Page 19

The drive wouldn’t be half bad if Luka would stop insisting on being the DJ. It’s safe to say his taste in music didn’t match mine, but that didn’t stop him from bobbing his head to the rhythm of some R&B song.

He also had the nerve to beg me to stop at every gas station we passed, in case they had better snacks.

When I told him Alisa was expecting us, he just shook his head. “Taya’s on it.” He shoved his phone in my face as proof: a text chain with Taya, reassuring him everything was fine.

Nice of her to keep him in the loop, but since when did they text?

Jealous of my younger brother. That was a first.

At least they were closer in age. Given the same traits we shared, he was basically a younger version of me with longer hair.

Wait, what was I even thinking ?

The door to the mansion opened, and there she was, the woman occupying my thoughts for all the wrong reasons. It was as if she crawled out of my mind and materialized right in front of us.

To top it off, she wore a blue bikini that matched her eyes, her skin glowing in this environment.

Even a saint would take a peek. I never pretended to be anything less than the devil, so I took the opportunity to memorize the image of her perfect body until I’d had my fill or until she walked away.

The confidence with which she carried herself pulled you in every time.

Even Luka, standing beside me, had trouble staying on track.

I knew she was younger than me by what some might consider a lot, yet she was the first woman to hold my mind hostage. And in record time, might I add.

I had a feeling my control wouldn’t last much longer.

Eventually, I’d make another move. That moment of possession she allowed me in the club had left me with a taste for more.

More of her moans, more of her back arching against me.

Hours spent teaching her everything I knew, showing her what could consume a person, making her forget the weight we both carried.

The trust she gave me, the control she handed over, filled my head like no kill ever had.

“What a welcome,” I retorted, taking her in.

She rolled her eyes. “Hello to you too. Your sister is by the pool.” Taya spun around and walked away, leaving the door open. “Rooms are to the right. I’m sure you can figure out which ones are unoccupied.”

“No house tour?” I teased, my eyes glued to her behind.

“Would you like me to pass warm towels too? A glass of champagne? I’m on vacation,” she shouted over her shoulder before disappearing deeper into the space. “Plus, it’s not my house.”

Her words barely finished when Luka smacked me on the shoulder. “See? I told you! ”

“Told him what?” Taya’s voice carried over from the neighboring room.

We followed the sound and found her in the kitchen, the space modern and sleek with a Mediterranean touch.

A wide kitchen island occupied the middle, placed as a divider between the rooms. Luka, acting right at home, immediately sat on a cushioned bar stool.

He wiggled his eyebrows playfully and answered Taya’s question. “That this is Lorenzo’s playhouse.”

Confident in his guess, he slapped his palm on the perfectly polished counter, leaving a massive print.

Taya rolled her eyes at him, and it shot straight through me, igniting every nerve ending.

“Is there anyone who doesn’t know about it?” she asked, her tone tinged with annoyance.

This attitude, man. I wanted to fuck it right out of her. I’d wanted to, ever since that night. So she could crank it up again, and we’d repeat the whole process. Stuck in a cycle of destructive behavior and even sweeter punishments, that’s the way I wanted to live from now on.

“Are you kidding me? It’s the event of the year.” Reaching for an apple in the basket, Luka took a bite, clearly ignoring the fact that he’d eaten his weight in gas station snacks on the way here. With his mouth full, he smirked and said, “For sure on my calendar.”

A laugh escaped me, drawing their attention. I leaned my forearms on the counter and laughed at my brother once more. “You never received an invite.”

“But I know things.” He grinned, clearly enjoying himself. “Dirty, dirty, exciting things,” he added with a wink. Given the kind of people Luka hung out with, it didn’t surprise me.

“Why don’t you ask the host himself?” Taya suggested. “I’m sure he’d love that.”

“Easy. He and I bonded,” I pitched in.

“I was being ironic. ”

I know. Did it stop me from playing along? No. Why? Because I’m bored.

And I seem to enjoy antagonizing her. A recent hobby I picked up.

“Jealous that I might take your buddy away?” I baited her.

A look of annoyance flashed my way. “Have at it.”

Sensing the tension building, Luka grabbed our belongings. “I’ll get the bags.”

While he disappeared to check out the rooms, I didn’t follow.

Taya and I shared a glance before she went back to searching the fridge, comfortable with her back turned to me. Knowing what I know now, I can see why.

The fridge door was wide open, and I got the perfect view of her round ass as she reached for a bottle of water. Intentional or not, I took the move as a sign and closed in on her.

Being tall myself, I was used to towering over people, especially women.

Yet with her, we felt equal. I might have been taller in person, but her entire presence matched mine, putting us on level ground.

My lips pressed close to her ear, her familiar scent enveloping me. I leaned in from behind, letting my frame cast a shadow. “Ilya, Malek, and Lorenzo. Is there a man you don’t have wrapped around your finger?”

She remained unmoved, standing perfectly still in that predator’s way. A skill only earned through years of practice. In her case, the years were short but effective.

Painfully slow, she turned to face me, her skin brushing mine. I knew right away she was out to play.

“Why? Do you want to be next?”

If only she could read the thoughts consuming me since our last encounter.

Standing on tiptoes, Taya leaned in, whispering against my lips. “Heard you’ve been asking about me.” Our chests moved in sync. Breathe in, breathe out. “That means you’re just about halfway there. ”

My thumb hovered near her lips, tracing their curve and fullness like a siren’s song, luring me to ruin them for all others. But I stopped myself. Not yet.

“It’s this whisper of death you carry around with you,” I said, desperate to read her reaction. “I’m yet to see the signs.”

Her tongue darted out, encircling my thumb in a wet motion, sending blood rushing straight to my dick. Her nipples visibly tightened beneath the thin fabric, the material revealing just enough, but not entirely.

Unable to resist, I pushed my finger into her mouth.

Taya grunted in approval. Heavy-lidded, she made a few more circular motions before taking my thumb deeper, sucking on it as if her life depended on it.

An image I’d never be able to erase formed in my mind, but before it fully registered, she bit me. Hard and unforgiving.

I’ve never been this turned on.

Droplets of blood welled from the marks she left behind, coating her lips in crimson. The same color that seemed to follow us around.

Her eyes blazed with fire. “If it’s a demonstration you desire, I’ll gladly be your last vision.”

I didn’t hide the desire I felt, handling her with the same roughness. My fingers gripped her cheeks, squeezing hard, while my thumb wiped away the evidence, the imprint still on her lips.

“And what a vision you would be,” I rasped, content with the thought of her as my reaper, my soul collector.

She leaned against the fridge door, her palm resting on my chest, as if unsure whether she was trying to push me away or pull me in.

“I like to think it’ll take more than that to get me,” I finally replied, not letting her out of sight.

Taya’s breath was controlled, her hands steady, but warm against my chest, almost as if she had this ability to deceive even the most observant.

The pulse in her neck was the only sign of life within her. I reached behind her head, grabbing a can of soda from the fridge, and slid the cold metal down her arm, holding it between us. A hiss left her before she refocused on my words, diverting my attention from her reaction.

“Those before you thought the same.”

“I’m sure those after me will, too.”

“Men never learn, do they?”

I furrowed my brows in disapproval, calling her out. “A bit generic, don’t you think?”

“No one proved me otherwise.”

Of course not. Not if you spent time with men like Malek or Ilya.

“You don’t think of yourself as the goddess?” I taunted, imagining the numbers, her hits that crowned her the champion within the ranks. “The one surrounded by men who run this mess we call our world? The one nothing ever happens to?”

Her face fell, something far too dark taking over her. As soon as the words left me, I realized there were better things I could’ve said. But, as usual, this damn mouth wasn’t connected to my brain.

“All the bad things already happened a long time ago,” she murmured, her gaze on the ground.

The cold from the fridge wasn’t the only freeze I experienced when Taya slipped out of my hold.