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She plays along. “You got this little crinkle right here, and your scent went sad,” she says, touching her index finger to the skin between my eyebrows.
Well damn, so much for playing along. She totally just called me out. I laugh and playfully grab a throw pillow and smack it into her shoulder. She jumps to her feet with a shriek, a wide grin stretching her lips.
She dances away and I stand up as well. “Oh, you didn’t,” she accuses in a mock serious voice, eyes narrowed.
I smirk. “Oh, I definitely did.”
She gasps in outrage and throws another pillow at me and it has my mind flashing back to our massive pillow fight in the library and ourkiss. Heat flushes through me and my expression must change because some of her laughter fades and her pupils dilate, then sheruns. The worst possible thing she could have done.
“Nessa, I wouldn’t do that if I were you, love.”
She swallows hard, eyes widening, but then she takes another step back and a low growl rises in my throat. “Nessa,” I warn, voice gravelly.
The little minx smirks before sticking out her tongue at me and bolting towards the kitchen. I chuckle, shaking my head before I lunge for her and she jerks away with a shriek. My increased speed and reflexes due to my vampire side give me an advantage, so I gain on her quickly. She pauses on the other side of the kitchen island, bracing her hands on it as she stares at me, still grinning like a maniac.
I copy her movements and lean forwards, eyes burning into hers. “Give up now, love, and I’ll go easy on you.”
She cocks her head to the side, pressing her index finger to her chin thoughtfully. “Hmm, no, I don’t think I want to.”
Shaking my head, I reach around the island and growl playfully as I try to grab her and she laughs in surprise, once again just managing to skip out of reach. It’s then that the chase is really on. Nessa takes off across the room and launches over the back of the couch—or at least she tries to. Her foot catches between two cushions and she goes down with a loud squeak that sends panic through my chest. I’m too close to her to stop my trajectory fully so I end up sprawled halfway over the couch and looking down at a very amused Nessa. Cackling, she squirms from her place half on the floor and half on the couch, our faces only inches apart. I sag, shaking my head as I realise she’s fine.Thank fuck.
Climbing the rest of the way over the couch, I’m ready to help her up when she rolls over onto all fours and starts crawling away from me. I freeze, watching her as she keeps going until there is a few feet between us, then she shifts so she’s facing me and continues scooting back on her butt. Her eyes meet mine and hold, those golden orbs practically egging me on.Goddess she’s a brat.
My eyes narrow and I leap at her like a fucking cat, landing braced over her on all fours with ease. She flinches back, her mouth parting in an O of surprise and I catch the back of her head in my palm so it doesn’t smack against the ground. My eyebrows draw down even more. “You have to be more careful,” I grumble. She could have seriously hurt herself,again.
She still looks put out by my jump though. “So unfair,” she mutters. I just shake my head again and thread my hand into her hair, making her attention snap to me.
“Stubborn woman,” I mutter, then press my lips to hers. For a moment she’s still, then she moves. One hand clutches my shirt and the other threads into my hair at my nape as she returns my kiss tenfold.
Mouth moving against hers, my hand tightens in her hair and I angle her head so I can deepen the kiss. When I lightly trace the seam of her lips with my tongue she opens for me and I groan, cock hardening almost to the point of pain. Her sweet scent swirls around us in a thick cloud that has my nostrils flaring as I try to breathe in as much as possible. She’s like a drug.
She shifts closer so our lower bodies are pressed together, my hard length pressed to the apex of her thighs. My hips cant forwards and her hand shifts from my nape to tangle in my hair, tugging on the strands. She whimpers, and I slow the kiss to deep drugging sips at her lips. Pleasant shivers roll down my spine when her tongue swirls over mine, and I never want this moment to end.
When we finally break apart the sound of our ragged breathing is the only sound in the quiet. I suck down large gulps of air, my head spinning with pleasure at the strength of our intermingled scents. Her sweet candy-like scent compliments my old book smell. It reminds me of sitting back with a sweet hot chocolate and a good book.
A bout of contentment hits me and I scoop Nessa into my arms and settle on the couch with her. Contented, she snuggles into me, resting her cheek on my shoulder and tucks her nose against my throat. My body is relaxed and my mind thankfully quiet as the last of my lingering lust cools.
I peer down at the gorgeous woman in my arms and the strangest urge to purr rises in my chest. I don’t fight it and she lets out an echoing higher pitched rumble. It has goosebumps breaking out on my skin and I tuck my nose into her hair, eyes closing as exhaustion rolls over me. It would be way too easy to fall asleep like this.
I trail my hand up and down her back, drawing swirling patterns that have her melting into me even more. When sleep tries to drag me under I don’t fight it, Nessa’s purr like a lullaby.
Chapter Ten
Oscar
Irollmyshoulders,trying to relieve the building pressure as I stare down at my plate, my mothers voice grating to my brain, like nails against a chalkboard. I pick at the food, a muscle in my jaw twitching as I tune back into the conversation.
“—Well, we can’t all be big shots like Syn, now, can we?” I suck in a careful breath and glance at the sister in question from under my lashes. She throws me an awkward look before simply nodding at our mothers praise. We both know she doesn’t mean it. She’s just sucking up to her in the hopes that she’ll let her borrow some money. Not that mother needs any more at the moment, she’s already cornered me about it.
I inwardly cringe at the thought of what she could possibly need it for now.Does she owe someone again?Or has something expensive caught her attention?Something that she ‘justhasto have’—her words not mine. It’s gotten to the point where I don’t even want to know.
Clearing her throat, my sister Syn pipes up. “As you know, the first term was pretty great—” she pauses, eyes sliding to me then away again before she continues. “—despite the murders. I was thinking of taking fae dance as one of my extra studies for this term.”
Thankfully, that sends my mother off on a tangent about her youth and dancing with some fae royalty when she was young. I know better than to trust what she says at face value and instead of adding my input, I take a sip of my orange juice. I opted out of drinking the wine she offered, preferring to keep a clear head for this dinner.
After everything that went down just before the end of term with Nessa and the others, I stayed at the Academy for the majority of our extended holiday, managing to avoid my hometown and mother. Alas, my sister Syn called up and begged me to just come to one dinner, so she wouldn’t have to face her alone. Of course I caved which led me to this moment, one day before classes resume, stuck in a hellish dinner with my mother and sibling. Well, Syn makes it somewhat bearable, but being around my mother is just anxiety inducing.
When I feel my mothers gaze land on me, I swallow hard and mentally curse myself for being rational. Alcohol sounds great right about now.
