Page 26 of White Little Lies (Four Ways to Fate #3)

I stood in the kitchen with Sebastian, drinking a cup of coffee with delicious, delicious cream. The cream had been my addition, and was currently the only thing in the fancy refrigerator. He set his cup on the counter, sliding it across the white marble away from the edge. Today he wore a black shirt rolled up to his elbows. When he wore darker colors, it was apparent that his hair was actually perfectly black, no hint of any brown or highlights.

He watched me with his usual calm expression. “Don’t forget your promise.”

I lowered my coffee cup. “Yeah, yeah.” I had agreed to stay in the apartment for the day. Just a promise, no contract. I had been shocked he actually believed me, but maybe he knew that him believing me would make me actually do it. “But you better come back and tell me the second you learn anything from the fae. ”

He couldn’t actually go into the Crystal Vale, but there were other parts of the city frequented by the fae. Our next order of business was to find out who had cast the glamour to hide me from my mother. To aim a glamour at a certain person, they would need to actually know that person, which meant they knew my mom. It was as good a lead as any, beyond hopping around to every near realm in search of her.

That would be our next task, once I figured out how to travel somewhere without one of the guys being on the other end.

He continued watching me.

“Crispin will be here,” I huffed. “I’m not going anywhere.”

The elf in question had gone out for food. We would be spending the day practicing magic, and maybe watching a few movies.

Hey, it was going to be a long day being stuck inside. Might as well make the most of it.

“We should talk about the connection binding us.”

My eyebrows lifted at his words, because he had been avoiding all discussion of it since we got to the apartment. I had a sneaking suspicion being magically connected to someone made him uncomfortable.

And now it was making me uncomfortable, what with him watching me so intensely. “I don’t know what it is. Just that it’s getting stronger.” I forced myself to meet his eyes .

He had moved closer, and now took the coffee cup from my hands to set on the smooth marble counter.

“What are you—”

His hands went to my waist, pulling me forcefully against him. I gasped, my spine betraying me as it arched for him. The magic was already kicking up between us, casting a red and purple glow on the white marble countertop.

His lips pressed against mine, assertive and hungry. I groaned against his mouth, and I could feel my veins turning molten with inner light as he gripped my hips and hoisted me onto the countertop.

And then he was back against me, my jeans-clad legs open around him. He fed at my mouth, one hand sliding up my thigh until he hit the middle seam of my jeans. His thumb slid lower, applying pressure and almost making me orgasm right then and there.

Some small little voice in the back of my head told me I was being an absolute idiot, but the golden cord between us seemed to pulse. I knew if I opened my eyes I would just see the purple and red lights, but with them closed, I felt like I could see the cord too, binding us together.

His thumb rubbed against me as he slowly leaned me back across the counter. He abruptly moved his opposite hand gripping my hip to pull me firmly against him. Feeling him hard through our pants, a trickle of reality settled in. This was going to happen, right now, on Sebastian’s kitchen counter .

He leaned over me, sliding one hand behind my neck to pull me up for another kiss. His lips were scalding against mine, claiming me in every way.

He pulled away enough to meet my eyes. “Do you want this?”

The question was so unlike him, I didn’t know what to say.

But my stunned silence seemed to be enough for him. His dark magic pulsed over my skin, lifting my shirt lightly enough for the fabric to tickle. I squirmed as I lifted my arms, the motion pressing him more firmly between my legs, making my breath hitch.

Once my shirt was gone, he looked down at me like I was a delectable feast before him, just as his magic found the clasp on my bra. It came loose and slipped from my chest, prompting Sebastian to use his hands to remove the straps from my arms.

He tossed the bra away with one hand, stroking his other on the inside of my wrist before lacing his long fingers with mine.

He pinned my hand to the counter, pressing himself over me as the other smoothed across my breast. His lips hovered just over mine. “Do you want this?”

My body was on fire with his touch, that golden cord pulsing, tugging things lower. It was all I could do to nod my head.

The next thing I knew I was up off the counter, my hands pinned over my head against the wall. His dark magic snaked across my abdomen, then the button on my jeans popped open. It was like he was working with extra unseen hands as they pulled the jeans down from my hips until I had to step out of them. I lost the underwear at the same time, leaving me completely nude while he pinned me entirely dressed.

It should have made me feel vulnerable, but the way he watched me…

He dropped to his knees, releasing my wrists only to snag them with his magic instead, keeping me pinned. His fingers slid between my thighs, splaying them to make room. Just when I felt like my body was going to burst if he didn’t put his mouth on me soon, he smiled, watching me with his hands between my thighs.

“You never really answered me, Eva.”

I let out a stifled groan, squirming with my hands pinned and my thighs pressed open by his hands.

Still watching me, he pressed a light kiss to my inner thigh.

I gasped, my body thrumming with need.

Another light kiss, then his tongue darted out to taste my skin.

My eyes nearly rolled back in my head. “Yes, I want this.”

“Are you sure?”

I let out another strangled groan. “Yes… please— ”

He dove between my legs, his tongue and mouth hungry. I cried out, my knees buckling as he gripped my thighs and swung my legs over his shoulders, relieving some of the weight from my pinned wrists.

Our shared magic kicked up again, swirling around us, almost as bright as the light I was seeing behind my eyes as I neared orgasm. Just when I was about to go over the edge he stood, his pants already unbuttoned, his hard length pressing against me.

“Say it one more time,” he demanded.

His length slid against me, so close to where I wanted it. I rocked my hips forward, sliding against him. So close.

“Eva,” he breathed, his voice now strained with his own desire.

“I want this.” I said again.

He slid into me, and stars bloomed behind my eyes. I pressed my shoulders against the wall, moving my hips against him. Then his magic was pinning me again. He pulled out slowly, then thrust into me with force.

“Oh gods, yes.”

The words were all he needed to start pounding into me, rebuilding the orgasm into something even more spectacular.

He took me against the wall, right there in the middle of his sunny kitchen, with the city skyline looming outside the window. I cried out as he came, my own orgasm spilling over.

And suddenly I was in complete darkness, someone pounding at the bedroom door. Just like Sebastian had been pounding me against the wall.

Holy hells. A dream. It was just a dream.

But I couldn’t seem to communicate that to my quaking thighs as another light knock sounded at my door.

Silk sheets slithered across my skin, pooling between my bare legs, sending another shiver between my thighs. Even though Crispin was sleeping on the couch, I had gone to sleep in modest shorts and an oversized T-shirt, both of which were now bunched up around me from tossing and turning.

Yeah, just tossing and turning. That’s totally all I was doing.

Suddenly in a terrible mood, I threw back the covers and climbed out of bed. Ringo was still fast asleep on his pillow, snoring softly.

I walked toward the door, knowing it either had to be Crispin or Sebastian, though why one of them would wake me in the middle of the night was anyone’s guess. Unless something bad had happened?

I picked up my pace, then opened the door.

Crispin stood outside with a lamp illuminating him from behind, shadowing part of his face. His blond hair was mussed, and he wore pajama bottoms and no shirt. I found my eyes catching on his bare chest. He was more like Mistral, muscled but lean, whereas Sebastian was a little taller with broader shoulders .

Oh gods—I really didn’t need to be thinking about Sebastian’s body right now. What was wrong with me?

I focused my attention back on Crispin. On his face . “What’s wrong?”

He seemed almost a little embarrassed. “I was going to ask you the same question. I heard groaning, and I felt—” he cut himself off. “I thought maybe you were sick—or something.”

I hoped in the darkness my blush wouldn’t show, but he seemed to pick up on it regardless as his expression changed. “Ah, I apologize for interrupting.”

“You weren’t interrupting anything!” I blurted. “I just had a strange dream.”

And it wasn’t the first time I had dreamed about Sebastian. That first time, I wondered if he had done some sort of magic just to mess with me, but this time… I didn’t think it was the case. He had kissed me in real life on multiple occasions, and never tried to push it further.

Nope, I was the one having all of those thoughts.

Crispin’s expression shifted again. He seemed almost worried.

“What is it?” I asked.

His brow crinkled further. “Do you mind if I try something?”

I narrowed my eyes. “Depends on what that something is.”

“Can you please just trust me?”

I thought about it for a moment, then nodded, realizing that I did trust Crispin. He stepped closer, and I forced myself to remain still.

One of his hands went to my waist, gripping through my baggy shirt, and with me already all riled from my dream, warmth prickled between us instantly. He gently pulled me closer, and I stayed perfectly still as he lowered his lips to mine.

He kissed me, and I was overwhelmed with the scent of springtime. Fresh leaves, clear running water, a breeze scented with moisture.

When I didn’t pull away, he deepened the kiss. My stomach did a little flip, like going down in a roller coaster, and suddenly his hands were beneath the edge of my shirt, touching my bare skin. Nothing terribly inappropriate, but his bare hands on me pulling me against him made my thoughts swim.

I broke the kiss, pulling back enough to look into his eyes, both of us panting. “Crispin—”

“The thread is still there. Not just between you and the others, but between the two of us too.”

“I know,” I breathed.

His hands were still on me, his fingers absentmindedly running across my bare back. He seemed to realize what he was doing and abruptly yanked them away. “I apologize. I just… wanted to test it.”

I balled my hands into fists at my side, once again going very still. Because if I didn’t do that, I was going to go to him. For the thousandth time, what the hell was wrong with me ?

“And did you learn anything?”

He managed a small smile. “It means, dear Eva, that we are all in entirely over our heads.”

I smiled back. He just had that effect on me. Even as I was resisting licking his chest. “Tell me about it.”