Every. Muscle.
He began to harden beneath me, and an insatiable hunger drowned out all other needs in my body. I shifted my hips again, poising the apex of my thighs expertly over his length.
And yet, Rorik never moved. His hands remained gripped on the armrests; his black gaze fixed on my face. Lust coursed through his expression, but he didn’t yield to it.
“You know, it wouldn’t be so bad if you just gave in.” I nibbled at the lobe of his ear and watched as gooseflesh rippled down his neck.
“It would undeniably be the best night of your life.”
Fuck, I wanted his mouth all over me. “Then why not? We’re hardly making a scene off in the corner like this.” With deliberate slowness, I dragged my nose along his throat, pausing only to let my tongue graze the sharp edge of his jaw. A heady and tantalizing sound rumbled from his chest.
“A scene?” His gaze momentarily flitted to the room full of Evers. “Edira, if I didn’t know better, I’d say you like the idea of an audience.”
A peculiar jolt of excitement shot through my core. “I’m certainly not opposed. Besides, it’s what we’re supposed to do, right?”
I moved to kiss him, but he simply grinned. “You haven’t convinced me to leave this chair yet.”
Right. The chair. His wicked challenge made me want to riot, but if it was a game he wanted, then I’d participate. And I’d win.
Slowly, with deliberate intention, I rolled my hips against him. “I wonder how much it will take.” Again, I ground into him, and he let out a throaty chuckle coated with heat and lust.
“I don’t think you’ll win this one.”
“And why is that?” I asked.
The devilish curl of his lips had me breathless. “I have better control than you.”
My own need warred with my desire for mental—and perhaps physical—torture, and my hips set a steadier rhythm of their own accord. Wetness gathered in my undergarments, and the delicious friction from the fabric and Rorik made focusing on anything other than my own building want near impossible.
But I could still play the game. Iwouldstill play. With ease, I slid my robe off my shoulders to reveal the gilded bustier. My nipples pearled beneath the silken fabric, and the swell of my breasts heaved as I continued to grind against him.
Rorik’s gaze darkened, and then a vibrant flash of gold streaked through the ink-black depths of his eyes. A rough, low sound simmered from somewhere deep in his chest, and a sudden splintering cracked through the air. A quick glance at his hands revealed his grip on the chair had nearly destroyed the now creaking wood beneath his tense fingers.
My mouth watered at the display, and my hips moved faster. I wanted that pressure across every inch of my body. I wanted him to grip me with such wanton desire that I was left with bruising, with tangible proof that his need for me matched my own want for him. I craved him in a way I’d never craved anything before, and perhaps it was the wine or the lust-filled air, but I wanted to claim him as mine for the entire world to see.
If only he’d have me.
Right as my need began to mount, I stopped. Rorik hissed his displeasure, and I smirked. I slid off his body and headed toward the throng of intermingling bodies. A dangerous threat filled his gaze.
Edira...His thought was a warning.
I, of course, didn’t heed it.What? I’m here to do a job, Rorik. And I’m going to do it well.
Turning my back on him, I made a beeline for one of the tables that had been arranged toward the front of the room—right beneath a chandelier, incredibly well lit for all eyes to see. A few interested Evers had already begun their pursuit. They followed after me with wide grins and lust-filled stares, and they didn’t bother to hide their arousal. When I reached the table, I shoved off the platters of food and drink, and the sound of clattering dishes only drew more eyes to me. And more interest.
Before the first Ever could put his hand on my thigh, Rorik was there. He gripped the man’s wrist so tight I swore I heard his bone snap, and Rorik snarled in response. The few others who’d come near stalled, waiting to see whom I’d pick.
“Seems like I got you out of your chair,” I said, leaning back and parting my legs in invitation.
He let out a possessive hiss as he took a step toward the Evers, flexing his hands. A swell of magic churned about his form, heating the space, and he bared his teeth at them with murderous intent. They immediately backed away with their hands up, gazes flicking between me and him.
My mouth opened in a gasp of pure desire. The way he stood against them, the way he wanted to claim me as his own... There was an undeniable, carnal need raging down our heartbond, and once he was satisfied that our onlookers had found other ways to occupy their hands, he stalked toward me. Burying one hand in my hair, he brought the other to my low back and arched my body into him. The sudden presence of his touch was like fire against my skin.
He placed a bruising kiss at the soft spot where my ear and neck met. “Do you remember what I told you at the last fete beneath the stars?”
“You said many things that night,” I murmured, and his grip tightened. A moan shuddered through me.
“Indeed.” He was a picture of lust and hunger. His eyes were trained on me, but his lips were parted, his breath hard and uneven. Every muscle in his body was tense. “But I think you know what I’m referring to. How I plan to watch you writhe with unbearable want as I make you wait to feel the pleasure of release.”
