“Oh yeah, what’re ye gonna do? Text ‘em?” His smartass smirk relayed to me that he thought this was funny. Maybe it was. I could count on my hands how many people knew about my mental connections, though, him being one of them.
“No, of course not. They don’t have thumbs to text me back,” I sassed and rolled my eyes as I started walking towards the kitchen.
“Mmm-hmm,” he hummed in amusement and trailed behind me. It was so fucking sexy to hear him hum with his lyrical voice. I snatched a water bottle from the fridge and rested my back against the island so I could face him. Check him out. His short, dark auburn hair was messy. His eyes were the color of gray storm clouds. He had a light dusting of facial hair across his jaw, and his fitted button down was nearly the same color as his eyes. I bet he looked edible in a suit. He was lean and sculpted, and I’d wager his abs were so ripped that tape wouldn’t even fix those tears.
I was on the verge of fanning myself when he slyly asked, “Checkin’ me out, are ya?”
“Mmm-hmm,” I hummed back at him.
“And do ye like what ya see?” he inquired with a knowing look on his face.
Instead of answering him, I leaked some images into his mind to test out these two theories I had. Purely for scientific reasons, of course. Me on my knees with his finger under my chin, tilting my head back to look up at him from my kneeling position. Him circling the bed I was strapped to with a black leather flogger in his hand, taking his time to work me over. Me dangling by my wrists, blindfolded and him edging me. Him wrapping my legs around his waist and giving me that release he kept denying me, driving into me until I screamed so much my voice was hoarse. Totally scientific.
“Does that seem about right?” I questioned him breathlessly. Teasing him turned out to be bad for my sex drive. I was regretting the decision to skip panties real fucking hard too. I could get in his mind, but not the others’.
Smirking, he crossed the three steps between us in two long strides. He took my hand gently before spinning me around and pinning me to the island. He ran that stubbled jaw of his up the side of my neck and rumbled in my ear, “That’s just the tip of the iceberg, Love.” Then he ran his face back down my neck. When he spoke next, his lips barely caressed my skin, but it was enough to send tingles storming through my body. “An' don't ye forget That ya started this when it comes time for yer punishments for bein' a bad girl...”
I groaned hoarsely as he pushed himself against my back and reached around to run his fingers just below the waist of my jeans. Why was I in jeans right now!? Why did I need to leave? He twirled me back to face him and his left hand slipped through my hair before he tugged it harshly and kissed me softly. He didn't remove the fingers of his other hand on their trek along the top of my pubic bone. After a few heartbeats passed between us, he broke the kiss and backed off, returning to his original spot propped up and looking unfazed except for the large bulge in his khakis.
“I’m a patient man, Love. Don’t start thinkin’ I won’t tease ya as hard as ye tease me.” He winked at me. “Now, go keep the Vampire out of trouble and have a little fun tonight.” Then he just fucking sauntered off, adjusting his package and leaving me breathless and wet. This wasn’t teasing, it was godsdamn torture!
The trip to meet Novak at their apartment was an excruciating twenty-eight minutes. Unfortunately, every car ride I’d had today has felt the same way. I was so flustered and soaked that I shifted mercilessly in the back seat. Wearing jeans with no panties only made it worse. Every time I moved, the friction drove me further insane. I was going to die a frustrated, miserable death at this rate.
I lifted my hand to knock on the door as I surveyed the hallway around me. I didn’t even connect my knuckles to the wooden surface of the door before it swung open. Stone appraised me, then nodded his head in that “come on” way that guys do sometimes. When I entered he grabbed a few bags off the floor and exited, closing the door quietly behind him.
Novak came around the corner talking to Stone. “Palmer is gonna want those books on the coff-- Hey. When did you get here?”
“Just now,” I informed him.
“Awesome, I need to grab my laptop and then we can go.”
He was gone and back in the blink of an eye, patting his pockets down while mumbling “keys, keys, keys,” like the chant would help him magically locate them. I watched him fumble around for a few minutes, trying hard to keep the smile off my face. He was so hot, even when he was talking to himself about where he’d left his car keys.
His chestnut hair flopped in his eyes, and he pushed it out of the way with one heavily tattooed hand. The colorful art mingled together, from his fingers to his forearms, where they got lost in the scrunched up fabric of his black, long-sleeved t-shirt. As he kneeled to look under the coffee table, the back of his tight shirt rode up a little. I saw that those striking tattoos appeared to cover him from neck to waist as well. I wondered if his whole body was covered in them like Briggs’. I wanted to run my fingertips over the intricate artwork and memorize all the images, but I’d have to make time for that another day. His septum was pierced. It drew my attention to his plump Cupid’s bow lips that he pulled to the side as his eyes roamed around the room. Those gorgeous, golden irises bounced from surface to surface while he ran his hand through his hair in frustration.
“Would you like some help?” I called out to him as I battled with myself to keep a smile at bay. “I mean, as much as I’m enjoying the view, I feel like I could use a locator spell to find your keys.” I could’ve already found them, but looking at him had been a pleasant distraction. His fitted jeans made his ass look amazing and showcased the bottom half of his sinewy physique. His muscles bunched and tensed as he walked closer to me, his predatory gait turning me on even further after my perusal of his body.
“Are you telling me you know how to find my keys and you’ve been checking me out while I search for them?” He stalked closer as he playfully questioned me. His graceful movements could be compared to a feline. No motion was wasted. Every step he took was purposeful, powerful, and sexy as hell.
“Absolutely,” I purred at him. “That’s precisely what I’m saying.” I gave up completely on fighting my expression as he took one last step, crowding my personal space. His sandalwood and sage scent invaded me, momentarily making my brain short circuit. “Describe your keys to me.” My whispered request came out husky with desire. My deceitful body had done nothing but betray me since I’d met these males.
“Well,” he glanced down to where my taunt nipples brushed his chest with each inhale I took. “My key is…” he continued to watch my chest move as I fought to control my breathing. He left his sentence hanging, and I desperately searched for a distraction while I waited for him to start describing his keys again. “unyieldingly firm.” His voice dropped to a deeper tone as he peered into my eyes and settled his hands on my hips. “It's got a few silver rings attached to it and there’s some writing around the base. It slides in the ignition with a bit of resistance, but with a twist of my wrist she turns right on.”
I let out my second frustrated groan of the day. The victorious look on his face was enough to make me want to kiss him, or slap him. I wasn’t sure which one I was going to choose yet, but then he leaned in so close that I thought maybe he’d decided for me. Instead, he hovered over my lips as he whispered, “Found them.” On the table in the small foyer, right next to where I’d set my purse, was a set of keys. “Time to go, Trouble.”