by Anna Zaires
“Shh.” He kisses my lips. “I’ve got you.”
I desperately need to hold on to something, so I cling to his gaze. He lets me. He doesn’t close his eyes or hide his pleasure. He gives it to me truthfully. He shows me the rawness that reflects in my body.
True to his word, he’s there for me when my body bows and the climax tears me apart. I turn warm inside. He fills me up with his release, pumping as if he’s set on making me take every drop. I’m drowning in his heat, his smell, and the angry undercurrent that’s always present between us, especially during his release. I’m high on endorphins, floating in a euphoric space. Vaguely, I’m aware of him taking something from his pocket and pushing it against my neck. The sharp prick of a needle registers too late.
My vision swims, and I start to drift away. Straining my neck, I force my head up and desperately try to claw my way through the haze. I try to hold on to that ice-green stare with all my might, but it slips out of my reach.
His words are soft, spoken in Russian. “Let go, Minochka.”
The beautiful sound of his mother tongue strokes over my senses, as does the term of endearment.
Poisonous words.
Poison seems fitting.
He catches my head when my neck fails to support the weight.
He’s still inside me when I drag in a final, laborious breath. The last word I speak when I blow out that breath is his name.
The End
Ready for more of Yan & Mink’s dark, sizzling story? Pre-order Darker Than Love, their full standalone romance! To be notified when it’s out, sign up for our newsletters at annazaires.com and charmainepauls.com, and be sure to check out our books in audio!
Dark & Contemporary Romance by Anna Zaires:
The Twist Me Trilogy – Nora & Julian’s dark, twisted love story
The Capture Me Trilogy – Lucas & Yulia’s breathtaking enemies-to-lovers romance
The Tormentor Mine Series – Peter & Sara’s intense captive romance
Wall Street Titan – a sizzling contemporary romcom featuring a billionaire and a cat lady
Dark & Contemporary Romance by Charmaine Pauls:
Beauty in the Broken – a dark forced marriage romance about revenge and salvation
The Loan Shark Duet – a dark mafia romance with a Beauty and The Beast theme
The Age Between Us Duet – an older-woman/younger-man romance that will melt your e-reader
Catch Me Twice — a heartbreaking second chance romance about betrayal and redemption
Sci-Fi Romance by Anna Zaires:
The Mia & Korum Trilogy – an epic sci-fi romance with the ultimate alpha male
The Krinar Captive – Emily & Zaron’s captive romance, set just before the Krinar Invasion
The Krinar Exposé – Anna’s scorching hot collaboration with Hettie Ivers, featuring Amy & Vair—and their sex club games
The Krinar World stories – Sci-fi romance stories by other authors, set in the Krinar world
Sci-Fi Romance by Charmaine Pauls:
The Krinar Experiment – alpha alien kidnapping at its hottest, set in Anna Zaires’s Krinar world
The Krinar’s Informant – an alpha alien captive romance, set in Anna Zaires’s Krinar world
The Forbidden Arts Series by Charmaine Pauls – paranormal romance featuring a dash of darkness and plenty of alpha male possessiveness
Loving the Enemy (Prequel novel) – a hitman and an innocent virgin
Pyromancist (Book 1) – a hostage offered as bait
Aeromancist, The Beginning (Book 2) – a dangerous alpha male and a librarian
Aeromancist (Book 3) – a forbidden love
Hydromancist (Book 4) – an ambassador and an assassin
Geomancist (Book 5) – a drug lord and a stolen woman
Necromancist (Book 6) – a rock star and his dark secret
Scapulimancist (Book 7) – a ranger and a convict
Chiromancist (Book 8) – a pilot and a slave
Man (Book 9) – a stalker and his enemy’s woman
Sci-fi and Fantasy Collaborations by Anna Zaires and her husband, Dima Zales:
The Girl Who Sees – the thrilling tale of Sasha Urban, a stage illusionist who discovers unexpected secret powers
Mind Dimensions – the action-packed urban fantasy adventures of Darren, who can stop time and read minds
Upgrade – the mind-blowing technothriller featuring venture capitalist Mike Cohen, whose Brainocyte technology will forever change the world
The Last Humans – the futuristic sci-fi/dystopian story of Theo, who lives in a world where nothing is as it seems
The Sorcery Code – the epic fantasy adventures of sorcerer Blaise and his creation, the beautiful and powerful Gala
