“Penny for them,” I try, wondering if he’ll indulge me.
His lip quirks. “I’m trying to figure out what happened between the two of you to make you hesitant to enter that room.”
“Nothing,” I answer too quickly.
Magic, even I don’t believe the lie.
“Do you think…” I begin, then cut myself off.
Jasper’s words swirl in my mind. In many ways, he’s right; I’m not the kind of woman to be so easily influenced by good sex, and if I truly wanted any of the heirs to stop, I could’ve said as much.
Instead, I’ve given them excuses. Sure, to some men, that would’ve been enough to send them packing, but deep down, I know Lambert would just see them as a checklist of issues we can work through. He won’t be driven off by anything less than an explicit no.
Yet… The thought of saying that to him…
“Penny for them,” he prompts, turning my own words back at me.
“It was stupid to believe that I could date anyone. If inepts are off limits, and I can’t leave the building, anyone I become involved with will be connected to one of the six families in some way.”
He nods. “True.”
“Should I just…do it?” I ask earnestly. “Seize what Lambert and Jasper are offering me, and damn the consequences? Have I earned that much? Or does my duty to the Arcanaeum supersede any chance I have at…”Pleasure? Love? Affection? Joy?I cringe at the silliness of my own thoughts. “Never mind. I should be grateful for what I’ve?—”
Dakari leans forward, pressing me against the door with his body. His hand, which never left my wrist, pulls my arm up and over my head, leaving an inch or less between our faces.
There’s a moment where nothing happens beyond the rush of all of my breath leaving me. A second where he hesitates, like he’s giving me a chance to rebuke him. Then his lips close the gap.
My mouth yields beneath his, knees going weak until the only thing holding me up is the heady weight of him againstme. My free hand falls against his chest, bracing myself against him as he slowly and methodically dismantles my ability to think.
Magic. I—oh, how Imissedthis.
I melt against him as his other hand comes up to cup my jaw, changing the angle and deepening the kiss. His tongue sweeps out, wet and demanding, tracing the seam of my lips until I yield with a moan. He invades my mouth, twining our tongues together in an achingly familiar dance. My eyes flutter shut, every cell weeping with welcome as I gasp, breasts heaving and heavy as desire roars to life like it never left me.
His thick thigh slips between mine, and I spread my legs eagerly, seeking more pressure on the bundle of nerves as I drink him down like oxygen. I’ve spent nights relearning my body and the heights it can reach, but none of that prepared me for the intensity of Dakari’s single-minded focus. The reality of experiencing this once more is so much better than I remember it being, so much rawer than my books could ever truly describe.
It’s a kiss laden with nostalgia and desire, and my heart weeps at being denied this for so long.
When he draws back, I can’t help the weak noise of protest that drags free of my throat or the book that flies from the shelf, hanging threateningly in the air.
He just raises that scarred brow at me. “Baby girl, I’m with Jasper on this one. You want more? You have to tell us. I’m just making sure you’re not confused about my intentions, since you didn’t mention me.”
Then, with a cocky smile worthy of Lambert, he pushes the book aside with one finger and opens the door, leaving me to fall through the gap. I’m flushed and panting, and I freeze under the force of the too-knowing male gazes on the other side.
“Boss!” Lambert vaults over the sofa and envelops me in ahuge, bone-crushing hug. His sugar-and-nutmeg scent washes over me, the warmth of him filling the cold void left by Dakari’s absence. “You’re almost late. North’s in the stands already.”
He’s not lying. The screen shows the crowd roaring as the two opposing teams file onto the court. UAA isn’t playing tonight, but the others have decided to gather anyway, and I’m glad for the company.
Northcliff has begrudgingly agreed to take a new pendant to the latest game, albeit only because Eddy demanded to go with him.
Jasper is already seated, and Dakari takes a spot on his right, leaving the left-hand side of the corner sofa free for Lambert and me. I glance at Leo’s armchair, expecting to find him with a book in his lap.
He’s there, as predicted, but his attention has left the book to study me.
“We have some things to discuss,” I tell Lambert, as the excitable Winthrop heir drags me towards the seat. “What wild ideas are you coming up with? And why?—”
“It’s not a wild idea at all,” Lambert protests, pulling me into his lap, like some kind of doll.
“Put me down,” I tell him, fighting until he releases me to my own seat. Even then, he waits for me to kick my feet up onto the cushions, and then steals them, unstrapping one shoe at a time. “Now, explain.”
