Free The Decaying Empire (The Vanishing Girl Series Book 2) by Laura Thalassa

mine, moving against me hungrily.
    My hands replaced my eyes, grazing over his chest. Fingers rolled over small ridges of scars before skimming over the rounded contours of his abs. Yes, Caden had that dangerous, scarred beauty, and damn, it appealed to me on a primal level. I reveled in his familiarity. His smell, his taste, the feel of his hair between my fingers.
    His hands drifted to my hips and he lifted me, wrapping my legs around his waist.
    His lips left my mouth to trail kisses along my jaw. “Angel,” he murmured. The pitch of his voice made me want to cry.
    I stroked a hand along the side of his face. “Don’t be sad. Not right now.”
    His throat worked and he nodded, and then he took possession of my lips once more. As he did so, he walked us to the edge of his bed and sat down with me in his lap.
    I pressed myself even closer to Caden, but it didn’t satisfy me. I’d almost lost everything, and I had no reason to believe I’d get to keep this man or this life much longer.
    Caden must’ve been thinking along the same lines, because he lowered me onto the bed.
    He knelt between my legs, and his hands fell to my hips. Caden stroked the skin there, his touch featherlight. I made a small noise at the touch, bringing a smile to his lips. Slowly he peeled back the scrubs I wore, his eyes drinking in each inch of exposed skin. “You’re paler than I remember,” he said, almost to himself.
    What he hadn’t said was that I was also frailer than what we both remembered. Now, when my body’s ability to run and fight was more important than ever.
    Caden ran his hands along my legs, his face awed. He made a satisfying sound low in his throat. “I can’t get over how your skin feels against mine.”
    I watched him, enraptured. Where I saw weakness, he saw something to be cherished.
    I reached for him, not liking that while he’d been reacquainting himself with my legs, I’d been left bereft.
    The corner of Caden’s mouth curled. “Is my Ember impatient?”
    Whatever expression I wore amused Caden, and I was rewarded with a laugh. The sound curved my own lips into a smile.
    Caden’s torso slid up my body, his fingers hooking underneath my shirt. “That better, angel?” he breathed, his face directly above mine. Close enough for me to notice that his hair had more sun streaks in it.
    I nodded, reaching up to finger a lock of his golden hair. He was a sun god, the American dream, and he was staring at me like I was his whole world.
    Something this good was bound to end terribly. It was karma evening the score—you get a gorgeous man in return for your tragic life and early death. Not a happily-ever-after. That was for movies and romance novels.
    I lifted my shoulders as Caden pulled my shirt up over my head. He threw the garment aside and stared at my stomach. At my new scars.
    Reflexively my hands went to cover them.
    “No,” he said, catching my arms and placing them at my sides.
    My entire body tensed as his gaze moved over the discolored, distorted skin. The last time we’d been intimate, I’d been scar free, toned, and my skin had a healthy glow to it. Now it was a different story.
    He released my hands, his eyes warning me to leave my arms where they were. I bit my lip, but I didn’t move.
    With his fingertips Caden traced my scars. I had to lock my jaw and clench my fists to keep from squirming under his inspection. And then he did the strangest thing of all: he leaned down and pressed a kiss to my scarred stomach.
    “Beautiful,” he murmured.
    I stilled at the word. “How can you say that?”
    Caden drew away slightly. “This is what kept you alive,” he said. “And it’s proof that you’re real.”
    He glanced up at me to read my expression. “You thought I’d find them ugly?”
    I shrugged. “Yes.” My mouth tripped over the word, giving away just how vulnerable I felt.
    “Oh, Ember,” Caden said, his lips instantly back on mine. “Never,” he whispered into my mouth.
    Without