Page 20 of O Holy Spite
“But what if…”
“If I die, I die. Now, feed your King.”
The room fills with a fresh flood of her arousal and I breathe it in with a broad smile.
Maybe reading Rennie’s silly romance novels wasn't such a bad idea.
Setting the Trap
Delores
My legs give out after the fourth orgasm and I shudder against his thigh. “Aubrey… I have to make it home. My legs have to work.”
His proud rumble doesn’t guarantee he’s listening, so I lift just enough to roll off of him onto my back in the cloud of softness surrounding us. A hand on my ass makes me look up, pushing hair out of my face as I groan. “If you can still walk, I haven’t completed the job yet.”
“Be that as it may, big guy, I don’t want to fall off your back on the way home.” My expression softens as he preens and I adjust myself to drape over his chest. The book loving dragon is the most stoic of all my men, but I know his heart is the most guarded. Licking my lips nervously, I scoot up until I can look into his eyes. “I trust you to keep me safe, you know.”
“Even when you don’t want to listen, mighty Queen?” His question is teasing, but I see the worry in his eyes.
With all the enemies surrounding us, it’s not easy to trust anyone.
“Especially then, Aubrey. You, Rennie, Chessie, and the twins have changed my life. You make me smarter, more confident, and happier than I’ve ever been.” I lean in, kissing him softly before I continue. “You, in particular, challenged me from the first day I walked into your library. The need to prove you wrong drove me to get through that first week.”
“Really?”
I grin and shrug. “Well, you and Felix. You were both humongous assholes.”
Aubrey doesn’t look the slightest bit sorry as he ruffles my hair. “And look how that turned out.”
“Yes, the multiple bad guys trying to kill me have increased exponentially since you two made me dig my heels in. I’m truly blessed,” I say wryly. That makes him laugh and I sigh, stroking my fingers over his face. “I wouldn’t change it for the world, promise.”
“Me, neither, nibblet.” His eyes narrow and he studies me for a moment. “But you know that.”
He knows I’m struggling and he’s giving me a way out, but I need to take the leap.
“It’s hard for me to trust people because of… the things that happened before I got to Apex full time.” I swallow hard, lowering my gaze as my heart thumps in my chest like a metronome. “But even though you have similar scars, you saw me that first day. Through all the attitude and false bravado, the layers and walls…you saw the person I wanted to become and let me in. It might have only been into your archives at first, but I know that was a huge step for you—just like bringing me here is.”
His eyes widen and for a brief second, his face heats with a flush. “Well…”
Slipping my hands up his face to his hair, I give him a knowing smile. “Just as I noticed you haven’t gotten Rennie to trim your hair since before Yule. Didn’t you say something about a boy band?”
“I… no! I mean… I haven’t had time,” he grumbles, looking away from me.
The five of them are absolutely fucking adorable when they get caught doing something for me I’m not supposed to notice.
“I like it…a lot.” My voice is soft as I smile tenderly at him. “But I like you any way I can get you. I don’t want any of you to change for me.”
Aubrey rolls his eyes, snorting softly. “I don’t do anything I don’t want to.”
“Trust me, big guy, we all know that. You’re not subtle in your stubbornness.”
His grin is mischievous. “We can’t all be as flexible as you… and apparently, Fitz. Your little yoga lessons have that idiot swanning all over like he’s going to join the esprit de corps.”
I laugh, smacking his chest. “If you’re jealous, come join us. Chessie does; maybe we can do it all together after you give us knitting lessons.”
Squinting, he tugs me back by my hair. “You know I’ll punish every single one of you, even the Raj, if that shit gets out. I’ll have to sit on your damn badger friend; I know it in my bones.”
“I don’t know… Rufus is pretty crafty. He might join in.” I kiss his nose, sighing softly. “But that’s a topic for later. We need to get moving, right?”