His tongue swirled around her superheated flesh, sucking, kissing, demanding. He brought her to the very edge, then stopped, kissing his way back up her thighs, her stomach, her breasts.
Hovering over her once more, he lowered his mouth toward hers, ready to claim her in a kiss that would leave her breathless.
“Stop. Stop!” She jerked her head to the side, avoiding his kiss.
Gabriel went still. Cold.
“Afraid to taste yourself on my tongue, little moonflower?” he whispered. “Or are you finally coming to your senses and calling off this madness?”
“I’m… neither. It’s just…” Jacinda let out a trembling sigh. Beneath the press of his body, her nipples stiffened, her flesh hot and silky.
“Tell me,” he demanded, doing his best to school his irritation, undoubtedly failing.
Jacinda turned to face him. Narrowed her eyes. “You don’t even remember me, do you?”
Gabriel’s brow furrowed. What game was she playing now? What did his recollections of her have to do with the fact that she wouldn’t kiss him?
“From your brother’s party,” she prompted. “At Ravenswood?”
“Should I?” he teased.
Hurt flickered in her eyes, but she was as talented as Gabriel at donning a mask, and in the span of a single heartbeat, her smirk was back in place.
With a casual shrug, she said, “Heard you fooled around with one of Renault’s blood slaves. Human girl. Billie?”
“Right.” He brought a hand to her breast, drawing a light circle around her nipple. “You’ll have to be more specific than that.”
“Red hair, tight dress. Gorgeous.”
“Hmm. Still doesn’t ring a bell.”
Her smirk faded. “Seriously?”
“I don’t know what to tell you, witch. Guess your little friend didn’t make much of an impression.”
“She’s not my friend.”
“Nor mine, apparently.”
“I hate you,” she breathed, and the surge of fire in her eyes told him she’d meant it.
Good. Gabriel hated her too. Hated the way she made him feel—unhinged, untethered. Hated the fact that he’d been dreaming about this moment ever since that first fucking time he’d seen her in the gardens that night, bent over some exotic plant in his brother’s collection, looking more at home in the dirt than he’d ever felt anywhere in his pathetic immortal life.
Rememberher?
Fucking hell, he’d watched her from the shadows for an hour, silently following her from one path to another. And in that hour, she’d lodged herself so thoroughly in his head that later that night, when another woman offered her artery, then dropped to her knees and took his cock in her mouth, the only reason he didn’t stop her was that he’d hoped it would get the witch out of his fucking head.
Hadn’t worked, though.
In Gabriel’s mind, it wasJacinda’ssoft gasp as he bit into the vein pulsing on the other woman’s neck.Jacinda’ssilky locks he’d fisted, fucking her hot little mouth.Jacinda’sblue eyes gazing up at him as he spilled down her throat…
Gabriel wrapped his hand around her throat, drawing his mouth close once again. In a low growl, he said, “I don’t need you smitten, little moonflower. Just willing.”
She clenched her teeth, frustration warring with desire in her eyes, as if the latter stood a chance.
Gabriel shifted between her thighs, teasing her entrance with his cock. “Stop or don’t stop?”
“I… oh,fuck,” she whispered. “No kissing. Not on the mouth.”
