Page 99 of Hexbound

"Ver." He lifted his head off the fur and kissed her breasts. Licked at those pale brown nipples.

"Yes." Her arms curled around him, her head thrown back. Something in the way she moved sent a shiver through her. Through him. She rocked again, and there it was, the base of her clitoris rasping against the base of his cock.

Faster and faster she moved. Bishop struggled not to lose himself in pleasure. It felt so fucking amazing.

He added his fingers to the mix, stroking her gently between the thighs. Verity quivered, unable to fully ride him, as though her body was threatening to betray itself. Her head rested on his shoulder, her breath wet against his throat.

"Adrian." She dug her nails into his upper arms. "Oh. Oh, there! Yes."

Then she was tipping over some edge and taking him with her.

They plunged. It felt like the world dropped out from under his feet, like lightning.

Couldn't stop. Couldn't contain himself. He arched beneath her, hands clenching her hips. More. Please more—

He fucked his way up into her, pleasure exploding through his veins like a supernova. And she squeezed, her inner muscles locking around him.Like that?she whispered in his mind.

The rush of power filled his veins, like a shot of pure life injected into him. He'd never felt anything like it. Never. Not even themaladroisecame close.

Bishop came, white-hot fire blazing through his cock and balls. And he knew she followed him again, their minds so closely linked that he no longer knew where he ended and where she began.

When he collapsed onto the fur with her curled in his arms, sweat-slick body still engulfing his, he knew he'd never come closer to heaven, even if he tried.

Verity twitched against him with a laugh. "I guess that means that you liked it?" she purred, and then curled her finger in his chest hair and relaxed back atop him.

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Chapter 23

"YOU DO REALIZEyou're taking all of the fun out of this," Verity said with a sigh.

"What? You mean you'd rather steal the Chalice out from beneath Guthrie's nose to spite him?" Bishop arched a brow.

Verity peered out through the carriage window, tapping her fingers on the window ledge. Clearly nervous. "Of course I would. Just to prove that I can."

"But how much more enjoyable will it be if he'sforcedto hand it back himself?"

That earned him a sidelong glance from those glorious eyes. A warm smile curled over her mouth. There was a light about her this morning that he couldn't miss. He felt it burning in his chest too. A half dozen emotions he couldn't quite name, but some that he could. Intimacy. Happiness. Hope.

For a moment he felt like he could defeat anything the world could throw at him, with her by his side.

And then he felt the dark whisper of themaladroise.

Bishop sobered. It was one thing to finally take her to bed and enjoy the here and now. Quite another to pretend the dream was never going to fade. Never going to turn into a nightmare.

Verity saw his smile fade. Hers echoed it. She twitched her skirts into place. "Let’s go beard the dragon in its den."

"Rat," he corrected as the carriage pulled up. "Let's not give Guthrie any more grace than he's due."

He stepped down from the carriage. How easily they could both pretend that there was no ghost in the room.

Focus on the here and now.Bishop turned to offer his hand to her.

Lord Rathbourne waited by the entrance to Seven Dials with Ianthe. Bishop handed Verity down from the carriage, his good mood evaporating entirely. This wasn't his idea, but as Ianthe had said when she'd called around that morning, he could only blame himself.

After all, if he expected Ianthe to make a bid for the mantle of Prime, then he would just have to grow used to obeying her orders. And Ianthe had decided that, while she wasn't entirely convinced she was going to put herself forward, she might as well finish cleaning up the mess she'd set in place a month ago, when she'd been forced to steal the Blade of Altarrh for Morgana.

Which meant dealing with the Chalice.