Page 42 of Wretched Soul

I say nothing as my bedding continues to slide down my torso until I’m completely uncovered. I raise my knees, making room for Shade to position himself between my legs. His hands rest on my knees and his thumbs stroke my skin.

“There’s just one small matter we need to discuss before I get started,” he says.

“Always with the admin,” I mutter, but there’s an edge to his voice that I’m starting to recognize. I’m going to be told off for something, I just know it.

Shade leans forward, bringing his hands on either side of my shoulders so he’s looking down on me. From what I can tell, he’s wearing a tight V-neck t-shirt and dark jeans. He holds his body above mine so we barely touch, and when I go to reach for his chest, he grabs an arm and lifts it over my head. He does the same with my other arm.

“Is that another man’s t-shirt you’re wearing, Lily?”

My eyes slide down between our bodies as I do a quick inventory. The wine has made my memory hazy, but I know what I have on. “Yes,” I say, already wincing.

“Why?”

I wait a beat. “It’s my brother’s.”

Shade considers it for a moment. “And why would you wear your brother’s clothes?”

It’s reassuring that he doesn’t know everything about me, and I could choose not to explain. It’s not like he’s told me anything about himself. “I wear it when I’m homesick.”

His head tilts as he scrutinizes my face. “You’re feeling homesick?”

His gaze cuts through the dim light and has me unravelling. I shake my head. “Not exactly. Maybe homesick is the wrong word.”

“Then pick a different word, Lily,” he prompts as if it were that simple.

Tears prick my eyes. “I wear it when I’m feeling lonely… or sad,” I begin. “My brother died three years ago. The t-shirt takes me back to a time when I felt… I don’t know. Secure, I suppose.”

He curses under his breath. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what I’d do if anything happened to one of my brothers.”

I sniff back my grief. “You have brothers?”

His eyes narrow. “I was talking hypothetically.”

“No, you weren’t” I answer back. “Please, Shade. Give me something.”

His face closes in on mine and his tongue trails across my lips. When I open my mouth, he straightens up. “I have three brothers,” he says. “We argue all the time. But we’re close.”

“I’d like to meet them.”

Shade releases my hands and returns to his kneeling position between my legs. “I’m not sure that’s such a good idea,” he says. “I don’t know what they’d do to a woman who left a huge bite mark on their brother’s arm.”

“Oh, god, I did, didn’t I?” I say. I noticed his wound on the drive back to my apartment. “I drew blood.”

“You left your mark. And I left mine.” His hands slide down my inner thighs. “I filled you with my cum.”

This time my hips do lift up as his exploration continues to my center. He pulls the damp material of my satin shorts to the side and glides a finger through my arousal. I let out a whimper as he pushes inside me.

“Do you feel lonely now?” he asks.

“No.”

“Do you feel secure?”

“Yes,” I say loudly as Shade slips a second finger inside me.

“Take off your t-shirt, Lily. Let me see all of you.”

As I’m pulling my t-shirt over my head, Shade’s free hand roams over my body and he palms one of my breasts. At the very moment he pinches a nipple, his other hand pushes against me and his thumb finds my clit. A deep throbbing takes over my body, and I writhe beneath his touch. I’m moaning loudly as I drop my brother’s t-shirt onto the floor. This is not something Luke should be involved in.