Page 55 of Crave Me

“No, I’m telling you something you didn’t know. Now you do.”

He gaped at me as the gate shut behind him. “In what world or reality do I want to know about another man’s cock?”

I considered him. “Well, I imagine you would be interested if you preferred men in bed.” I knew several gods that did, so it wouldn’t be all that surprising. But Vesperus’s infuriated expression now told me that didn’t suit his interest at all.

“It was a turn of phrase, Nyx. Not a request.” He prowled toward me, making me walk backward quickly until I hit a tree trunk. His palms slammed against the bark, blocking me in as he towered over me.

I could phase, but something about his simmering expression held me captive.

“I’m starting to understand why Raymond shot the elf,” he said, his voice low as he leaned into me. “If I caught you in a situation with awell-endowedblond male, I’d shoot him, too.”

I gaped at him. “What?”

“I told you, Nyx. I don’t fucking share. And you’remine.”

My palms met his chest, my nails digging into his dress shirt. “We rejected the bonds.”

“We did,” he agreed, his muscles clenching beneath my hands.

“Then I’m not yours and you are not mine.”

“That’s not what we agreed to, Goddess. We agreed to remove the magic to clear our minds. And see how we feltafterthe spell broke.”

“Right. And you said, ‘We’ll see,’ when I asked how you felt about me,” I countered.

“Yes, because it’s not a simple response. I have to consider my House, my throne, and the future of my people, too.” His wrist began to buzz again, making him growl. “Your power is a threat to the tenuous balance in this realm, Nyx. And you…”

I arched a brow. “I…?” I prompted.

“And you…” he repeated, his palm leaving the tree behind me to cup my face, his gaze going to my mouth. “You are an even bigger threat to me.” His words were soft yet underlined in a dark emotion, one that had my heart skipping several beats.

I swallowed. “I’m not trying to be a threat to anyone. I just want a new home.” And while this reality appealed to me in a lot of ways, it seemed clear that the occupants of this world weren’t going to accept me very easily.

But then again, nothing worth having in life was ever meant to be easy. Happiness often required work. As did success and achieving goals and other joys in one’s existence.

Like love, I thought.And relationships.

Two experiences I’d never thought to desire, yet being here made me wonder if I should strive for more. If I shouldtry.

Is that why you shoved me earlier?I thought at my errant strand of magic.Were you keeping me from hurting the people I’m meant to one day lead? Forcing me to see this chance for what it truly means?

The enchantment didn’t reply, but I swore I saw the answers in Vesperus’s gaze as he lifted his eyes to mine. Answers that I couldn’t decipher because they were too complex to understand. Answers that both of us sought and yearned for yet could only attain together.

Perhaps it was a trick of the light.

Or a strand of fate ensuring we shifted back onto our original track.

I really wasn’t sure.

But in that moment, all I wanted was for him to kiss me. To let me taste him for the first time. To give me a glimpse of the power he held deep within.

The power I’d felt humming around him on the street moments ago.

The power that had attracted me to him in Dublin.

The power that I could sense now, swarming around us, and covering me in that delectable fragrance.

I want to devour you, I thought, my nails digging even more into his shirt.Kiss me.