Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 87887 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 439(@200wpm)___ 352(@250wpm)___ 293(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87887 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 439(@200wpm)___ 352(@250wpm)___ 293(@300wpm)
Except that’s exactly what she’s doing right now.
I coast my hands up her thighs until my thumbs brush her pussy. I part her. “You’re a silly girl for agreeing to this. You came to this penthouse and we can do anything we want to you. I can do anything I want to you.”
“I have my safe word.”
“Mmm.” I brush her clit. “And you’re trusting us to respect it. Some would say that just proves what a fool you are.”
She props herself up on her elbows and gives me a long look. “Do you know that Hades is the one who will enforce the contract?”
That makes sense. I can see where she’s going with this, but I’m too stubborn to admit it. “Is that supposed to mean something?”
“If the deal isn’t honored, it will be a violation of the contract both Ursa and I signed.” Her eyes are a little hazy with pleasure from my touching her, but her voice is clear. “The penalty for breaking the contract is harsh, Alaric. If Hades turns against Ursa, there’s a good chance the rest of the territory leaders will as well, if only to stay on his good side. So, you see, I am protected. You’d know that if you read a contract in your life instead of jumping into deals recklessly.”
I should stop this, should slow us down. She just had sex for the first time in a situation that is hardly ideal for emotional stability. But, damn it, I can’t help stepping to the line she’s drawn in the sand. “Now we’re going to throw stones, Zuri? Don’t act like you had a plan when you came here.” I press two fingers into her.
She makes that delicious whimpering sound, but she’s still glaring at me. “You don’t get to be mad. You got what you wanted. So climb down off that high horse, Alaric. It’s not a good look for you.”
I shift forward, bracing myself over her shoulder with my free hand as I continue the slow fucking with my fingers. “You like the way I look.”
“A pretty face…” Her breath gets a little choppy. “It doesn’t mean anything. I don’t know you. I thought I did, but I was wrong.” Abruptly, she shoves at my chest. “I can’t do this. Not like this.”
“Zuri—”
“Hurricane.”
The word falls between us like the calm before a storm. I stare down at her, my exhale damn near a gasp. When did I start breathing hard? “You just safed out.”
Zuri inches away from me slowly, like she’s not sure I’ll really stop. That, more than anything, sends reality slamming into me. I told her I could do anything to her, and now she’s not sure what to believe. I am an unbelievable asshole.
I move back, giving her space. “I’m sorry.”
“No, you’re not. Stop lying to me.” She only stops putting distance between us when her back presses to the headboard. “Please leave.”
“Zuri—”
“You don’t get to call me that anymore! Only my friends call me that.” A tear trails down her pretty face, that single piece of evidence of her hurt striking me more than her slap did earlier. “Please leave.”
She won’t accept aftercare from me, and I have no one to blame but myself. Ursa paved the way for us to figure out shit out. Except… Maybe she knew it would end like this, a chasm opening up between us that is destined never to be crossed. Ursa doesn’t like loose ends, and my conflicted feelings for Zuri are exactly that. It would be just like her to ensure that there’s nothing left unsaid between us, no matter how venomous the words.
That blasted guilt pricks me again, except it doesn’t feel like a vague pain. It feels like it has me by the throat. I swallow hard, but it does nothing to dispel the sensation of having my airway closed off. I always fuck up the things that matter. I just didn’t realize Zuri might number among them until this moment.
And now it’s too late.
Chapter 13
Ursa
It takes all of thirty minutes for Alaric to return to my room, slouching through the door like a whipped dog. He hesitates, his gaze firmly on the wood floor. “She kicked me out.”
I almost laugh at how perfectly these two are playing to my tune. It’s really too simple. I wind them up and set them on a collision course and they are only too happy to perform to expectation. “I gave you an order, lover.”
His brows lower, the first indication that I’m pushing him past the point of caution. “We need to talk.”
He’s not wrong, but talking can wait until Zurielle is no longer in my home. We’ve waited this long; waiting a week more requires a pittance of patience. That’s logical. It’s not procrastinating a hard conversation. I simply…