She narrowed her gaze. “Animal.”
I bit my lip to keep from smiling, her stubborn nature amusing. But I also wanted in on this action. “Perhaps she needs a lesson, Novak. A reminder of sorts.” It absolutely would not be like the one we gave her at the reformatory. Becausethathad presented the wrong message entirely.
No, we’d learned from that error.
This lesson would entirely be forherbenefit.
Novak’s icy gaze met mine, the beast inside him cautioning me that he was in charge here. Normally, he would yield to my lead. But not today. Not right now. Not after what had just happened outside.
I tilted my chin just enough to acknowledge his need for control, and his shoulders marginally relaxed. Then he slowly returned his focus to our mate, his movements reminding me of a predator evaluating his prey.
Layla’s cheeks pinkened beneath his perusal. “I-I don’t…”
Novak arched a brow, daring her to finish that statement.
She swallowed instead.
His eyes tracked the movements, his tongue licking his bottom lip as he considered how best to teach her who she belonged to.
He gradually bent toward her, his gaze holding hers the entire time, and causing her nostrils to flare as his lips met the racing pulse point at her neck. She shuddered, a breath escaping her mouth on a pant-like woosh.
Novak bit down, causing her to gasp. Then his palm on her chest held her against the bed as he began a tortuous path to her breast where he repeated the action against her nipple. “Novak,” she panted, goose bumps pebbling across her arms.
He growled in response to her using his name, his desire to hearmateevident in his actions.
But she denied him, even as he kissed and licked his way down her sternum to the addictive apex between her thighs.
His gaze met mine again, this time beckoning me to join him in tormenting our mate. I pulled off my shirt and kicked off my boots before approaching Layla. Her pupils flared as she drank in my exposed skin, her hand reaching for me as I knelt on the mattress. “Who am I?” I asked her.
“Auric,” she replied.
“And what am I?” I prompted her.
“My…” she trailed off, gaze narrowed. “Animal.”
Novak rumbled against her sex, then sucked her clit deep into his mouth, eliciting a surprised scream from our mate. I pressed my palm to her torso, holding her against the bed as I bent to brush her lips with mine.
“If you answer correctly, he’ll make you come,” I promised her. “If you don’t…”
Novak pulled away to nibble her thigh, eliciting a snarl from Layla.
I smiled. “I think you know how to play this game, Lay,” I said, licking her plump bottom lip. “The question is, do you want to win?”
I didn’t give her a chance to respond, taking her mouth with my own and demanding her tongue dance with mine.
She groaned, her skin heating beneath my palm as I tortured her tits with my touch. I knew what she liked, just as I knew what she needed.
I pinched her. Then soothed her. Then drew my fingertips around her stiff peaks in gentle, featherlight strokes that made her whimper beneath me.
Novak paired the movements with his tongue and fingers, torturing her below with strokes meant to take her near climax, only to pull away before she could fall over the edge.
It was a wicked game, one meant to sensually torture her into submission.
She knew it, too. Hence the challenging gleam in her gaze as I drew back to stare down at her. I smiled, loving the way she defied us.
Then I angled her head so she could observe Novak’s dark head between her thighs.
“You’ve drenched his face in your beautiful arousal,” I said, stretching out beside her as I cradled her nape beneath one hand. “He’s going to wear your perfume to dinner, make sure everyone knows that you’re his mate. Don’t you want to sweeten the scent for him? To make sure that delectable cherry flavor is coating every inch of his tongue?”
