Page 95 of Eat. Prey. Love.
“Je t’adore plus,” she responds, her voice a playful challenge.
This will be one of the best memories I’ve made since I left my clutch, and I’m going to savor every minute of it.
The music fadesto a distant thrum in my ears as I guide Dolly away from the pulsing heart of the ballroom. Our steps are unsteady, betraying our tipsy state, but there’s an urgency that sobers my thoughts. A side room looms ahead—a sanctuary veiled in shadows and secrecy.
“Rennie...” she breathes out as I close the door. Her voice is husky, laced with desire and the sweet burn of champagne.
She’s even more beautiful when she’s unencumbered by the bullshit of reality.
“Oui, mon amour,” I reply, my words barely a whisper over the sound of our racing hearts.
My back presses against the cold, stone wall, pulling her to me with a hunger that has been simmering beneath the surface all evening. Her rainbow hair cascades around us, a riot of color against my black suit. In the dim light, her curves are accentuated by the tight embrace of her dress, and I trace the outline of her body with hands eager to explore.
“Your wings,” she gasps, as I allow the gargoyle out and they unfurl. They brush against her skin with a touch as soft as moonlight, and she looks up at me with the red-tinted eyes of her bunny.
“Et tes oreilles,” I murmur in reply, reaching up to caress the velvet texture of her bunny ears. They twitch with every pulse of excitement, which is adorable and sexy as hell. My tail coils around her leg, an additional caress that draws a shiver from her lips.
The last time we were alone like this, I chased her and we were rough, but this time, I want to be soft.
“Renard,” she sighs, the sound spurring me on.
I lean forward, my lips finding hers in a kiss that speaks of centuries of longing. The taste of her is intoxicating, more potent than any spirit we’ve imbibed tonight. Her hands roam over my form, finding the horns that adorn my head, her touch sending jolts of pleasure through me. We still have our masks on, but I don’t care because no matter what she looks like, Delores Drew is my mate.
She is ours—together.
“Je t’aime,” she whispers against my mouth, her breath mingling with mine.
“Je t’aime tant,” I confess, the words tumbling out amidst the tangle of emotions that she inspires within me. “Finding you after I’d already found him… I never thought I could be that lucky twice, but here we are. And I will do anything… faceanything…to protect the familywe’ve made.”
Her lips curve up and the firm tone of her voice says everything when she replies, “I will burn the entire world down to save any one of you, Renard. If it comes down to saving the preds or my family? I will channel the ruthlessness in my DNA without blinking an eye to keep my mates and my friends safe. Can you live with that?”
Brushing a wisp of hair off of her face, I laugh. “Ma petite, none of us would expect any less. Between you and Fitzgerald, I don’t even know if Flames would get to use his fire before you razed the entire battlefield.”
“Good. Because you’re right—Fitz and I have a very similar thought process when it comes to those we love. That’s why his stalking doesn’t bother me.”
I wrap my arms and wings around her tightly, flipping us around so her back is against the wall. “Are we done talking about your other lovers or…?”
She lets out a husky laugh, then reaches up to touch her amulet. Her clothes disappear and I know that’s her answer. I do the same, leaving us naked but for the masks and her sparkly jewelry. “Time for another dance, my broody gargoyle.”
Within moments, our bodies are synchronized in a primal rhythm. Her nails graze my skin as she holds on, each stroke igniting sparks that threaten to consume us both. The room blurs into a tapestry of sensation: the softness of her lips against mine, the heady perfume of her hair, and the warmth of her skin against the chill of my onyx hide.
“Rennie,” she moans, her voice crescendoing as our pace speeds up. “Staying quiet is getting hard.”
I can feel her heartbeat, rapid and wild against my chest, as we rocket towards orgasm. A symphony of whispered endearments and ragged breaths fills the room, our very beings entwined in the most intimate of duets. “You promised,mon cœur.We don’t want to be discovered inthis state.”
“Why the hell do I care?” she growls as her hands sink into my hair, tugging on my horns in a way she knows drives me crazy.
The rumble of my laughter doesn’t stop our coupling, but I growl back at her. “We’re shifted,petite. There are… humans in this place.”
“Always in the fucking way of fun,” she mutters. She darts forward to bite my lower lip, then licks it. “Take me to the stars, my poetic gargoyle, and then we’ll head home where I can scream as loud as I want.”
That is the best plan I’ve heard all night.
All Star
I twirla strand of my hair, watching Rufus slouch into the plush couch across from me, his eyes alight with the thrill of recounting his spring break adventures. Cori perches on the armrest, her usual chatty self replaced by a quiet, zipped lip behavior that’s weird as hell considering she, too, left campus during the break. The main room of our suite hums with the energy of our reunited trio having a last days of break slumber party on this chilly spring night, and I couldn’t be happier to huddle in with them for tea time.
“Spring break was amazing,” I sigh, leaning back in the cushyfurniture. “But I missed the hell out of you, even if you were having fun jaunts off-campus.”