Elissa didn’t know how much time had passed.
Darkness wrapped around her, but it wasn’t the same darkness that lurked in the corridors of the forbidden library or in Gabriel’s words. This was a different kind of darkness—hot, alive, alluring. It burned in Raphael’s touch, in his gaze, in his breath gliding over her skin.
He held her as if he could lose her at any moment. His hands trailed down her back, leaving a trail of fire, while his lips alternated between tender caresses and possessive bites, balancing on the edge of passion and danger.
— You don’t even realize what you’re doing, — he murmured, his voice low and rough.
— And if I do? — Elissa rose onto her toes, her fingers clutching the fabric of his shirt as her lips brushed against his neck, exploring him just as he had explored her.
Raphael inhaled sharply, his grip on her waist tightening.
— You’re playing with fire, princess.
— Didn’t you say that I am fire?
He chuckled, but there was too much tension in that sound.
— And that’s exactly why I shouldn’t…
But he didn’t finish the sentence.
Because she kissed him again.
Raphael gave in.
He pulled her close, eliminating any space between them. His fingers ran through her hair, down her bare shoulders, sliding lower along her spine, sending shivers in their wake. He kissed her fiercely, deeply, until the world around them melted away.
Elissa was drowning in it.
But somewhere at the edge of her consciousness, a voice called out.