Page 273 of Split or Swallow

He was consuming her—devouring her—gorging himself on her until she could⁠n’t form a single thought.

“Leo,” she moaned over and over again. “Leo.”

She understood he was reprimanding her—forcing her to remember how good he could make her feel. This was the dynamic between them, their endless battle. Now it was Leo’s turn to hold the power, and it was Tem’s turn to yield.

His fingers joined his tongue, and for a moment, Tem saw stars.

Leo was unrelenting, even as her grip tightened in his hair—even as she whimpered his name helplessly. Caspen had already been turning her on for hours; Tem was beyond close. But it wasn’t until Leo sucked her clitoris suddenly between his teeth that her hips bucked and she came with a yelp, finally releasing the pent-up heat that had been building in her all day long.

The second she cried out, Leo stood. He yanked her dress down without a word and stalked back into the maze.

“Leo wait—” Tem leaped from the statue, barely catching her breath as she ran after him, “—this is a maze. You can’t just leave me—”

Leo whirled around, his eyes flashing in the darkness.

“I can do whatever I damn well please, Tem. That’s what you do, after all.”

“That’s not fair.”

“Isn’t it?”

“You know I can’t control him, Leo. He—”

“You can control what you put in your own body, Tem.”

He turned again, and Tem had to run to keep up with him.

“It doesn’t matter what I put in my body—he’s in my mind—he’ll always be there.”

Leo shook his head.

“This cannot go on.”

They had come to it at last: the moment when Leo’s patience ran out.

“What do you suggest I do?”

“I suggest you shut him out.”

“I can’t.”

“Can’t you? Or do you just not want to?”

Tem stopped, suddenly hurt. Leo knew very well how difficult this was for her—how much she hated the position she was in. If she could make it easier for herself—and for him—she would. But her bond with Caspen wasn’t something she could just shut off. Nor did she want to. It was far more complicated than anything Leo could comprehend, and there was no possible way to explain it to him.

“You said you didn’t mind,” she whispered. “You said you would take what you could get.”

Leo stopped too, his hands clenched into fists at his sides.

“I know what I said, Tem,” he growled, turning to face her. “But I want more. I want all of you. Anything less than everything isn’t enough anymore.”

“Why?” Tem asked, betrayal pinching her chest. “What changed?”

He shook his head.

“That’s the fucking problem, Tem. Nothing’s changed.”

She stared at him in disbelief, tears in her eyes.