Page 11

Lyric eyed the silver tray with the five spoons filled with… something on it. Nidev had placed it between them on the coffee table while they sat on pillows opposite each other.

“I feel like I need to remove my blouse to level this playing field,” Lyric teased, her gaze roaming over his sexy tattoos and ripped torso.

He gave a rich laugh and the sound was an orgasm for her ears. “That would surely level the playing field,” he said. “Obliterate it entirely and we’d not get past Go on our last lesson.”

She sucked in a surprised breath. “Last lesson?” Her pulse jumped for joy at that news. “I was wondering how many of these you had up your sleeve. So the final one doesn’t come with a text.”

“It doesn’t. Because it’s the lesson that teaches and concludes.”

She wiggled on her pillow. “Well, I’m ready, Mr. Nidev.”

He gave a painful groan that made her smile. “Settle down, young lady.”

“I’m settled,” she said, eyeing the spoons. “So, what’s this lesson about? Taste?”

He quirked a surprised brow at her and she clapped, excitedly. “I’m right?”

“You are.”

“Yes!” she shot out. “I knew it! See, listen, feel, smell and now taste! But in the right order.” More butt wiggling. “I’m ready.” She opened her mouth, and he chuckled, the light in his eyes bringing a flood of chemicals. She loved that she caused it.

“First lesson. I sent you to the library.”

“Yes, you did.”

“Did you notice something wrong with the text?”

She considered it. “Well… you did a kind of lousy job telling me exactly where to find that book.”

Two impressed raised brows. “Very good.”

“You meant that?” she gawked.

“I did.” He took a spoon from the tray and brought it to her mouth. She drew her head back, eyeing it suspiciously. “Eat it,” he urged softly.

She leaned and took it in her mouth, her jaw freezing and her face crimping as that light in his eyes twinkled with his grin. “Sour,” she barely mumbled, swallowing, then giving a full body shiver, her eye twitching for five whole seconds.

His sexy laugh was worth the humiliation. “Sorry,” he muttered.

“So you…soured the instructions?” she wondered.

He propped his arm on his raised knee, angling his look at her. “That’s actually not a bad summary.”

“But why did you do it,” she said, squinting her eye at him. “That’s the question, isn’t it?”

“It is.”

“Don’t tell me!” she shot out. “Can I guess?”

“Go for it,” he murmured, his tongue sliding across his lower lip.

“You…soured the instructions to… confuse me. Because…” Her brows drew together, head angling at him, watching the humor grow in his gaze. “Okay, I have no idea,” she mumbled, getting another big laugh that vibrated in all the right places.

“So… your gift,” he began, getting her excited attention. “It’s defined by your emotions. How you perceive things in regard to yourself. If what you perceive about yourself is… soured,” he said, raising her brows. “Then your powers will be too.”

She stared, frozen in thought about it, then sucked in a breath. “Oh my God,” she whispered, snapping her eyes to him. “Are you serious?”

“Very,” he said, the tip of his tongue doing something distracting.

“My God,” she whispered, shaking her head right as another realization hit her, one even more disturbing. “So… if what I believe about myself defines my gifts and I’m believing lies, then… my gift is… spreading those lies to others ?”

He gave a tilted head nod. “Very good.”

“No, not good!” she gawked. “That’s terrible!”

“But understanding is critical.” He picked up the second spoon. “Next lesson,” he said while her mouth hung open in shock still.

He brought the spoon to her mouth, and she narrowed her gaze on it, worried. “Can I have a drink in case…”

He brought a bottle of water up and set it on the table.

She eyed it impressed. “You’re ready.”

“Always,” he muttered.

“Don’t get sexy with me.”

He lowered his grin then eyed her. “Take the bite.”

She opened and he slipped it in.

“Mmm,” she said, nodding. “Sweet. And this is for the…scent?”

“It is.”

She swallowed and licked her lips, squinting up and wagging her finger at him, contemplating. “So… obviously you’re sweet on me,” she began, grinning at his immediate laugh.

“Check,” he said, tilting his smile on her.

“And… you made me wear your… sexy, sexy, sexy, sexy, sexy, smell. I could go on but I’ll stop there. And you did that because…” She pursed her lips, gesturing at the air. “You wanted to make all the girls think I’m fucking you? What!” she cried at his big laugh. “You know that’s why, I don’t care what you say.”

“If I was doing it for that it would be to tell the KINGS that I’m fucking you and if they want to live, steer clear.”

She pressed her hands over her heart with a dramatic moaning sigh. “That’s sooooooooo sexy.”

“Glad you think so. But it’s exactly accurate. And the reason I had you wear my scent is to teach you about the power of my allure. And how it changes not just the chemical balance in your pretty skin, but in your pretty mind. What I think of you, what I…feel for you… is now a part of your self-perception.”

Her eyes popped with her jaw drop. “You’re fixing the lies I’m spreading about myself to everybody?”

He leaned across the table and kissed her. “Mmmm,” he murmured when she opened and met his tongue with her own. “You’re correct.”

She grabbed his face and smacked a bunch of kisses on his lips with celebrating squeals. She released him, back to wiggling in her seat. “Thank you,” she whispered. “For fixing my shit.” She eyed the platter. “What’s next? The bracelet, the tattoo, all up in my skin,” she sang as he grinned and picked up the third spoon. “This one’s hot, isn’t it? That whole tattoo session was surely hot.”

“Get your water ready.”

She popped out a single laugh, grabbing her water and twisting the top off. “I’m ready.” She opened and leaned, taking the pasty stuff from the spoon. “Oh!” she said, swallowing quick and guzzling water. She paused halfway only for the fire to return, widening her eyes. “Crap!” she cried, drinking the rest of the bottle. She sucked in air, wagging her hand at her mouth. “What the hell!” she gasped at him. “It’s still burning! My tattoos stung!” she realized, curling her tongue and forcing air through it, eyeing his laughing face. “Is that right?”

“It is but what does it mean?”

She gave a huge shrug, eyes wide, mouth wide, fanning her tongue. “I can’t think! You tell me. While I get milk!”

She hopped up and ran to the kitchen, grabbing the milk jug and racing back. She opened it and drank, angling her head so she could see him, waving him to continue with a hand.

“Okay,” he said, propping both hands on his Indian-style knee pose, showing off his muscles. “This lesson is direct. Simple.” He angled his head, eyes all severe on her. “Your ass. Is fire.”

Lyric’s laugh exploded then went on and on. Oh dear God!

He nodded, using his tongue on those lips, taking her howling as accolades.

Finally she caught her breath. “Only because I need to know,” she gasped, wiping her eyes. “Why the hell you burned my tongue off. It better be good.”

“It is,” he assured, changing positions, one knee drawn up, sexy arm resting on it. Getting more edible by the second. “So, heat,” he began, rolling his fuck-me all night eyes up at her.

“Heat,” she repeated. “You got all of it. Go on.”

He grinned then lowered it, the near shy act killing her. “My crest and initials are now part of your skin. Seared. Every pin prick held my life force and my burning passion. And my love,” he murmured, his smile fading as he stared into her eyes, now flooding with tears at the confession. “I’m the keeper of your heart. Your mind, your body and your soul. Nothing reaches you without going through me. You’re also my fire. In my heart. My body. My mind. And my spirit.”

She’d covered her mouth halfway through and her sob finally escaped.

He leaned across the table, kissing her softly, hand cupping her neck.

“You’re killing me, smalls,” she barely squeaked, getting his chuckle right on her mouth before he moaned and kissed her more.

“One more after this one,” he murmured on her lips, thumbs stroking the tears from her face. “Then I perform our Binding Rite.”

She blinked the tears from her eyes, looking at him, sucking in a shaky breath. “Binding Rite?” she wondered as he eased back to his side of the table with a sexy smile. “Is that… what…”

He presented her the spoon. “I’ll tell you all about it after this.”

She eyed it, her stomach flipping at remembering what it meant. “The…listening one.”

“Yes,” he said, regret softening his deep voice.

She again regarded the dark looking paste. “Is it… bullshit?” She sputtered a giggle when his laugh boomed out, the awful memory almost worth it.

He was back across the table with that perfect mouth. “I’m so fucking sorry,” he murmured.

“You are,” she agreed, stroking the thick muscles on his neck.

“If it helps, I really believe it was the only way to break the lies.”

She stared right into his eyes. “The spankings were nothing, ” she assured, tapping his cheek then shoving him away by his face. “It was that bullshit you pulled before that.” She grabbed the spoon from his hand and ate it, immediately balking. “Ugh!” She leaned over and let the bitter crap fall out of her mouth, looking at him. “Not eating that.”

“Tasting it is enough,” he said with a smile on her. “And I was a monumental moron for not realizing how much I was hurting you.”

She nodded, wiping her eyes. “Yes. You were.” She looked at him, finding him looking right back, riveted. “Well, I’m definitely ready to hear your… amazing wisdom and justification. Assuming there’s a lot more,” she warned.

“There is,” he assured, angling his head at her. “Starting with the guilt you carry… the shame… the blame.”

She swallowed, her heart racing too fast.

“All the bitter , biting lies. And the gashes they leave.”

Oh shit.

He smiled when she wiped away tears while the truth of his words ripped right through her. “Your gift is your voice,” he murmured softly. “That’s the bitter lie you’ve been told. You’ve been believing.” Her heart clenched and ached till she couldn’t breathe. “But the truth is, Doo-nie… your gift has always been you .”

She covered her mouth right as a sob burst from her chest. Then another.

He came around and sat, pulling her into his arms. She melted into him, letting it go, one racking sob after another, his rumbling soft coos stitching up all the parts of her he’d just shredded.

When she finally pulled away, she let out a laugh at finding him holding the final spoon before her. “Not sure if I can stomach something yucky,” she whispered, wiping her face.

“Just touch it with your tongue,” he said, moving it closer.

She leaned, poking it with the tip, then eyeing him. “Salty?”

He nodded, setting it back in the tray, his slow exhale making her tense up.

“Is it bad?” she worried, not wanting to taint the miracle he’d just performed in her mind and heart.

He leaned in and gave her a single kiss on the cheek then moved back, the serious look on his face seizing her breath. “Salt is like the truth,” he began, lowering his gaze to her mouth. “It’s not meant to cover anything up… it preserves what’s real . It enhances,” he said, eyes locking on hers. “Illuminates true colors.”

He lifted his hand and softly touched her temple with his index finger. “Everything in here…” He moved his finger and tapped her chest. “And everything in here…” His gaze held her tight again. “Needs the salt of truth.” He leaned in, his mouth stopping before hers. “Then… those two need to marry.” He pressed his lips carefully into hers and she parted for him, back to silently crying and fighting to breathe.

She suddenly gasped and pushed him back. “You’re the salt.”

His sexy mouth tugged a little. “I am.”

She barely smiled before her jaw dropped more. “Did you… was that…” She covered her mouth then lowered her hand. “Did you just propose to me? Oh God, don’t answer that.” Fear punched her in the stomach, making her sick. “I wasn’t thinking. I mean I was thinking out loud, but I shouldn’t have—”

He kissed her, his hand holding the back of her neck, holding her to his aching groan while he stroked her neck then jaw. He pulled back, their staggered breaths clashing. “Not marriage,” he swore, putting his forehead against hers. “What we have is… something deeper. Bigger than words and promises. Unbreakable. Uncontainable. Truth that can’t be corrupted or twisted. Or undone,” he said, petting her face with both hands, kissing her as she choked on sobs. “Wherever you are, Doo-nie... I am. And wherever I am… you are.” He held her in his fierce gaze, wiping the tears with his thumbs. “There are no more bitter lies. No more darkness. No more void. There is only truth. There is only light. There is only us .”