“That matters more than anything.”
The words escaped on an exhale. A statement more breathed out than spoken.
She leaned in, lips pausing an inch away, and then she rested her forehead against Harper’s. She drew in another deep breath, as though savoring a decadent perfume, and then buttoned up Harper’s jeans.
“You should get home. You said you would, after all.”
Harper’s mouth dropped open. “You’re serious.”
“So serious. You made it very clear what’s allowed and what isn’t. No romantic entanglements between club employees.”
She took a step back, leaving Harper sitting on the car. Sweating, a little dizzy, and with every cell in her body feeling like they were filled with embers.
“Well, I think we already went past what’sallowed.” She touched her bottom lip. It stung, but other parts of her body ached in far more insisting ways. “You’re being mean, you know that, right?”
“I’m just following the rules.” Maya’s smile turned amused. “As it happens, Ireallylike rules.”
She was using the same flirty tone as usual, but it hit differently now. As a promise, of sorts. A tease of what might happen the next time they did something like this.
Maybe as an invitation, too. If you were into that sort of thing.
With a quick glance towards the Penny, just to ensure no one was looking, Harper slid off the hood of the car. Maya’s eyes had just started to narrow when Harper raised herself up on her toes, grabbed Maya’s shirt collar, and kissed her again.
Maya let out a small gasp when their lips met. A tremble went through her, and then a sigh followed, repeating as she settled her hands on Harper’s hips.
The moment her grip firmed, Harper broke the kiss. She smoothed out the wrinkles on Maya’s t-shirt.
“The thing is… I’ve never been good at following the rules.” She gave Maya a wink as she backed up and opened the driver’s side door. “You can show me the error of my ways later. Assuming you can handle the challenge, obviously.”
For a second, the mystified look returned to Maya’s eyes. An odd, awe-filled gaze that suggested Harper had just done something remarkable rather than seeing an opportunity to tease and jumping on it.
It wasn’t the reaction she was used to, or expected. She’d lost count of how many relationships had crashed and burned because she couldn’t keep her tongue in check. People found it amusing the first few times, but it always turned into frustration.
Maya just looked surprised. Intrigued. And by the smile appearing on her face, utterly delighted.
“Believe me. I can handle it.”
Chapter 12
Maya watched Harper’s brake lights disappear in the night, unable to turn her eyes away.
That kiss… She had never experienced anything evencloseto it. Every other touch paled compared to that tantalizing moment when her lips had grazed Harper’s. As though all previous kisses were merely practice for the one they had just shared.
Maya’s role here was practical. Necessary. But the source of that necessity had changed when they first met in this parking lot. When she’d grabbed Harper’s shoulders, feeling the woman lean into her touch rather than cringe away.
Her orders were meaningless. She would have taken on this role for no other reason than that it brought her within viewing distance of Harper’s soft, blue eyes.
And then the taste… Ambrosia would envy Harper’s blood. Sweet, sharp, and so invigorating, it was as though Maya’s veins had filled with sparks. As soon as she’d brushed her thumb over Harper’s lip and a bead of scarlet had risen on her skin, she could taste it in the air.
So different from what she’d gotten used to. So filled with life, filled withwant. Beckoning her closer. Screaming for her to forget the rules and wisdom that told her to keep her distance and instead take what was so obviously made for her.
And that was only from a few drops. She could only imagine what a full taste would feel like.
A sudden ache flared through her jaw. Icy realization followed, sprawling over her thoughts like a spider web and causing the world to tilt so severely that she had to grab a nearby car to avoid stumbling.
She never,ever, thought about that. Feeding on the living was an act of terror, pain, and death, and she had buried any urge for it so deep within herself that it only showed up in her nightmares. Haunting memories of her ravenously tearing bodies apart. Of her consuming blood so thick with fear that it coated her throat like smog.
Her immortal life hadn’t started until she was far away from the Court of Night. Until she had been sold off to a mad necromancer, who wanted to bind a vampire to his will and had made her miss when she was treated as little more than a blood bag.
