Read Online Hellsbane Hereafter by Paige Cuccaro - Free Book Online Page A

beautiful, sin-darkened eyes. “I knew the cost of being with you, the price you’d pay, and I didn’t stop you.”
    He tugged me closer, making my breath catch. “It wasn’t up to you to stop me. It was my choice, my price to pay.”
    “But I’m the reason you even considered making that choice. I’m the reason you fell.”
    He smiled, softening his stern expression. “Yes. You were.”
    I tried to look away. He wouldn’t let me. “Emma Jane, you’re missing the point. Yes, I fell because of you—because I fell in love with you. Not because you were a wicked temptation, not because I was seduced by evil. I fell in love with you, because down to your soul, you are honorable, brave, and beautiful. I’ve lived for eons, but until I met you, I didn’t know who I was. I didn’t know the man I wanted to be. You make me want to be more than I am.”
    “You’re mistaking bravery with self-preservation. And I’m not as honorable as you think.” I’d made a deal with the devil to have the man I love in my bed. There was nothing honorable about it. Okay, so Jukar wasn’t exactly the devil, and technically, the deal was to keep Eli out of the abyss. Plus, I hadn’t actually agreed to anything. But the intent, like Eli said, had been there. Shit.
    “You’ll just have to trust me on this one.” Eli lifted my chin with the crook of his finger. He wrapped his arm around my waist, holding my body flush to his and keeping his voice low. “I know you better than anyone. You’re not evil, Emma Jane. You’re human. You’re a woman. And you are a remarkable credit to both.”
    Desire, like blue fire, blazed in his eyes. His gaze dropped to my lips, and my stomach clenched. His sweet smile faltered in the heat of his thoughts as he leaned close and pressed his mouth to mine. His kiss warmed me like sweet brandy, blooming in my chest, heating my veins. The scent of fresh, sun-warmed air, country breezes, and wildflowers filled my lungs. I closed my eyes and let the fragrance of his skin soothe my nerves, let the solid press of his body smother my doubt, let his passion sweep me away.
    If I was evil, in his arms, I didn’t care. He loved me and had given up so much to be with me, and I loved him for it. Like he’d let go of a long-held breath, he relaxed the tight hold he instinctively kept on his power. The tingling wash of angelic aura poured over me, sinking through my skin, stirring the most intimate parts of my body.
    A soft moan escaped me, tension melting from my muscles. His hands gathered me closer, as though he couldn’t bear even a whisper of space between us. Before his fall, Eli had always been so careful—careful how he touched me, how his angelic power influenced me, careful not to let his desire show. Now there was no reason to hold back. Being in the uninhibited embrace of an angel was a dangerously addictive bliss that left me weak-willed and hungry for more.
    “Tell me who attacked you,” he whispered and trailed soft kisses along my cheek and down my neck. His teeth nipped my skin, a soft nibble that sent a quick shiver down my spine. “It’s my right to defend your honor.”
    My head lolled back, heart racing faster with each kiss he traced down my chest. His hand, big and hot, slipped under my blouse, smoothing up my side to my breast. I swallowed hard, trying to keep my brain focused.
    “You’re not a knight in shining armor. And this damsel can defend her own honor. Thanks.” I barely got the words out before his hand slipped under my bra, found my pebbled nipple, and gave it a rough pinch. I gasped, arching into his touch as his thumb smoothed over the tender flesh and drew soft circles that stoked a growing heat between my thighs.
    He straightened, bringing his attention back to my mouth and deepened each kiss, suckling my lips, tasting me. He stole my air for his own, making me light-headed, and filled my lungs with his angel breath. The sensation charged through me, like ingesting