Page 49 of Her Cruel Dahlias
“I don’t want this to be temporary,” Cricket breathed, having meant to keep the words to herself.
“Neither do I.” Zephyr pushed a lock of hair behind her ear, his eyes slitted. “Tomorrow, if you work just as well with your curiosity, I’ll make you come much, much harder.”
Even after allowing him to pleasure her, she still blushed at his words as she nodded with a content sigh.
For now, she still couldn’t use her curiosity on her own in the way Mistress Eliza wanted, only with Zephyr’s touch. But she could at least control herself enough if the murderer came near her.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Morning light filtered through the window, waking Cricket from sleep. She smiled as visions of the night before filled her mind. Her head rested in the crook of Zephyr’s arm, and her hand lay on his warm chest. His heart beat steadily against her palm. She lingered there for a few more moments, feeling the rise and fall of his chest—one beautiful thing in a sea of horrors.
Cricket finally forced herself to rise and grabbed the first shirt she could find, one of Zephyr’s folded neatly in the corner. She pulled it on over a pair of her trousers.
As if knowing she’d awoken him, she peered over her shoulder, where he watched her with hooded eyes and a lazy smile.
“You’re wearing my shirt,” he purred as he sat up, reaching for a clean pair of trousers. She thought about how she’d unlaced the ones from the night before, stroked him, and that blasted heat crept up her cheeks.
“It’s not as though you wear them much,” she said with a grin.
“It’s yours.”
“After breakfast, I was going to see if Bram has any updates. I was hoping you would want to accompany me.” If he didn’t, she could ask Juniper or maybe Wilder.
“Keep blushing like that when you look at me, and I’ll do anything.” He grabbed his boots from beside the bed and slipped them on. “If Bram doesn’t have any news, then maybe we can find a lead of our own.”
“I like that idea. Perhaps we can even track down another necromancer somehow. If not, maybe we’ll find something else that can help Mistress Eliza’s ability. I know she’s mentioned how she’s tried everything, but maybe…”
“We’ll do it.” He paused. “So how did you end up with Bram anyway? He still seems too … stiff for you. Not your type at all.”
“That’s only when he’s working.” She placed her hands on her hips. “And what’s my type precisely? Do expand more this time.”
Cricket’s breath hitched as Zephyr backed her into the door, caging her in. “Me.”
“Someone who is sweet, funny, protective, caring. And one who will pleasure me until I feel like I’m shining brighter than the stars.” She winked, then reached down and opened the door behind her.
He chuckled as they stepped outside. The sun cast its rays over the caravans, highlighting the cloud-covered sky in oranges and yellows. A gust of wind carried the smell of pastries through the air, and she knew Juniper had to be the one either making or eating them.
As they neared the campfire, she searched for Juniper’s tight red curls but only found Stormy sitting with a few performers sipping from mugs. Cricket frowned when she discovered Louise’s arm wrapped around Stormy’s shoulders. Louise giggled at something Stormy said, then leaned forward, flicking her tongue across her ear lobe before giving it a quick nibble.
Zephyr stiffened beside Cricket. “I knew she would do this to Juniper,” he growled, “but I’d hoped to be proven wrong.”
Cricket thought back to her words, encouraging Juniper to try, that Stormy and Louise perhaps weren’t meant to be. But really, she didn’t know them as well as Zephyr and Juniper did. They knew how the two women always ended up back together.
“Where’s Juniper?” Cricket asked, not hiding the frustration lacing her tone when she approached Stormy.
Stormy avoided looking directly at her as she took Louise’s arm away from her. “I told her yesterday that we needed to make different sleeping arrangements and that maybe she should stay with you and Zephyr.”
“Was this before or after you pleasured Louise that you told her that?” Zephyr narrowed his eyes.
“That’s none of your fucking business,” Louise said between clenched teeth.
“My sister has always been too good for you,” Zephyr snapped at Stormy.
“Put her up on a pedestal, why don’t you.” Louise rolled her eyes.
Cricket grabbed Zephyr by the arm and pulled him back before they said something that would cause a physical fight. She could barely control herself from throttling them, then ripping their hair out until they were both bald.
“I think we need to go to her caravan. She’s probably been in there since yesterday.” Cricket should’ve checked on her, but she’d thought she’d been with Stormy.