And I could read between the lines when it came to our little exchange, just before I dragged her home to act upon it. We had enjoyed alotof sex as of late, and plenty of it rough—but she was demanding something specific from me. Tempting me to take something that I had only really teased her with so far. But that threat to ruin her when we got home hadn’t been an empty promise. Not by a long shot. She had no idea how badly I had been craving this.
I wanted my hands around her throat, I wanted her choking on my cock, I wanted her perfect body strung up and suspended by ropes of Shadow, my own pretty little painting to admire and devour.
Only under duress.
Did she even know how those three simple words had condemned me for life?
It was all terribly ironic, considering the woman was the perfect picture of innocence right now, humming softly to herself as she cleared our plates and silverware, flitting from the table to the sink like a sparrow. And I was clearly the tomcat, ready to eat her alive.
“I can take care of that,” I said, not wanting to be rude… Well. Not wanting to beimpolite.“Here, let me help.”
“No, no—I’ve got it,” she replied airily. “It’ll only take a minute.”
When I got up to follow and help her with the dishes anyway, she gave me her best attempt at a threatening glare, though it turned out more like the petulant pout of a child. Fates, I adored her.
“Amma wouldkillme if she knew I was letting a guest clean up after themselves,” she whined. “It’s poor hostess behavior.”
“Well, Amma isn’t here right now,” I replied. “And thank the gods for that, because I’ve got plans for you tonight.”
Arken’s eyes widened before they began to glimmer.
Oh yes, Little Conduit,I mused to myself.I didn’t forget.
Chapter Sixty-One
Arken
My breath hitched in my throat as the weight of Kieran’s stare kept me pinned in place.
“And what do those plans entail, Vistarii?” I asked as he took several strides forward, meeting me in the kitchen.
“You’ll find out soon enough, Asher.”
And then his mouth was on mine, moving faster than I could parse as the distance between us evaporated, Kieran cornering me between the countertops and his tall, muscled frame. One hand held me at the nape of my neck, the other tightened around my wrist. This kiss was hungry, maddening,demanding—and I gasped as I felt my lower lip split beneath the force.
“But first things first,” he murmured, releasing my wrist to press his thumb against my lower lip. He inspected the blooddrawn for a moment before licking the pad of said finger. He watched me intently as he did so, sending heat straight between my legs.
“Tell me what you were so anxious about earlier that you felt the need to tear up this perfect mouth of yours, hmm?” he crooned. “I do believe that’smyjob.”
I glanced away, my face flushing under his careful observation, among other things. I had hoped that when he dropped the subject earlier, that would have been the end of it. I wasn’t sure I was ready to expose myself like this, and yet…
“Don’t tell me you were worried about me,” Kieran teased, smiling as he tipped my chin up with two steady fingers.
“N-no,” I stammered. “Not exactly…”
At that slight admission, he raised a single dark eyebrow.
“Not exactly?”
“It was nothing, Kieran,” I tried to claim, painting my face with false confidence. “Really. It’s nothing important.”
That was a lie. The thoughts that had plagued me over dinner felt like some of the most important things I had ever worried about in my life. The weight of certain decisions that were still hanging in the balance between Kieran and I. Whether I wanted this to be a temporary fling, or a permanent alteration to our friendship. Whether or not we could ever bemore.
“I don’t believe you,” Kieran said softly, fingers drifting from my chin to my jawline.
“I’d much rather talk about these plans of yours,” I replied, attempting to flirt my way out of this conversation.
“Oh, I’m sure you would,” he murmured, tucking a stray lock of hair behind my ear. “As would I. But I’m not going to tell you a damn thing until you let me know what’s bothering you.”