Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 97188 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 486(@200wpm)___ 389(@250wpm)___ 324(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 97188 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 486(@200wpm)___ 389(@250wpm)___ 324(@300wpm)
I force my fretting hands still, place them in my lap, and will my body to relax back into the seat. My expression takes longer to get under control, but after a few beats I’m certain I’ve managed it. “Go on, Lizzie.” Even my voice is carefully neutral.
Lizzie’s brows draw together, but we’ve had this argument half a dozen times today, and apparently she doesn’t want to revisit it any more than I do.
She strikes, faster than I can follow, her mouth closing around Hyacinth’s wrist. I see the exact moment the bite’s pleasure takes hold. Hyacinth melts back into the couch, a breathless little sound coming from her lips. Her eyes close and her hips writhe, obviously seeking friction the same way I did during that first bite from Lizzie. Hyacinth is beautiful. Everything about her seems designed to seduce, even the way she orgasms.
But Lizzie isn’t looking at her. She isn’t marking the way that Hyacinth’s breasts heave against the thin fabric of her robes, her nipples at sharp peaks. She isn’t watching how Hyacinth rubs her thighs together before finally releasing a whimper and delving her hands between them. She doesn’t seem to notice at all.
Because she’s watching me.
I mark the color returning to her cheeks, and even though it can’t have been more than a minute or two, it feels like a small eternity before she lifts her mouth and runs her tongue over her fang. One last kiss to Hyacinth’s wrist heals the woman. Even at this short distance, I can see the puncture wounds knitting back together seamlessly.
“Wow.” Hyacinth lifts a shaking hand to her brow. “I know that you told me what to expect, but I honestly didn’t believe you. That was . . . wow.” Her laugh is musical and downright giddy. “If you ever want a job, I think the madam would pay your weight in gold for that kind of trick.”
“I appreciate the offer, but I have other aims.” Lizzie is still staring at me, her dark eyes going heavy-lidded. “We paid for this room for the night, no?”
Hyacinth stretches leisurely. “Technically the room comes with me, but I can see that you’re not interested.”
My throat feels tight and my chest is closing in around my heart. Lizzie still hasn’t looked away from me, her attention traps me in my chair, and I can’t help the desire that rises in response. I want her so desperately that I can taste it on my tongue.
But when she speaks, her words are for the woman next to her. “I’m not interested . . . in you.”
“Yes, I’m aware.” Hyacinth waves that away with a graceful flick of her wrist. “Enjoy yourselves, pretties. I certainly did.”
“I know. Now get out.”
If Hyacinth is bothered by Lizzie’s rudeness, she makes no mention of it. She rises and gives a delicious little shiver. “You’re one lucky woman, Maeve. You’ve paid me well for this experience, but I think I might’ve done it for free if I’d known exactly what it would be like.” Without another word, she slips from the room and closes the door softly behind her.
I like her. I enjoyed our conversation down in the main room. But in this moment, I want nothing more than to shove that woman over the railing and lock the door between us. The force of my violent thought staggers me. This isn’t how I operate. But then, I’ve never had to worry about sharing one of my lovers before. We’re in new territory and I don’t know how to navigate it. I don’t know if I even should.
“Maeve.” Lizzie practically purrs my name. “Did it bother you to see?”
It’s on the tip of my tongue to lie, but what’s the point? With her powers, she can measure my racing heart, can feel the blood pooling in my cheeks, whether in embarrassment or in anger. “Yes, but not as much as it bothers me to think about you starving on my behalf.”
She holds out an imperial hand, her fingers crooking as she commands me closer without saying a word. There is a part of me that wants to resist for the sake of resisting, but I haven’t been successful denying Lizzie since we met. There’s no reason to start now.
I rise and cross to her, slipping my hand into hers and allowing her to pull me down to straddle her. She runs her hands over my thighs and catches my hips, pulling me more firmly against her. All of the tension that’s been riding her so hard since I woke up appears to have diminished. She’s not quite drunk on blood, but she’s relaxed and indolent as she courses her hands over my sides to cup my breasts. “I was thinking . . .”
“I’m listening.” I can’t quite catch my breath, but why do I need to breathe when she’s touching me? I press into her palms, but she’s already moving, skating her thumbs over my collarbones and sliding her fingers down my arms to take my hands.