Page 9

My hand is on his cheek before I can stop myself.

The edge of my thumb grazes along the soft skin beside his eye, down across week-old stubble.

My assessment drifts, taking in his appearance, his well-being.

They must have cleaned him up before they put him in here last night.

He’s showered. His clothes are clean. And not his.

Still, he makes the simple linen pants and shirt look fantastic.

Foolish girl.

Stuffing down the longing in my chest, I settle into a calm mask. I can’t let my desire for comfort get in the way of my orders.

“Are you ready to get out of here?” I keep my tone soft, smooth, even.

“And go where? The cage out there is just bigger,” he half growls, half whispers.

“Rules and purpose aren’t cages, Ero. They are protections against the things wrong with us. They give us direction and keep people like us from causing chaos.”

“Sounds like a quote from Ananke’s self-help seminar. You’re a pawn, Circe. A tool.”

“And if I am? At least I have something to live for. What do you have?”

“My anger … my pain. They’re mine.”

“What good has that done you? You can’t seem to give up. You won’t stop fighting. At least fight for something worthwhile.”

Don’t beg. Stay firm. He’ll break.

“Why don’t you just make me? Like she did.” He’s fishing, his eyes uncertain. But he hit the nail on the head. I just can’t show a hint of surprise or nervousness.

Ananke employs…unorthodox methods. I’ve seen things, mostly odd behaviors from her guards, her staff. She knows how to get into people’s heads.

But then again, so do I. At least where Ero is concerned.

“Or you could just quit being a sideline lackey, a worthless piece of shit?” I say, low and taunting, mocking him with every word.

He lurches toward me suddenly, his eyes flaring. “Only if you’ll quit being a wretched bitch. You want to talk about worthless? Ananke would throw you away in a heartbeat if it got her what she wants. That’s what people like her do !”

“How would you know that?” I smirk, standing with him as our voices rise, matching his frustration with mine. “You’re a brain-dead marionette, just waiting for someone to pull the strings.”

“Better than being her puppet . She’s got her hand shoved so far up your?—”

“We are in the same boat, Ero. I do not have a choice. I owe her. You owe me for saving your life.”

“The only thing we have in common is that we are both alone. You’re just too blind to see it.” Ero snaps, his shoulders sagging slightly, a grimace twisting his stunning face. “You don’t believe in her mission.”

“I believe in getting my life back. In getting my memories back and finding the person responsible.” Careful. Keep him off balance…

“Dom Vipera. You said his name before. And let me guess…Ananke has the information on him you need, right? Just like she has a way to restore my memories and make everything better.”

“Yes.” It’s all I can think of to say. He’s too damn clever and I can never know what he remembers, the pieces he’s put together.

“And what the fuck does that have to do with me?” Ero’s gaining steam again, his gaze narrowing on me.

“It has everything to do with you. You’re the only person capable of helping me track him down and killing him. He’s an evil man.”

“So am I.”

I huff a little laugh, shaking my head. “I don’t know if I disagree with you.”

“You really are as fucked-up as me.”

“Less foul, maybe.”

“Then why do you want me so badly?” he whispers, inches from my face.

My body reacts, inhaling deeply, my pulse quickening, my shoulders dropping back slightly. I’m such a fucking idiot.

Not that I have time to dwell on that as his lips crash into mine with cataclysmic force. Every neuron in my brain fires off in the same instant, colliding with that sweet pang of fluttering shock filling my chest, making my knees weak.

Ero’s palms cup the sides and back of my head, drawing me in, right before I press mine into his chest, shoving him back against the wall.

Hands graze down my shoulders, my arms, then my hips, finding every curve of me eager and willing. Fingertips claw over my ass, up the back of my shirt, tingling along the skin of my back sumptuously.

Our tongues intertwine, seeking, exploring, and every lash sends mini explosions of desire shivering through my entire nervous system. No one has ever had this effect on me before.

Except him …

Shoving those fleeting images aside, I lose myself in the moment.

“Ero…” I gasp as he nips along my collarbone, pulling lightly at my off-the-shoulder blouse to give him more access, let him kiss more of my skin.

I shouldn’t be doing this ? —

You really should, CC. At least for my sake ? —

Oh fuck, his tongue is ? —

Magic. In the heat of the moment, I barely noticed his fingers unhooking my bra, until he’s drawing one of my nipples into his mouth, swirling in tantalizing flicks of a very talented mouth.

The button on my pants pops with barely an effort, letting him slip his hand down my front, sliding along the silk of my black thong, teasing me through the smooth fabric.

My center flexes, flooding my core with heat.

Before I realize what I’m doing, I’m dropping to my knees, tearing at the tie of his pants, dragging them down.

He’s magnificent as I pull him free, long and mouthwateringly hard.

My eyes droop as I look up at him, pulling my fingers along his shaft, barely touching him.

Ero’s head tips back against the wall, his knees dipping slightly, his hips rolling forward, almost involuntarily.

I savor the lines of his chiseled abs, running like canyons down into the crook of his hips, down to the impressive curve of his cock. No more waiting.

He pulses once the instant I curl my tongue around the base of his shaft, smoothly driving him all the way into my mouth, pursing my lips to glide along him.

Satin smooth skin fills my senses, paired with the feeling of his perky, firm ass gripped in one hand.

My other hand circles the base, swooping down to squeeze his most sensitive assets.

It’s soft enough not to hurt, but hard enough to make his entire body clench up.

It’s everything I can do not to laugh and choke with him sheathed to the hilt in my throat.

I stay there as long as I can, rocking my head in tight, subtle motion.

Until I have to take a breath. Then, I suck him all the way out, tasting the tang of his desire with a little twirl of my tongue at the end.

Three times, I take him all the way in, all the way out.

He’s gasping by the time my lips pop around his head the third time, his legs quaking.

“I want more …”

“So much more,” I moan in reply. But I’m not done with him.

Bobbing my head, I take him halfway, tightening my grip, pumping him into my mouth with every motion. I can feel his tension rising, his chest heaving with exertion and a climax that will drown me in his lust.

But before I can finish him off, he pulls me to my feet, planting another mind-melting kiss on my lips, dragging a thumb through the glistening spit around my mouth.

Something about the way he devours me right after I sucked him off has me reeling, my hips bucking against his leg as he so swiftly slips a hand down, parting me with deft fingers, plunging two of them into me like they were made to fill me perfectly. And sweet goddess, I’m ready for him.

The silk stretched down against my inner thighs is drenched in my desire for him. Bliss builds as he hooks his fingertips, his palm brushing against my clit, not nearly enough, but it’s almost better for the lack thereof.

Like he can read my thoughts, his digits hesitate back to my entrance, playing like he might thrust them in again, never giving me what I want, making me more and more desperate by the second.

“Keep on almost doing that and I’m going to—” I don’t finish the thought, losing my words to a deep, quavering moan.

“Almost? Definitely. I’m almost ready to take you right here.”

“Oh, fuck yes …”

And dear goddess I am about to explode when the fucking gate at the end of the hallway buzzes and slams, announcing a guard coming our way.

“Miss Circe?”

Rage and frustration mixed with panic and a teen-angst feeling of being caught have me shoving away from Ero, fixing my clothes, putting distance between us. Ero stays put, against the wall, tugging up his pants and sinking back down to a crouch.

I almost snort laugh as he squirms, hiding his erection. Simultaneously, I want to scream bloody murder for the interruption. Thoughts of killing the guard and letting Ero finish me are short-lived.

And as the fog of arousal fades, I want to slap myself in the face for what I was just doing.

“What?” I bark as the man peers around the doorway, his brow furrowed.

“There’s no cell service down here. Mistress called, said to have you call her back as soon as possible.”

“Fine,” I snarl, dismissing him with a wave. I take a second, a few breaths with my hands on the door frame, white knuckled.

“Circe…” Ero’s voice grates along my frayed nerves. “I?—”

“Make a choice, Ero,” I cut him off, my feelings roiling in my gut. “I’ll give you a few more days in the dark to think it over.”