief lapse of control in the bathtub the night before, she wondered what it would be like to kiss him. Would he taste like the notes of vanilla and tobacco that lingered in the air around him? Would his ghostly nature make it feel cold?
“If you want to play rough,” he drawled, “I have better games we can play. Ones that involve less clothing—”
A shame, too. I feel robbed of my first time laying eyes on you.”
He was too charming for her own good.
I do like to bite.”
“Is kissing usually part of your bargains? Am I just not your type?” Blackwell froze for a moment.
“Is the thought of kissing me that horrible?” he murmured. No. “Yes,” she answered. “Did you know that every time you lie, your left eye twitches a little?” She crossed her arms. “It does not
“Lust
“Unless you want this to go in a much different direction, I wouldn’t do that again,” he admonished. She blushed.
She desperately wanted to kiss him. She wanted to experience the sort of passion the room around her was feeling. It was almost painful how attracted to him she was.
“I’m going to kill you again.” “Is this your attempt at flirting, angel?”
“I did.” “Why were you saying my name if not to…”
His grin could have blinded the stars.
“Don’t tell me you’re disappointed you didn’t get to live out a wild illusion of another nature?” He started to scoff, before pausing thoughtfully and saying, “Actually, do tell. I’m desperate to know what sort of wicked fantasies live in your head.”
“No, they just don’t concern you.” “Maybe I’d believe that if I wasn’t pretty sure you almost just let someone with my face—”
“I’ll jump with you.”
“I’ve got you,” he reassured her.
“Well, I suppose the debate on whether or not you think it’d be terrible to kiss me has been settled,”
That was horrible.” “Of course it was,” he agreed. “No illusion could possibly replace my—”
you kissed me, but it wasn’t you—” “Look at me,”
“This is real,” he promised. “I’m real. I’m sorry the illusion used my likeness to trick you. I need you to know if you were to ever let me touch you, in any way, the moment you wanted to stop—I would. No hesitation.”
I think in the future it would be objectively beneficial to let me prove to you exactly what it feels like to be kissed by me, just in case such a thing were to ever happen again.”
“If you thought that was your threshold of pleasure—imagine being worshipped by the real thing.”
Good girl.”
“Who cares? I’m fine. You healed me. We need to get back to our quest.” “I care. We have a bargain. I’m supposed to protect you from harm while you’re here,” he told her, his tone a little too casual. “So again. Who did that to you?” “The one named Cade,” she admitted. “Happy?” Without another word, Blackwell disappeared.
“He’s done nothing that special,”
“And he’s got me on a wild goose chase. There is no reason to let him linger on my mind like this.”
Blackwell’s form illuminated the space and filled her with such a strong sense of relief that before she realized what she was doing, she was launching herself in his direction. He caught her against his chest easily, and she wrapped her arms so tightly around his neck that it was a good thing he didn’t need to breathe.
“You came.” “You called,”
“There’s no article of clothing I don’t know how to take off efficiently.”
“Show me,”
Capturing her lips with his own, no hesitation, no timidness. As if this had been inevitable to him all along.
It was as if he had suddenly woken her and made her realize just how untouched she’d been all this time and now she would starve without his hands and mouth running over every inch of her skin.
“At any point, if you want to stop,” he said, his voice thick with his arousal, “we stop. Understand?”
