Page 37 of Deadmen's Queen
I increased the pace again, not giving a damn if anyone could see what I was doing to Paige under the table. Her hands flew up to my arm, gripping tightly as pleasure coursed through her body. Her eyes fluttered shut and she buried her face in my shoulder, muffling a low moan as I found what I was looking for.
I sped up, in no hurry to finish our little game but knowing she was close to the edge. She was panting heavily now, sweat beading on her forehead and dampening the curls at the nape of her neck. I watched her eyes dilate, her chest heaving with the effort to control her breathing. She squirmed in the chair, the muscles of her thighs tightening against my hand.
“That's it, my little slut,” I whispered, pressing my thumb harder into her clit. Her eyes grew wide, lips parting in a silent gasp as pleasure coursed through her. Beneath the table, I watched as she clamped onto my hand, whitened knuckles indicating the intensity of her climax. She shivered under my touch and suddenly stiffened before melting back into the chair - spent and satisfied. Her chest heaved as she tried to catch her breath while I withdrew my hand from underneath the table with a smug grin plastered on my face.
Our waiter appeared, his eyes fixed firmly on me, and Paige sat bolt upright, cheeks flushing pink.
“Are you finished?” he asked.
“We are. Thank you, it was most delicious. Please give our compliments to the chef.”
“Thank you sir, I’m glad you were happy. Can I tempt you with a dessert menu?”
I glanced at Paige, lifting my hand to my mouth, and sucking on one of my fingers. She blushed even harder.
I turned back to the waiter.
“No, I think we’ll pass on dessert.”
“Very good sir. Shall I charge it to the normal account?”
“Please do.”
He disappeared, and I stood up, licking my other finger. I looked down at Paige and held out my hand. She reached up and I pulled her up.
“Shall we go home?” I asked, and she nodded.
I held her hand through the restaurant, almost feeling as though she would drift away if I didn't keep a tight hold on her. Tonight, she wasn’t going anywhere. Tonight she was going to be mine, finally.
Chapter Thirteen
UNKNOWN
Oh, Paige, today was a gift. An unexpected delight. There you were, gliding through the aisles of the local shops, completely unaware of my presence. But I was there, oh so close, close enough to reach out and touch the silky strands of your hair as you bent down to examine a book. You didn't see me, but I was there, watching over you like always. It's agonising, this nearness without contact, but it's a torment I willingly endure for you.
I hovered just a few shelves away, my heart swelling with every graceful movement you made. The way you tucked your hair behind your ear, the soft curve of your cheek illuminated by the store's gentle lighting—it was almost too much for me to bear silently. But I did, because my time will come, Paige. Soon, I'll get to touch you, not just dream about it.
They think their Club will protect you, will keep you from me, but they are so wrong, Paige. Their members like to drink, to take things that make their lips move freely and I know what’s coming for you. I know what they’re planning. It’s disgusting, Paige, but it’s also my way in. The night when the barriers between us will dissolve, and I'll finally step out from the shadows. My heart races with the thought of that moment. Soon, Paige. Very soon, I'll no longer be a mere spectator in your life. The hunt is coming.
Chapter Fourteen
PAIGE
The engine's low purr matched the thrum of anticipation in my veins as Bast navigated the sleek car through the shadowed streets. Each streetlight that we passed under cast a brief illumination inside the vehicle, highlighting the controlled tension in his jaw and the determined set of his eyes. The town blurred by, a cascade of lights and fleeting moments, just like the emotions tumbling inside me.
“Almost there,” he said, breaking the silence that cocooned us.
I nodded, unable to form words, my heart hammering against my ribs. Tonight would be the night I'd give myself to him—fully, willingly. The thought sent a shiver down my spine, an electric mix of fear and desire.
“Paige,” he said softly, his hand finding mine, pulling me back from my thoughts. “You don't have to do anything you're not ready for.”
“I'm ready,” I said, quietly, but firmly. I was.
He’d given me a lifeline, offered to get me out of the Persephone contract for the second time, but I knew I couldn’t take it. My mother had got me into this position for a reason - if I broke the contract, she’d come after me, I knew that. She’d pull me from the university and although I knew Bast was rich and powerful, he didn’t really know what my mother was capable of. I did. I needed to keep playing along, keep playing the whore she wanted me to, until her endgame became clear to me. Then I could decide how to proceed. I knew I couldn’t say no to her, but at the same time, I couldn't do anything to hurt the guys. My guys.
It might only be for a year, but I knew that as much as I was theirs, they were mine. The thought was possessive, fierce. Just the idea of someone else's hands on them twisted my insides with a venomous rage. I felt dizzy with it, sickened by visions of nameless faces caressing what I had come to cherish so dearly. When Bast had said they would find another woman, another Persephone, to replace me, I knew then that I could never back out now. There was no way I was going to step aside and let them take another woman into their bed.
I wasn’t kidding myself. This wasn’t a relationship. They weren’t going to fall down and profess their love for me. I wasn’t good enough for any of them, and they could have their pick, but I had them for the rest of the year and I was going to keep them, whatever it took.