One bite was perfectly acceptable, but two teetered beyond the line of normalcy. Everybody at the table could see that a carbon copy of Alaric’s dish lay on my own plate, yet he insisted on feeding me from his fork. Could we get away with a second offering?
I considered turning him down, but as Alaric brought the fork closer to my lips, his hand caressed my thigh beneath the table.
I clenched my teeth hard enough to hear them clack in my skull. If I hadn’t, I would’ve let loose a pleasured cry so loud, the entire island would’ve heard it.
Meanwhile, Alaric’s expression didn’t betray his naughty secret. The only evidence was the subtle mischievous glimmer inhis eyes, and I doubted anyone else noticed it, since my brothers were busy wolfing down their food.
Alaric’s soft palm wandered over the curve of my thigh as if memorizing it. A thrum of hot lust burned within me. I sat rigid, afraid to move a single inch, afraid to evenbreathelest I succumb to desire and fuck Alaric silly right there on the dinner table.
A smirk toyed at the edge of Alaric’s mouth. He slid his thumb down my inner thigh, dangerously close to my now-hard cock. I bit my tongue, but the sharp pain didn’t distract me from the all-consuming pleasure blazing between my legs.
Alaric took a nonchalant sip of water with his other hand. Above the table, there was no sign that he was acting out of the ordinary.
“Well?” he prompted, flicking the fork.
I summoned every last scrap of willpower to suppress my carnal urges, then took the second bite of filet from Alaric’s fork. I swallowed it instantly, not even tasting it, then sat back stiffly in my seat, hoping that would dissuade him from teasing me further.
His hand did not move. It stayed right where it was—pressing gently against my clothed, painful erection.
Oh, Alaric was a bad boy indeed. This called for real punishment. The naughty kitty would face my wrath tonight.
12
Alaric
I felt quitesmug after my misbehavior at dinner. No real consequences came of it—Jade didn’t moan, or ask me to stop, or even shoot a disapproving glance in my direction—so I thought I’d gotten away with my rebellious antics.
But I should’ve known that nothing could be further from the truth.
When we stood to leave from the dinner table, he pulled me aside, smiling politely as if nothing was wrong.
“Now, it would be customary for me to escort you to your hotel room,” he began, “but I’d like to give you a private tour of my office first.”
On the surface, it sounded like a genuine suggestion, but the quality of his voice cut me to the bone. A real shiver ran over my skin. It wasn’t a suggestion at all—it was both a promise and a threat.
Maybe I shouldn’t have teased him so hard at dinner...
“That sounds wonderful,” I said through a thin, slightly terrified smile.
Jade beamed. “Excellent.”
I swallowed at the barely perceptible icy edge in his voice. To an outsider looking in, Jade’s entire persona was classy and civil. But now that I was acquainted with his perverted underbelly, I knew I’d stepped into a big heap of trouble.
“Night, Alaric!” Aurum called as the brothers peeled away from each other. “Don’t let Jade bore you to death with his books.”
Jade’s smile was a curved knife edge. “Oh, he won’t have to worry about that.”
Goosebumps prickled my skin.
Thystle snorted. “Hey, if they’re gonna be together, Alaric has to learn to deal with Jade’s book fetish.”
The two young alphas snickered and waved goodnight, leaving me alone with the demon himself. They made no attempt to save me from my fate. Was Jade’s polite facade so unclockable that even his own brothers didn’t notice?
The journey up the expansive staircase was a walk of shame, like I was a misbehaving student being led to the principal’s office. Jade offered no small-talk during the trek. Cold restraint radiated from him like a ghastly aura. At one point, I wondered if he was genuinely angry with me, but as if sensing my mood shift, he glanced over his shoulder and flashed a warm smile that dispelled my worries.
So, no, he wasn’t mad.
Then why did it feel like he was about to murder me?
