I squeak with surprise as he snags at the fabric with his teeth, revealing my core to him as he claims even more of my lingerie. He stuffs the lace in his back pocket at the same time he runs his nose between my slick folds, and I shudder.
This is insane, complete and utter madness, but I can’t stop myself when I’m this close to him.
As if sensing the desire coursing through my veins, he hikes my legs over his shoulders and replaces his nose with his tongue, feasting on me like a man starved as my back arches up off thepool table the second my elbows give out beneath me.
“Rion,” I gasp, desperate to hold onto something, but all I can find is his hair.
Threading my fingers into the short length, I hiss as he rakes his teeth over my clit. He knows exactly what to do to get me where he wants me, and I’m a sucker for it. The moment he plunges two fingers inside, I scream, the edge of my orgasm flickering through my body at the same time as the sound of the door opening cuts through the air.
A commotion follows swiftly, but Rion doesn’t move from his place between my thighs; if anything, his movements become more insistent as I glance toward the noise just in time to see the back of Thorne as he shoves someone away. I gasp, blinking in disbelief as I try to close my legs and stop Rion, but it’s impossible, especially when my fingers curl even tighter in his hair.
My mind and body are at war as my orgasm threatens to reach its peak with the door still open. “Fuck, Rion,” I gasp, the undeniable fast-approaching as my muscles lock and my core spasms around his fingers, my release washing through my limbs as I cry out.
As my muscles soften, I dare to look toward the door, but it’s closed, and no one else is in sight asRion continues to lap at my pussy. His gaze finds mine, a knowing grin on his face as I pant, riding a high of madness.
Now that we’re alone again, I want more, I want the taste of him on my tongue. Shuffling to the edge of the table, I swing my legs over the side and drop straight to my knees in one swift motion, but the second I’m there, fingers curling into the waistband of his jeans, he shakes his head.
“It was about you, Petal,” he breathes, wrapping his fingers around mine as he removes my touch, and I pout.
“I want to,” I insist, and he grins as he tugs me to my feet, planting a kiss firmly on my lips. I groan, tasting myself on his tongue, but he’s gone again too soon.
“I know, Petal, but when I’m back inside you, it won’t be fueled by alcohol,” he starts, and I shake my head, ready to tell him I’m more than coherent, but his final words pause me. “And it’s going to be forever.”
TWENTY-THREE
ELODIE
Darkness consumes me as I flicker at the edge of my mind, willing myself to wake up. Gasping and scared, I silently plead to shed light on the pain that coils through my body, but it doesn’t come. Nothing does. I can’t process what I’m seeing. I’m drenched in the bleak corners of my subconscious, but the feeling, the one that burns deep down inside my soul, makes it clear I’m not safe.
Taking another shuddering breath, I try to find the strength to call out, to do something… anything, to end the torment, yet all that echoes in my mind is the sound of blubbering cries, and I know they’re coming from me. I’m sure the shrill noise is going to haunt me for all of eternity when I’m suddenly flooded with heat. It sweeps over me with purpose, embracing me from head to toe, and my discomfort quickly morphs into nothing more than a sniffle.
With the warmth comes a sense of calm and light thatleaves me feeling as though I’m floating gently from side to side. The terror that runs through my bones is replaced with serenity. I can hear waves crashing gently in the distance, but as much as I try, I can’t see the source of the sound. All that matters is instead of the depths of terror that leave me blind, it’s a bright white glow.
No longer in fear of where I am, sleep engulfs me in peace.
My eyes dart open with panic, wide and searching, as though a sound roused me from the depths of my slumber, but nothing immediately stands out. Ocean’s bed is still empty since she opted to go back to Nathaniel’s room last night, and Rion made sure I locked the door behind me, with the promise of tucking myself in bed before he left me for the night.
Clearing my throat, I brush my wayward hair out of my face before I blindly pat my hand where my cell phone should be, but I come up short immediately. With a frown and a huff, I press my palms into the mattress and shuffle myself back so I can lean against the headboard. The moment I’m comfortable, I peer at my nightstand, looking for my device, but it’s not there.
Disgruntled, I lean over the side of the bed to check that it didn’t fall off, but that’s just as bare. Righting myself, my hand lands on something hard,and my searching comes to a halt when I find my cell phone half tucked under my pillow. I frown at the device defensively.
That’s not where I left it.
At a loss, I sigh, mumbling some excuse about moving it in the night, when the screen flashes with an incoming text. I freeze at the name that stands prominently next to the little green icon. Thorne.
I splutter a dry laugh as I dare to click on the message, waiting a few moments before the display comes to life. I’m already preparing my response that details the fact he’s most definitely got the wrong number, but that’s before I see the text message in question and my hands pause, poised above the keyboard.
Thorne: Let me know when you’re awake. I’ve made arrangements for the Z06.
He can’t be serious. Finally remembering myself, my fingers fly over the screen urgently.
Elodie: You know you’re messaging Elodie Blackwood, right?
Three little dots dance at the bottom for a beat before a response comes through.
Thorne: I’m aware.
Elodie: Then you’re also aware that I didn’t win the bet last night.
