“I make it my business to know everything.” He sauntered over and put his arms around me. “And also to hide how much I actually know, so that no one suspects me of anything.”
I giggled as his face dipped down to my neck. “Or maybe you just enjoy feeling mysterious and important, even though you are neither.”
“Iammysterious and important!” he muttered in a tone of false outrage. “Why else would you be so taken with me?”
“Oh, is that what you think I am? Taken with you?” He pulled me in to run his fangs along my neck, and I let out a soft half-moan before quickly pulling away from him.
“I am not sure how else to interpret that sound you just made,” Devil laughed, flopping onto the bed while I pulled the silk wrap from around my hair. I tossed it across his eyes, and he remained completely still until I pulled my nightgownoff, bundled it up, and hit him in the stomach with it. When he pulled the silk from his eyes and saw me standing there, completely naked, his breath stopped.
“Mayhem,” he growled, pushing up onto his elbow. “What do you think you are doing?”
“Punishing you,” I said, flipping my hair back so he could truly see every inch of me. He licked his lips and began to crawl across the bed. I tried to back away, but he was faster than I’d bargained for and he seized me around the waist. His tongue and teeth found my breasts and I threaded my fingers through his hair, trying to hold back my whimper.
“Gods above,” he groaned as his mouth moved over the front of my body, and his hands moved over the back. “How can you be sofuckingperfect, and sofuckingbeautiful, and still be mine?”
I tried to scoff, but it came out as a gasp before I managed to ask, “Who ever said I was yours?”
A devious smile split his face as he shifted onto his knees and drew me in so our bodies were pressed together. He slowly dragged his fingers all the way around to my inner thigh, then leaned in to whisper against my temple.
“Isaid it, because I intend to make you mine. I am going to make you fall so utterly and absolutely in love with me that the Arden herself has no choice but to knit our souls together.”
“That sounds like quite the undertaking,” I replied coolly, “especially since I plan to be ‘utterly and absolutely’ uncooperative with this plan.” I was immediately forced to eat my words when he slid two fingers inside me and I melted in his arms.
“Don’t lie to me, princess,” he said in a ragged whisper. “Especially not when I canfeelyour…cooperation.”
He went deeper, but I wanted more. I planted my right foot beside him on the edge of the mattress, letting him hold me up with one arm while the other worked until I had to muffle my cries in his shoulder. The feeling became so torturous that I pulled the fabric of his shirt into my teeth, biting down hard. My nails dug into his back and my mouth moved toward his ear, letting him both hear and feel me. As I expected, he shuddered and groaned, so I slid my free hand down to the buckle of his belt.
“May…” he warned. “Do not start something you’ve no intention of finishing.”
I laughed softly. “Oh, I haveeveryintention of us both finishing this time.”
My words pushed him into some kind of frenzy. Only a minute later, his shirt was clamped between my teeth again, absorbing every profane sound his fingers forced from me. Even when my body went taut in his arms and my foot lifted offthe ground, he held onto me and did not stop. But I regained my composure and dropped to my knees in front of him before even catching my breath. He sat back on his heels, gazing down at me with wide eyes while I made short work of his belt and buttons. As I hooked my fingers into the top of his trousers, however, he caught my jaw in his hand and forced me to look up at him.
“Onlyif you want to…”
I returned the devious smile he’d given me before and murmured,“Iwant to watch you come apart,” as I began to touch him.
Gods, I loved having him at my mercy this way—guard down, cocky smirk finally wiped off his face. Knowing I was in control, knowing he would beg if I wanted him to, sent a desperate rush of heat to my core, and I ran my tongue down his full length, sending an even more intense shudder through every muscle of his body. We locked eyes again as I dropped my mouth open, letting him push slowly past my lips. When he let out a loud groan, I shook my head and pulled back.
“Come apartsilently,” I said, before using my tongue on him again.
He flung out one hand to brace himself on the bedpost and panted, “I’ll make no promises when you feel this fucking good.”
Since I couldn’t speak, I merely raised my hand and sent a stream of shadows out. They covered his mouth, wrapped around his neck, and solidified into a thick gag. He frowned and tugged on it for a moment, but I managed to pull his attention back by digging my fingernails into his thigh, then using my hand and mouth in tandem. Watching him unravel was just as satisfying as I imagined it would be. He clutched the bedpost so tightly I heard the wood crack, but did not seem to know what to do with his other hand until I gently guided it into my hair. When his grip tightened, I let out a faint, muffled moan, and his shallow thrusts slowed.
“Don’t stop,” I managed to gasp. Even through the gag, I heard the sound he made—somewhere between a growl and a moan—before pushing all the way to the back of my throat, again and again. It didn’t take long for his body to seize and his eyes to roll. The way he held onto my hair, and ran a thumb along my cheek, was intimate and almost desperate, as if he were afraid I’d be gone when he opened his eyes. I held on until he relaxed and slumped back, then stood and poured a cup of scalding water from the kettle to clear my mouth. As I stood there in front of the stove, Devil pulled me into a warm, tight embrace from behind. I let my head fall back onto his chest before realizing that I’d forgotten to remove the shadow gag. It dissipated with a wave of my hand, and he immediately planted a string of soft kisses along the side of my neck.
“Did I do something in particular to deserve that?” he finally asked. The sweetness in his voice and touch softened me, but then I remembered my oath to be uncooperative, and turned to face him with a smirk.
“It was to preemptively ensure that you are on yourbestbehavior when we go to Locksley.”
“Oh,” he laughed, “do you think I cannot behave unless I’ve had my—”
I quickly silenced him with a kiss, and he put his arms around me again, letting his fingers drift across every inch of my naked body.
“Just promise you won’t cause any trouble,” I whispered, “no matter what they might say.”
He searched my face and his thumb brushed over my lower lip before he simply answered, “I promise, Mayhem.”
