Page 36 of Cold-Blooded Creatures

Jayla threw another grape into the air and caught it in her mouth. “Talking about butts, some are already in play,” she said, her voice half-distorted by her munching.

I swatted Eli’s feigned punch away. “Whose?”

There was no way my pretty birdie would allow anyone near those perfect curves of hers. If she did, Gedeon would break them into pieces based on the brutal intentions he’d exert in the training rings.

“I came here through the main hall tonight, and I think I saw Tarri getting cozy with a couple of our regulars on the couches. She’s the new waitress at Vice. Took my place as a floor girl.” She loaded a new cluster of grapes from the large bowl on her plate and plucked two off, pointing them at me. “Can you be decent for at least a day in your life and give the girl some space before you jump all over her?”

But curiosity and the need to chase and hunt didn’t boil inside me at her announcement. Usually, I’d be eager to meet new blood and see if they’d be inclined to join me in my proclivities, as Gedeon called them.

Hmm.

Gedeon strode out the door, and my head snapped up. There was no way I was letting him chase such a mouth-watering meal by himself.

Sloppy slurping and slapping sounds grew louder as we neared the hall. He leaned against the wall, observing Kalilingering a few steps inside the hall we used for major gatherings and celebrations.

I had to further stoke that fire in him I’d been playing with tonight. No fun otherwise.

Sauntering into the vast room peppered with sparse spots of light, I paused ten feet behind her. Wide scarlet streaks colored the white gauze wrapped around her right palm as her nails aggravated the wound.

So beautiful.

Using the dimness to mask my presence, I crossed the short distance separating us and halted two inches away from her back. Her sharp inhale went straight to my groin.

A man was fucking our new waitress on all her fours on the sky-blue couch while she eagerly sucked another’s cock. I didn’t even tuck the note about Tarri being into public sex into the recesses of my thoughts, where I kept a detailed list of partners to choose from. I was far more interested in the woman shivering against me.

“Enjoying the view?” I nuzzled Kali’s neck, and she startled, smothering a gasp, but didn’t move away.

It was all the response I needed.

I took her waist and spun her around, pushing her backward until her back hit the wall with a dull thud. Placing my right forearm on the wall near her head, I half-caged her on purpose, wondering if she would duck away or stay in place.

“What are you doing?” She curled fists at her sides. “Let me go.”

Her focus persisted on me, so I pinched her chin and directed her toward the show. “Eyes on them.”

The trio’s groans were becoming louder and less controlled, with more and more grunted curses bouncing toward us.

“What do you like the most?” I flicked her earlobe with the tip of my tongue. “That they are out in the open for all to see?”

An unintelligible sound burst out of her, and I sucked the tasty bit of flesh between my teeth, nibbling on it with increasing strength.

The man fisted Tarri’s hair and began thrusting into her throat, stealing her control of the situation.

“That she has no choice but to take what they give?” I reveled at Kali’s tiny whimper, at her throat bobbing. “That she can’t breathe without them allowing it?”

I wanted to take her here and now, pressed against the wall, hard and deep, scratch her fair skin with the knife I’d left in my bedroom, and cover us in her blood, all while she remained focused on the show.

But it would make Gedeon snap. And I didn’t want that. Toying with his head tasted better than scarlet dripping down the blade of my favorite knife, and I intended for my game to last as long as possible. Torture spanned more than just the physical aspects, and psychological methods played a large role in my repertoire.

I nipped her bottom lip and trailed my tongue over it. She stiffened in surprise, but it gradually dissolved into wary relaxation as I coaxed her lips to part so I could delve deeper.

So rich and sweet.

Her back slightly arched, and I took my opportunity, seizing her lower back and drawing her flush with me. I held her wrist above her head and brought us a step away from the wall. It forced her to bow her back fully, giving me unrestricted access to her mouth.

I entwined my tongue with hers, sucking it into my mouth as she gave in and scrunched up my shirt. Tension snaked its way up my thighs, and I ground my hips into hers, giving her a glimpse of how she was affecting me.

“Enough.”