Page 91 of The Souls We Claim

Perhaps it’s confidence I can see brimming in my eyes.

I slip my phone out of my pocket and text Halo.Would you think I’m weird if I told you I felt…hungry for you right now?

It takes a few seconds of dots bouncing at the bottom of my screen.

On my way. Get naked.

It feels naughty. And illicit. I shimmy my shorts down my legs and almost trip trying to pull them and my sneakers off at the same time. I yank the straps of the swimsuit off my shoulders and pull that off too.

A cool blast from the air-conditioning stiffens my nipples, and I pinch my cheeks a little. I’ve forgotten what it feels like to be a seductress. For too many years, I’ve lain down on my back, waiting for the earth to shake, and instead been told I’m doing it wrong.

I hurry to the bed and climb upon it. As the cool sheets hit my butt, I’m struck with momentary panic. How on earth do I do this?

For a second, I debate diving beneath the sheets, pulling them up to my chin, and waiting for him to join me. But I also want him to be poleaxed when he walks in the room. I want to surprise him. I climb onto all fours, but then I wonder if it makes my boobs look droopy. And maybe my pussy facing an open door isn’t such a hot idea.

Rolling onto my side, I try something more like Kate Winslet inTitanic. “Paint me like one of your French girls, Halo,” I mutter to myself.

My back feels too obvious.

Sitting up against the pillows, too studious.

I hear the rattle of a key in the lock and panic. So, I sit up straight and cross my legs like a kid in school, but I make sure the hair in each elastic covers my nipples and my hands cover my pussy.

A seductress who hints at the good bits better be his catnip.

But I needn’t have worried. One look in Halo’s eyes tells me I could have lain any which way, and I still would have been enough for him.

“Fuck, you look good enough to eat,” he says, hanging his cut on the hook by the door as he closes it.

He tugs his T-shirt over his head and drops it to the floor. His boots get kicked off. Then he places his phone and wallet on his dresser. His belt makes a whipping sound as he tugs it from his jeans.

“Wait, where’s Lola?”

“Rae’s got her. Hands behind your back, kitten,” he says, placing a demin-clad knee onto the bed.

I’ve never been tied up before, but I trust Halo and do as he says. Somehow, he finagles his belt so my hands are tied securely. Then he takes both pigtails in his hands and winds my hair slowly around his palms until his hands are close to my scalp. The tug tingles, and my pussy clenches.

“Hey, Jax,” I say.

“Hey, kitten. I might be really fucking proud of you for keeping that crown of yours straight, but I’m still going to fuck you senseless. You okay with that?”

“It’s exactly what I need.”

Jax looks at me like he can’t believe his good fortune. Then his lips collide with mine and there is nothing good about it.

It’s dirty, and wet, and messy. Teeth collide. My lip might even bleed, but for once, the tang doesn’t scare me. His hands remain wrapped in my hair as I gasp for air.

“This gets too rough, you say ‘glass,’ yeah?”

“I will. But I trust you.”

“You know how to make a man feel ten feet tall, sweetheart.”

“And ten years younger apparently?” I say, trying to bite back a grin.

“Brat.” Halo releases my hair. “Knees,” he instructs, forcefully helping me change positions so I’m kneeling in front of him. He shuffles me to the edge of the bed, where he unzips his jeans and frees his thick cock. “In this bed, brats get their mouth filled. Open.” He holds my chin firmly, and I open my mouth wide.

His chest rises and falls as he takes a deep breath. “Show me you can be a good girl too. Suck my cock, Ari.”