“Does it turn you on even more that I’m fucking you while he’s on the other side of the door? Showing you who you belong to,” Kaiden rasps in my ear. “Now be a good girl and fucking take it.” He pumps his hips faster while his fingers move furiously over my clit.
“I’m coming!” I half moan, half cry. It’s the only thing I manage to get out because Kaiden cuts off my air.
I detonate.
Synapses snap. Fireworks go off. The explosion of bliss blinds me for a few seconds. My pussy clamps down on him and continues to pulsate for what feels like an eternity. Kaiden follows me over the edge with a rough groan. He swiftly takes off the belt and tie before tucking his now semi-soft dick inside his slacks. He’s gentle as he uses tissues to wipe our mess and pulls down my dress. Luckily, it’s made of a ruched, stretchy fabric that doesn’t get wrinkles.
The reality of what I’ve done is the equivalent of a bucket of ice-cold water being dumped on my head. Fuck.
“This means nothing. It was only sex,” I blurt out in a whisper, facing Kaiden.
That infuriating smirk of his makes an appearance. He dips. Goosebumps bloom across my skin as his breath fans over my neck. “Keep telling yourself lies, angel. While you have dinner alongside that dipshit in my restaurant, it will bemycum leaking down the inside of your thighs, and you won’t be able to think about anything else because you are mine. Until the end ofeternity. Whether you like it or not.”
He vanishes.
Another knock.
“Just a second,” I mutter as I spin to look in the mirror. Thank you, Sam, for being a makeup god. Not even an eyelash is out of place. That magic-infused setting spray of hers could sell for millions. I only have to smooth down my ponytail and reapply my lipstick. Inhaling deeply, I open the door.
I’m met head-on by Noah’s stormy gray eyes. His tone is filled with equal parts annoyance and concern. “What happened? Are you okay? You’ve been gone for over twenty minutes.” He pushes me out of the way to look inside the bathroom. “Were you in here alone? I heard you talking to someone.”
Okay, so we might not have been as quiet as I thought. I serve him the first excuse I can think of. “I was talking to Sam on the phone. Something happened, and she needed my help.”
“Seriously, Iris? You’ve left me alone at the table for almost half an hour while the food is getting cold because your friend needed someone to talk to?” His nostrils flare. “Do you even know how hard it was to get a table at this place? How expensive the food is? Just that bottle of wine runs for two thousand dollars. And you act as though you don’t even want to be here. I thought you would be more grateful than this.”
Who the fuck even is this person? It’s like he deliberately hides this whole new personality from me, and it only comes out in glimpses. Although, to be fair, I would be mad too if he left me alone at the table for so long. But that doesn’t mean he has to throw in my face how expensive everything is. I never asked to be brought to such a fancy place.
“You’re kidding me, right? Have you considered that I’m here not because I want to but because you forced my hand? Your help came with terms and conditions, so sue me if I’m bitter about that. That’s not what a genuine friend or someone whoclaims to love you does. Not really.” I can’t resist adding, “You know who’s been there to pick up the pieces after you left and ghosted me for five fucking years? Sam. So yeah, if she calls, I’m going to spend however long on the phone talking to her.”
His fingers clench and unclench. “Fine. Whatever. Can we go to the table now? People were staring.”
I roll my eyes and hurry down the corridor before he gets the idea to put his hand on me again. On my way to the table, my head swivels as I look for Kaiden. However, I can’t see him anywhere. Also, that new feeling that makes itself known whenever he’s near is gone. So, I can only assume he left. Sitting down on the chair, my eyes zero in on the wine glass.
It’s red.
29
Iris
Even though I always do the shopping for Ms. Robbins in the first part of the day, it’s almost ten p.m. as I ascend the stairs to the fourth floor of my apartment building, carrying five grocery bags. I moved back to my place yesterday. Somehow, it feels as if this is the first real step to moving on from Kaiden. Living at Sam’s trapped me in limbo—a space where I didn’t have to make decisions…just feel. But it was time. Even if Sam would have been happy if I moved in with her permanently—she offered it every day—I couldn’t impose on her anymore.
But my fears became true the moment I stepped over the threshold—Kaiden not only imprinted himself in every single cell of my being, but in the walls, too. In the goddamn dust particles. In every nook and cranny. In every breath. In everythought.
It’s suffocating.
So, today I did everything in my power to stay out of my apartment. After searching for hours and removing the cameras that son of a bitch, Erik, installed, I went for a jog. I really hope I’ve found them all. The one pointed at my small walk-in shower filled me with equal parts rage and disgust. Then, Sam and I rifled through all her grandmother’s books on premonitions in hopes we would find something about an oracle or prophecies. Unfortunately, we came up empty. Her Grammie also made a list of people she thinks could help us find one of the fae meeting grounds in the human realm. Next week, we’re tackling that. Once I resign from the Order.
However, no matter what I do, I can’t escapehimbecause I dream about us. Not only spending time together, but also having sex. Most of the time, I end up orgasming so hard I wake up screaming. I haven’t had a night terror since the day I left his penthouse, so I’m not complaining.
If I had known it was Kaiden’s restaurant, and opening night, I would have asked Noah to make a reservation elsewhere. But not even Sam was aware. I can’t believe he hired her after she trashed all his cars. When she found out, she said she wouldn’t accept the pay because of what he did to me, not because she damaged his property. This was one of her best paying gigs this summer, so I told her she would be a fool not to. Besides, she did such a spectacular job that she is booked until the end of the year for all kinds of events, not only weddings, which are her bread and butter.
I move all the bags into one hand to knock on Ms. Robbins’s door.
There’s a shuffling sound, followed by steps that stop on the other side of the door. The visor darkens. “What do you want?” she asks acidly.
“I have your groceries.”
“It’s late. I was sleeping.”
