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Croygen

That completely backfired on me.

My jaw locked as I watched Kat slip out of her wet pants, trying to cover the fact that I was fully staring. She was trying to act smug, but I could sense her nerves, the line we were poking at, trying to play each other.

I shouldn’t be participating in these games. It was wrong, but I couldn’t get myself to stop.

She removed the empty dumpling basket, turning off the lanterns before clambering onto the bed wearing only my shirt, still damp from the rain.

“Move over.” She crawled in next to me, flopping down on the pillow, our bodies far too close to put me at ease.

So we were doing this. Pretending we were unaffected, lying next to each other. As if we did this all the time.

Skirting the edge of the bed, I flinched at the tug of my healing wound. My pants chafed my thighs, and my cock painfully pressed against the wet fabric. I didn’t usually sleep in anything but boxer briefs. The logical part of me understood it would be inappropriate to undress. The inebriated part didn’t give a shit.

I was uncomfortable. Toeing off my boots, they dropped to the floor with a plunk. I unbuttoned my pants, trying to tug them down, as a wave of pain struck me. I hissed as my head dropped back.

“You okay?”

“Fine,” I gritted, trying again. The wet material gripped my skin, making it harder to pull down. “Fuck,” I grumbled, my lesion breaking open again.

“You need help?”

“No,” I shot out quickly, grinding my molars, giving up. “Screw it.”

Kat exhaled. Sitting up, she moved over me, the air in my lungs halting.

“What are you doing?”

“Helping because you’re too stubborn to ask for it.”

I scoffed. “Like you should talk.”

She rolled her eyes, her small hands gripping my waistband. Her fingers glided over my hip bones, sliding down my V-line. The simple touch was an electric shock going straight to my cock. Biting back my groan, I forced my gaze from her. The intimacy of this act in the dark overwhelmed my senses, taking all the blood and logic away from my brain.

“Up,” she whispered hoarsely. My hips lifted at her command as she peeled my pants down and off, dropping them to the floor. Her chest hitched, eyes blazing bright, locking on my erection. The tip pushed out of my boxer briefs, wet with pre-cum. Her attention on it only made it twitch more. The need to toss her on her back, spread her legs, and thrust into her rocked at my willpower.

I was on the verge, ready to snap if she even breathed my way. “Kat.” My tone was angry, warning her to back away.

She didn’t budge, her chest heaving violently, desire filling the room. We were both on the cusp, ready to fall over. The only things stopping me were the voice in the back of my head, Rotty’s face, and knowing the truth of what happened that night. How this girl had always been my downfall, even then.

Karma was a bitch.

Because I was about to break, I climbed off the bed, brushing past her, needing to move. I strolled to where the tray was, wiping away the fresh blood with a swab, my shoulders rising and falling with each breath.

I hadn’t slept with anyone in a year—and before that, it was more a transaction than anything—because I had lost my drive. My “magic.” After Lexie’s death, nothing felt right or real. I no longer wanted to seduce for the fun of it. I didn’t have the energy or need to put in the effort. No one sparked my interest. I thought something was wrong with me.

Nope… karma was out to punish me. Picking Katrina out of all the women in the world my dick throbbed to be inside of, needing it more than air, was cruelty at its finest. My magic swirled in me, dizzying me as it woke up, sizzling up my spine. I tried to ignore it, but from the moment she stepped onto my ship, she roused everything in me, including anger.

“Croygen?”

“Go to sleep, Kat,” I ordered, finishing the tiny bit of alcohol left, craving anything to dull what I was feeling, what I wanted to do.

She scoffed. “Don’t tell me what to do.”

“For the love of the gods!” I barked, rubbing my head. “For once, do what I ask.”

“You first.”