Page 81 of The Invite (The Massacre Ball #1)

Augustus

The week of The Massacre Ball has arrived, bringing with it a wave of excitement and cloaking the town in an air of debauchery. It’s considered to be an even bigger season than Halloween, with people all over the world coming to visit.

Why wouldn’t they? There’s nothing off-limits.

A haven to live out your darkest fantasies.

For us—the perfect place to exact our revenge.

Anonymous has no idea we’ve uncovered his identity with proof. He played us all, hiding like a chameleon. Tonight, we end his blackmailing reign.

The trap is set and we are biding our time.

Entering the walk-in closet with a towel wrapped around my hips, my gaze lands on Nessa standing in front of the full-length mirror and staring at her reflection.

My cock hardens as I watch her apply the blood-red lipstick on her plump lips. A vision of her on her knees with those lips wrapped around my shaft until I mess up her lipstick crosses my mind. The color will look fantastic painted all over my dick.

The fantasy doesn’t help my state as my eyes travel up her lean legs that look a mile long wrapped in knee-high heeled boots, to the back of her ass stretching the material of the tight black miniskirt.

Even though I picked the outfit, the sight of her is still like a punch to my sternum. My heart roaring one word.

Mine .

I swallow the ball of lust that threatens to choke me at the beautiful white lace molded to her tits and tiny waist. The top is indecent with a deep V-neck that leaves little to the imagination.

For hell’s sake, it looks painted on her skin.

With her hair piled high at the top, a few loose curls framing her heart-shaped face, her entire neck bare, my teeth ache with the need to mark her like an animal.

How am I supposed to keep my hands off her the entire night?

How the fuck does she expect me to focus?

She looks like an angel corrupted by the devil, ready to dance with him in the pits of hell.

I’m hit with the full force of her beauty when her smoky eyes lift and clash with mine in the mirror. They soften despite my feral expression. The darkness and possessiveness I’m unable to tame.

Twirling around, she bites the corner of her lip, and coyly asks, “How do I look?”

“Like my reason to breathe.”

Her lips part, amber eyes turning molten as though my words touched the deepest parts of her soul. Advancing on her, I back her into the mirror and cage her in with my hands on either side of her head.

A shudder runs through my chest when she presses her palms against my abs. They slide up my torso, blazing a trail of fire along my skin, and curl around my neck after a brief caress to her name inked there.

In a soft voice, she asks, “Will it always be like this?”

“No.” She tenses. I smile, toying with a lone strand. “It’ll be better because my need for you escalates every day, little prey.”

Her smile is a mix of relief and mirth. Rising on her toes, she demands, “Kiss me.”

Gripping her ass, I meet her lips halfway and lick the seam until she lets my tongue inside. Her saccharine taste makes my head spin as I stroke her tongue with mine. So does the satisfied moan she lets loose.

My girl loves to be kissed.

As much as I love that she’s the only woman I’ve kissed.

After one final lick, I pull back. My chest puffs when she chases my mouth with her eyes still closed.

Fuck! I can’t resist. Framing her cheeks, I lock our lips again and taste her sigh on my tongue.

I sense an underlying urgency in the way she glues herself to my body, arousing my protective instincts.

“Honey,” I murmur in between little nips and soft pecks against her lips.

“Are you nervous about tonight?” A hesitant nod.

Hoisting her up in my arms with her knees around my waist, I cup the back of her neck and kiss her tenderly to soothe away the tension.

Pulling back, I nudge her chin until she meets my gaze. “Tell me what’s worrying you the most.”

“What if he sees us coming?”

“That’s what Ace is here for. Even if Anonymous sees us coming, he will never see Ace until it’s too late.”

A haunted look passes over in her pupils. “I’m still not okay with what we have to do.”

“Not we, me,” I correct her.

“August—” I shush her.

“As soon as we out him, Maverick is bringing you here.” She wrenches my wrist down with surprising strength and opens her mouth, but I cut her off again. “Either you leave willingly or I’ll drug you, Nessa. I fucking mean it. I’d rather have you mad at me and safe than in danger.”

Wide-eyed, she reads the determined set of my jaw and lowers her gaze in submission.

“Okay. But I’m not coming here.” Her head lifts, eyes daring me to argue as she delivers her term.

“I’ll wait for you outside of the park with Maverick.

If he forces me, I swear I’ll jump off his bike and crawl back to you. ”

Her threat spoken in that feisty tone makes my dick hard. It equally makes me furious and my chest bursts with warmth at the sheer protectiveness she has for me.

God has blessed a selfish man like me with a goddess. An eternity is too short to make me worthy of her. But fuck if I’ll let her be anyone else’s.

“You sound unhinged like me, little prey.”

“Side effect of being in love.” Arching a brow, she demands, “Do you accept?”

“Yes, my queen.”

She bites the inside of her cheek to stifle her smile. Placing her on the ground, I mess up her bun by grabbing a fistful and tugging her head back. Bending, I lick the column of her exposed throat and bite down hard. Led by the feral urge since the second I laid my eyes on her tonight.

“August!” she screams as I leave a matching hickey on the swell of her tit peeking above the neckline.

“All this virginal white lace is making me want to paint you in my blood.” Flipping up her skirt, I twist the string of her thong. “Tarnish you.” Smacking one ass cheek until she whimpers, I growl, “Bathe you in unholy sins.”

“You’re my biggest unholy sin, Augustus Grayson,” she rasps, smiling with lust-drunken and devoted eyes. “My favorite sin. And I don’t want salvation.”

***

Nessa does a double take, drops the spoon she was eating with, and almost slides off the barstool herself when I enter the kitchen and head straight for her.

My mouth curls at her adorable reaction.

Nessa’s throat bobs as she swallows when I stop before her. Her neck cranes as I bracket her body against the island. I think she hasn’t blinked once in the last minute.

“Scared, little prey?” I tease.

The right half of my face is painted in a skull, while the left half is hidden behind a metallic mask that runs along my forehead and the cracked edge curves around my cheek.

“You…” gasps Nessa, blinking up at me. Reaching up to tentatively touch underneath my eyes while raptly staring into them, she exhales, “Yeah.”

The white-colored lens I’m wearing makes one of my eyes look demonic. Separating her thighs that she’s squeezing together, I graze my fingers up them. “Turned on?”

“Very,” she admits with a flutter of her lashes.

“Then you’ll enjoy what I’ve planned for us tonight.”

“What is that?”

“A surprise.” Inching closer, I tug her bottom lip with my teeth. “I’ll give you a clue. Muse .”

Her legs try to close as she pieces it together. The air permeates with her arousal. Caressing her wet heat once, I release her lip and straighten. Pulling her off the stool, I lean back and admire her lithe curves all over again.

There’s only one thing missing from turning her into a sexy siren.

“Close your eyes,” I softly command.

She obeys.

Reaching into my back pocket, I pull out a purple butterfly mask adorned with gemstones. Rounding Nessa, I stand behind her and place it over her face before tying the lace into a knot. I keep her eyes closed as I guide her into the foyer and stop in front of the mirrored wall.

I take a moment to privately marvel over every inch of my gorgeous little creature before allowing her to open up her eyes.

Her mouth forms an O as soon as her eyelashes flutter open. Her gaze roams over the wings curving upward on one side while the opposite curves along her cheekbone. Her flawless makeup enhances the sensuality of the mask.

“I love this,” she breathes, stroking one of the glimmering stones.

I don’t tell her they are real diamonds.

While she’s distracted, I take out my phone. Grabbing her waist, I pull her ass flush against my hips. “Look at me.”

I snap a picture the moment our eyes lock in the mirror.

Snaking a hand up her spine, I put pressure until she bends a little with her palms flat against the glass.

My cock sits snug between her ass cheeks.

My mind conjures an X-rated version of our position, causing my length to twitch.

Nessa feels it and traps her lip between her teeth.

I capture the needy expression in the camera.

“Come here,” I impatiently command.

Tugging her head back until her back bows, I bend and seize her luscious mouth with mine and click a picture. I chose our masks for this reason alone. To be able to kiss her anytime I want during the night. It just so happens to be the perfect way to calm her nerves when they get the better of her.

Handing her the phone, I growl at her to take our pictures. While I take advantage of roaming her curves with my free hands. Framing her waist, I rest my chin on her shoulder and glance at her reflection.

Her eyes are glowing with lust and possessiveness. Looking into the camera with that look, she snaps a picture. More than the gifts I buy her, it’s the little things I do that she loves the most. She loves intimacy and late-night chats.

Kissing her neck, I whisper, “I love you, little prey.”

A shiver courses down her spine and a breathtaking smile graces her lips. “I love you more, my masked devil.”

Snatching the phone from her, I tickle her ribs until a laugh bursts out of her. As I take a dozen more photos of us kissing, twirling, and hugging, I realize I’m smiling too listening to her musical laughter and the riveting joy on her face.

This, right here, is what I want for the rest of my life.

Love.

Laughter.

My Nessa .