Page 35 of Taking Jenny (Planet Orhon #4)
By midnight, I was fading. I dodged the attention of some non-hunter warlord and jetted out to the large balcony for some fresh air and silence. The cool air helped, but I was out of my depth and shaking. I gripped the ornate railing for stability.
“You do look good in that position,” Mal drawled from behind me.
I glanced over my shoulder at him and gave him a coy look, relieved by his presence. “Even in this dress? You can’t even see my body in this thing.”
“Mmm,” he said, the seductive sound like a caress down my spine. “ Especially in that dress.”
I laughed. “Really? How’s that?”
He spun me around and kissed me and I immediately pushed him back. “What are you doing?” I said breathlessly. “Someone could see you—"
“I’m supposed to be torturing you, right?” he murmured, then he kissed me again, the strong taste of whickler on his tongue. He pressed closer until his hand was on my back, pulling me tighter against him. He nibbled my bottom lip, then kissed down my neck.
I shivered and moan, desire pooling through my veins. “What are you doing, Mal? We’re here to party.”
He stroked his fingers along my cheek. “This is a party.”
I frowned at him. “You stopped yourself the other night. What changed?”
He smiled darkly. “I had my reasons.”
“And now?”
He shrugged. “I have other reasons.”
I shook my head in frustration. “Why are you so confusing?” I said, just as he tossed up the skirt of my gown and ducked beneath all the excess tulle. I sucked in a shocked breath. Was he drunk?
“What the fuck are you doing?” I hissed.
He completely vanished under the massive amount of poofy material. Even I couldn’t tell where he was at first, but then I felt his hands on my thighs, prying them apart. His fingers stroked between my legs, making me shake.
I was torn between desire and outrage. “Mal, get out of there!”
“Craven is coming.” I heard him say.
“What?!”
Two seconds later, the doors opened, and sure enough Craven sauntered out with two glasses of banwine as Mal pulled aside my underwear and dragged his tongue along my slit.
I mashed my lips together to keep from moaning.
Mal slipped a finger into me and toyed with my clit with his thumb, like he knew exactly what I preferred. Did Tiger tell him?
“After all that dancing, I thought you might be thirsty out here, Jenny,” Craven said as he passed me one of the glasses.
I took it and tried not to let my hand shake. “That’s…thoughtful.”
He leaned against the railing beside me and looked over the elaborate palace garden. “So, now comes the part of the ball where you get us alone out on the balcony and use your charms to coerce information out of us about the trial.”
“Oh?” My voice pitched a bit higher when Mal licked across my clit.
“The ones who hold it together this long, that’s usually their strategy. Not that I can blame them. If I were in your position, I’d try anything, so go ahead, ask me something to try and better your advantage.”
My pussy ached against Mal’s expert ministrations, and it was all I could do not to come. “I don’t…I’m not here for that.”
He arched a brow. “Well, if you change your mind, I’m staying in my suite in the palace grounds this evening. Near the mountain. You could scout the hunting field while you’re there.”
It was hard to concentrate with my whole body on the verge of orgasm. “Wait, are you insinuating I should sleep with you, so I can see the course ahead of time?”
He shrugged unrepentantly as he took a drink of his banwine. “Call it generosity. Or opportunity. But if anyone asks, this conversation never happened.”
Mal pushed his finger deeper inside me, finding that sensitive spot that pushed me one step closer to orgasm. “I’ll…I’ll think about it,” I stuttered, my brain short-circuiting. “But I…I need to pray. To my god. Alone. Out here.”
Craven gave me a peculiar look. “I don’t know of human religions, but don’t let me hold you back from doing what you need to do.” Then, he flashed me a devious smile. “But If you want your hunting field preview, you know where to find me.”
He turned and sauntered back into the ballroom and I set aside my glass of banwine.
As soon as the doors shut behind him, Mal sucked on my clit and I bit my bottom lip to keep from crying out.
I reached behind me, curling my fingers around the railing, trying to stabilize myself as my orgasm finally crashed through me.
My knees threatened to buckle but his hands steadied me.
When I finally recovered, he carefully slipped from beneath my dress, standing and wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. His eyes were dark and obsessed. He looked like he was seconds from throwing me to the ground and ravishing me.
His normally deep, smooth voice was rough. “Tomorrow, stay out of the trees. They’ll look like safety. They’re not. The trees will get you killed. It’s—"
The doors behind us abruptly opened again and Justice boomed, “Take Malice, now!”
Palace guards swarmed between us. As the guards held him, Justice tapped him on the nose like a petulant child.
“You know the rules.” He jerked his head toward the palace and the guards dragged Mal away.
He didn’t fight. Didn’t resist. He just looked at me like I was the only thing that mattered to him.
My heart raced, fear and dread mingling. “What are you doing?”
Justice turned toward me, his tone infuriatingly light. “He broke the rules, Avatar, and he’s going to the royal prison. But don’t worry, he’ll be out after your trial. You , on the other hand…”
He snapped his fingers at the other guards, and they immediately grabbed me. I struggled in their hold, but it was no use. Their grip was like iron.
“You’re not going anywhere. Not until you’ve served your purpose.”
The guards pulled me through the glittering ballroom, the party still alive with laughter and music, like Justice’s chaos and cruelty had never happened.
Like I was already gone.