Page 69 of Villainous Rise

Annie moved to the edge of the mattress and slid down to her knees. Her dress caught on the bed so the black lace of her lingerie was fully exposed. Her hair was a wild, damp mess framing her flushed face.

“I want to taste you too,” she whispered.

The feral monster inside my head stopped raging and simply purred as I crossed the room. I stood over her, staring down at the woman who could bring me to my knees, currently kneeling for me. My hands shook as I manually released the front closure of my suit.

As soon as my cock was free, Annie leaned forward and wrapped her soft lips around the head.

My eyes rolled back and a harsh, broken groan tore out of my throat. I tangled my hands in her damp hair, holding her steady as she took me in. The heat of her mouth was fucking heaven.

She swirled her tongue around the sensitive ridge and gave a soft whimper as she sucked me deeper. The suction was agonizingly perfect. Every muscle in my body locked tight as three months of starving for this exact feeling crashed down on me all at once. The urge to fist her hair, thrust my hips forward, and fuck her mouth until she choked on me was an all consuming fire. I wanted to simultaneously paint her face with my release and make her swallow every drop just to prove she was finally mine again.

Sober. Present.

I screamed the mantra in my head over the roar of my blood.

I gripped her hair and pulled her back. Annie gasped for air, reaching out to pull my hips back toward her. “Cipher, please.”

“No.” I stepped back, forcing distance between us. I secured my suit, locking myself away from the only thing I wanted in this world.

“I told you I wouldn’t fuck you tonight,” I said, as I picked up my mask again. “But I want you to remember exactly how I taste tomorrow morning.”

I slid the mask over my face.

“Lock the door, Annie. I’ll be watching.”

I stepped out into the rain, the cold droplets doing nothing to cool the inferno raging in my veins after Annie’s spectacular display.

I launched myself into the night sky. Paperwork and League politics waited for me for the two dead bodies I’d left at the restaurant.

None of it mattered compared to the taste of Annie still on my tongue.

CHAPTER 12

ANNIE

I squinted against the morning light stabbing through my bedroom window, cursing myself for forgetting to close the blinds. My head throbbed with what I was absolutely calling a wine headache. Not a hangover. Keepers don’t get hangovers while on the job. We have professional wine headaches.

Images from last night flashed through my mind. Cipher’s body pressing me into the mattress. His lips on my neck. The way he’d thrust his hips against me, promising everything while delivering nothing.

Because I’d been drunk.

I groaned, burying my face in my pillow. What was I thinking, throwing myself at him like that? Like some desperate, touch-starved woman who’d completely forgotten he’d betrayed me three goddamn months ago?

Oh wait. That’s exactly what I fucking was.

A new image surfaced. My hand sliding down to the black lace. My fingers pushing inside myself while I held his gaze.

I squeezed my eyes shut and gripped the pillowcase. A dream. It had to be a dream. My subconscious was just playing out some twisted fantasy to punish me. I didn’t actually drop to my knees. I didn’t pull him into my mouth and beg for a taste of the man who ruined my life.

I swallowed dryly, desperate to banish the thought, but the motion brought a flavor to the back of my tongue. Salt and dark heat.

The taste of him was still there.

I want you to remember exactly how I taste tomorrow morning.

A full-body flush ignited under my skin and burned away any hope of denial.

Shit.