Shem’s green eyes twinkled, and he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into him and dropping an affectionate kiss on the side of her head.
“It’s perfect, sweetheart,” he purred before snapping his fingers and transporting it back to the room.
“Where’s yours?” I asked, and she grinned, leading us to an ivory-colored pumpkin. Hers was rounder as well and had an almost cheerful feel to it.
“I’m surprised you didn’t pick a black one for yourself,” Shem said, eyeing the little ivory gourd thoughtfully,
She shrugged. “I’m so different from the two of you. I wanted mine to stand out.”
I slid my hands around her waist and pulled her back into me, kissing her temple softly.
“You are not as different from us as you might think, deathtrap. You made us who we are.” She wrinkled her nose at that but didn’t comment.
I chuckled, knowing she was keeping her mouth shut because she didn’t have anything nice to say and didn’t want to risk a punishment.
“Still. This one is mine. Can you send it back to the room for me?” She leaned her head back and gave me a pleading look. I smiled down at her and hummed.
“In exchange for a willing kiss, I will send it back to the room.”
She scoffed, but it was playful. Spinning around, she threw her arms around my neck and slid her fingers up into my hair.
“Lean down,” she demanded, her eyes dropping to my mouth. I watched her lick her lips in anticipation and did as she asked.
I brushed my lips against hers and waited for her to come to me. She didn’t disappoint. I felt a shot of adrenaline ignite in my chest as she pressed her plush little mouth against mine. My excitement increased as she took it one step further and traced her tongue against my mouth, begging for access.
I opened for her, and she made a small moaning sound as she slipped her tongue against mine. I tightened my grip against her hips and tugged her in closer to me, forcing myself to allow her to lead.
My whole body was on fire. I wanted to fucking devour her as she tentatively explored my mouth and allowed me to explore hers in return. Finally, she pulled away, and we were both out of breath. My heart was hammering in my chest, and I wondered for a minute if I was going to be able to make it through the rest of the day without fucking her like I had originally planned.
Without looking away from her, I snapped my fingers, misting her pumpkin back to the room.
“Thank you,” she breathed, and I couldn’t help but run my finger down her jaw. I pressed another soft kiss against her lips before letting her go. I fucking loved her so much that my heart suddenly felt like it was breaking.
“What?” she asked, cocking her head to the side.
“What do you mean ‘what’?” I asked, chuckling.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
Shem laughed and shook his head. “He’s got it so bad for you, sweetheart. Haven’t you been paying attention?” Her little cheeks flushed red, and I ran my thumbs over them tenderly, loving how warm and pink they were when she was flustered.
She pulled away, and I let her, only to slide my hand to the small of her back and lead her forward to our next destination.
“Where to now?” she asked as Shem slipped his hands into his pockets, following us out with a grin.
“The Fountain of Death,” he said, and Lilith’s eyes shone with interest.
“Sounds morbid.”
“You’re going to love it.” Shem smirked, touching her chin gently.
“When gods war with gods, it is the mortal who suffers most.”
—PIERCE BROWN, “RED RISING”
The pumpkin patch had been so cute and fun that I almost forgave Ramel for being such a prick earlier.
Almost.
