5. Mébh
Instinctively,I knew we were back in Gray’s apartment. I breathed a slight sigh of relief, and by extension, so did my Wolf, but all I could focus on was the fact that he almost left me. I was pissed.
My mother had chosen to leave me behind when I was just a few weeks old. I didn’t know why, and it ate at me. I felt guilty for not being better or enough. Something that she might have chosen to stay for. Getting left behind was a trigger. What if Gray decided to take me right back to the pack or leave me somewhere else? He had the power with his misting ability, and I didn’t trust him. My Wolf surged harder, vying for control to shield me. Instead, it caused me to spiral into my rage state.
Gray was vibrating with tension and on his way to shifting forms himself. He slowly released me, and I took the opportunity to verbally attack.
“Don’t you dare try to take me back there again!” I snarled around my fangs.
“Never. You’re mine,” Gray shockingly replied, but it wasn’t his normal voice that came out. It was a deeper, rougher tone, a demonic tone if I’d ever heard one. My Wolf perked up at that sound, along with the possessive words. As soon as the words were out of his mouth, though, Gray snapped his jaw closed and looked shocked, as if they had escaped without his consent.
Well, at least part of him knew I was his.
“Then promise me you won’t leave me somewhere else at the next opportunity!” I yelled, still needing reassurance.
“I can’t promise that! You can’t stay with me!” he thundered back at me in his normal deep rumble.
“Yes, I can!” I didn’t think it was a question. I would be staying with him.
“No, you can’t!” Gray’s horns were lengthening up toward the ceiling.
“Why the fuck not?”
“You’re a liar, that’s why!”
He was deflecting, and I knew perfectly well what he was referring to, but I played dumb instead, making him explain. “What the fuck are you talking about?”
“You lied to me about your pack’s defenses.” He stalked up to me and glared down. “That witch always has the property protected, not just at night. I saw it in her mind. I should have just taken you back last night like I wanted. Seems like I would have risked a fight no matter what!”
“I didn’t lie! I just didn’t tell the whole truth!” I shot back, happily going toe to toe with him. Arguing felt good when in the midst of a rage. Gray had just as much fire within as I did, but he hid it under a calm facade most of the time. Unless the demon was coming out.
“Yeah, that’s the definition of lying! You lied by omission!” he spat back at me, baring his own sharp teeth and fangs.
“No it’s not!” I tossed back with a little foot stomp.
“How can I trust you after this?” Gray growled. “You demand a promise that I won’t ditch you, but how can I guarantee what you tell me is true? This is a two-way street, princess!”
“Yes, it is a two-way street. I promise not to fib anymore if you promise not to return me or leave me somewhere!”
“You can’t stay with me,” he huffed out in exasperation, throwing his hands up. “I was trying to return you to where you belong!”
“I belong with you!”
Gray snarled furiously. He balled his fists at his sides and the vein in his neck started popping. He was losing it.
“Stay here,” he seethed through gritted teeth. He grabbed the TV remote, threw it in my direction, then stomped off and disappeared through that mysterious other door off the kitchen.
I guess that meant I’d won the argument? He made no promises, but that demonic voice that came out of his mouth had said, “You’re mine.” The demon clearly wanted his mate. The question was whether Gray himself did.
Despite “winning” the fight, I was still enraged. Being alone was ideal right now.
I marched to the nearest couch and grabbed one of the mashed throw pillows. I threw it across the room, and it landed with a muffled thunk somewhere. After that I couldn’t stop myself. I grabbed the pillows and couch cushions one by one and threw them as hard as I could. At some point, one of the throw pillows exploded on impact and little white feathers filled the air.
I snarled in satisfaction. My Wolf wanted more destruction, or she would take over and do it herself. I found the ripped pillow and sunk my claws into it, shredding it. More feathers flew out of it. I grabbed one of the couch cushions that sat nearby and brought it over to the couch. When I threw it down, feathers billowed into the air all around me. After a moment, they settled, and I sat myself within the messed-up nest I’d created.
Molly seemed to be the only person my Wolf listened to, and when she wasn’t with me to help calm me down, I craved isolation. Most of the time, my rage would continue to simmer, but it was like the stove burner got turned down. The rage was easier to manage, but it was still there and oh so easy to set off again. It was in my best interest to let Gray cool off by himself for a while. I wasn’t excited for him to see the destruction.
I needed something to help distract me now, or I would keep tearing things up. I located the remote Gray had thrown at me amongst the feathers on the ground and turned the TV on.
Television was a bit of a wonder, especially being allowed to watch whatever I wanted and not share the remote with any other opinionated werewolves. I enjoyed channel surfing for the hell of it until the simmering rage had me cracking the remote because I punched the buttons too hard with my claws. I settled on reruns of The Office and managed some semblance of a calm state while my anger churned in the back of my mind.
By the afternoon,Gray was still hiding, and my rage was still there, but manageable. I assumed he’d had plenty of time to calm down, and I was bored of watching TV. I wanted to know what he was up to in that mysterious room off the kitchen.
I pressed my ear against the door and could hear heavy breathing... sexy sounding heavy breathing that made my core clench with need.
What was he doing in there?
My mind ran wild with the naughty possibilities.
Unable to help my curiosity, I pushed it open and was met with the sight of a sweat-covered, shirtless, muscle-packed Gray in his home gym.
My mouth dropped open in surprise.
Every chest and arm muscle gleamed with sweat. His eight pack was like a washboard with so many ridges. I wanted to run my tongue over each and every one of them. His muscular thighs filled out his jeans expertly and those big black boots had me feeling all kinds of ways.
His back was not visible, but I now knew he had those large, raised red scars that decorated his shoulder blades. Scars where his wings once existed. They made him all the more beautiful somehow. It marked the suffering he had endured and ultimately survived to form the supernatural male in front of me. I’d thought demons retained their magical wings when they fell, hid them like angels did, but now I knew that wasn’t true.
Gray was sitting on the bench with his hands on his knees, breathing heavily after a set. He sat in front of the barbell with multiple stacked plates on each end of it. I knew the guy was inhumanly strong, but this was super supernaturally strong. No wonder he was so jacked, and he wasn’t even in his shifted demonic form. This room was clearly his sanctuary—no wonder he hadn’t wanted to show me during the tour last night.
“What do you want, Mébh?” he asked, looking up at me. He ran a hand through his sweat-drenched blond hair, over the horns, and I momentarily lost my train of thought.
I shook my head and refocused. “What have you been doing in here for hours?” I demanded.
“Working out,” he rumbled and gestured around the room.
“Clearly,” I replied with a glance around the only space in Gray’s apartment that had personalization, things that represented him in the form of workout machines.
I’d used the pack-house gym many times during training. Luckily, I was familiar with many of the machines scattered around and enjoyed lifting. “May I join?”
He scowled and looked away. “Do whatever you want. You’re not my prisoner.”
“You could have fooled me,” I murmured loud enough for him to still hear. The scowl on his face only deepened, even from a profile view.
I was still wearing the skanky sundress from the night before—not that I’d had much choice. I’d simply put it back on this morning after sleeping in one of Gray’s shirts. I’d stolen it from his chest of drawers and had adored sleeping in it. I briefly debated taking the dress off—it would be way easier to do things—but I figured that wouldn’t sit well with the big demon just yet. Plus, teasing worked a lot better than full frontal.
I walked over to the lat pull-down machine. I reset the weight to a quarter of what it was at, hiked my dress up—what little there was of it—and took a seat. I felt Gray’s eyes on my body as I went through the motions, pulling the bar down repeatedly. Around number six, he finally looked away and leaned back on the bench under the bar, preparing to lift.
I wasn’t going to lie, watching him heft that bar, the ends stacked with so many weight plates the bar looked like it was bending, was hot as shit. The lat-pull bar nearly slipped out of my hands.
Damn, my demon was strong.
I refocused and went back to my own little workout while simultaneously trying to watch him out of the corner of my eye. He was doing the exact same thing to me. When I used the rowing machine, he was between sets and pretending not to watch me. When he grabbed two two-hundred-pound dumbbells and curled one in each hand, I nearly lost my shit. The veins in his forearms and biceps were popping, and I wanted to lick each and every one of them. I switched to kettlebell swings, pushing my ass out on purpose, but still struggled not to stare or drop the weight on my foot.
It went on like this, a silent baited competition, but I finally ended it—with a little more teasing. I chose to stretch. It only took putting my back to Gray and bending over to touch my toes, revealing my lack of undergarments, and he was snarling and hauling me over his shoulder like a barbarian.
“Hey, what the fuck are you doing?” I snapped, kicking and wriggling, trying to get free. I loved it, but I couldn’t make this easy on him.
He ignored my question and carried me out of the gym, stopping short in the living room upon seeing the mess I’d made earlier. I felt a bit guilty, but the fucker hadn’t promised me he wouldn’t ditch me at the first opportunity.
“What did you do?” he growled.
“It’s your fault! You won’t let me stay with you!”
His chest rumbled as he stomped down the hall into the master bedroom, then tossed me onto the bed. “Well, you get your wish, princess. I will be keeping you with me for the foreseeable future.”
His eyes gleamed silver as I sat up. “Why the change of heart?”
He narrowed his gaze and spoke through gritted teeth. “I can’t seem to part with you. The demon won’t allow it.”
“Good. The demon knows what’s best for him,” I snapped.
It wasn’t a promise not to leave me behind at his first opportunity, but it was reassurance that Gray was listening to his inner creature. He felt this matebond between us, whether he liked it or not.
He sighed. “Get yourself ready. I have a meeting, and you’re coming with me.”
My mind was suddenly full of excited questions, and I started firing them off. “Where are we going? What are we doing? Are you misting us? Who are you meeting and what’s the meeting about?”
“Enough,” he bit out at my pestering questions, rubbing his temple. “The meeting is with a Luciferian demon contact at a local supernatural bar. Felix supposedly has some new intel for me on Nicodemus’s army’s movements.”
We were going to a supernatural bar to meet a Luciferian demon?
Holy Moon! I couldn’t believe it! I was practically bouncing with excitement now, the rage forgotten in the back of my mind.
“What’s a Luciferian demon? Are they different from your species?”
Gray perched on the edge of the bed and explained. “You know the story of Lucifer from the Old Testament of the Bible? He was cast out of heaven with a third of the Lord’s angels. Well, Felix was one of them. Lucifer was sent to rule the true Hell realm, and his followers were tasked with punishing damned souls for eternity. Felix moves between all the dimensions stealthily—it’s his gift. He spies for Lucifer and is an old friend, though I don’t remember how I came to know him or why. He approached me a few weeks back and offered to help. He’s also been doing some research for me on how I might be able to get my memories back.”
“Has he come up with anything?” I wanted to help in any way I could, but I didn’t know the first thing about magical memory loss. I just knew Madelyn’s witchy magic hadn’t even been able to help Jenny.
“If he had, would I still be lacking memories?” he snarked.
I scowled at him. “So we’re going to a bar? Can I drink?” I’d never been to a supernatural bar before, where age wasn’t restricted like human bars, but I’d had plenty of booze within the pack.
Gray raised an eyebrow at me. “Sure, you can drink. They have plenty of soda available.”
“I meant an alcoholic drink, you asshole!”
He shook his head. “The answer is no, Mébh.”
In the middle of growling at him in response, I froze suddenly. I just realized that I had absolutely nothing to wear. A wintery evening at a bar in Portland was not sundress worthy. “I don’t have anything to wear!” I wailed.
Gray heaved a great sigh and glared at me for a moment, but he didn’t yell. He didn’t tell me I was ridiculous or anything. Instead, he had a solution. “Let’s go find you something then, princess.” He held out his hand, and I grasped it hesitantly, unsure where exactly he was taking me.
He misted us out, and when the blackness faded, I discovered we were in a high-end women’s boutique store. There was not a human in sight, and the “closed” sign hung in the window. Darkness filled the window space outside the shop.
“Where are we?”
“New York City. Lethe shopped here once and made me stand guard outside.” His nose crinkled in disgust before he glanced my way and his expression softened. “You should be able to find something that works. Grab whatever you need.”
My heart soared in my chest. I’d never been given free rein to choose whatever I wanted from a store. I barely got necessities as a kid, and that was mostly thanks to Aunt Becki’s family giving Molly much-needed money and Faelen’s hand-me-down clothing.
Peering around, I saw black on every rack. This was a gothic boutique.
“Isn’t this place closed?” I asked, glancing at the cash register.
Gray shrugged. “Yeah, so?”
I raised an eyebrow at him, not sure how he planned to pay, but that would be his problem. I turned to check out the club-wear options, perusing through rack after rack of adorable black items. After finally picking out two little strappy black dresses—I couldn’t choose just one—I moved toward the back of the store to grab some extra undergarments—all black lace thongs—and a pair of black stilettos.
When I made my way toward the closed register, Gray met me there and handed me a black leather jacket that had red rhinestones studded all over it.
Damn, my demon had some taste . . . and a goth streak, apparently.
It was a good thing I did too.
Molly had always assumed I loved pink frills, and I think she had needed that more than me. My bedroom as a kid had been all pink, and her choice of bedding at Polaris headquarters was still oddly juvenile. It represented the fake innocence of my childhood and only served to play pretend. The reality was, my mother ran away for some unknown reason and left me, and my father died in battle shortly after. My omega sister struggled to raise me in a pack that treated her as a second-class citizen. We weren’t some happy little family; we were a broken fragment.
I’d loved black as long as I could remember. It matched my Wolf’s fur and the rage that seemed to constantly simmer inside of me.
Black fit my soul.
I instantly loved the jacket Gray had picked out for me.
I traced the red rhinestones as Gray strolled behind the cash register and grabbed a large paper bag. He began setting my items in it.
“Aren’t you going to pay for those?” I asked.
He paused and stared at me with an eyebrow quirked.
“You have to pay for things—we can’t just steal them!” I thundered, rage uncoiling and slipping to the forefront.
“I’m a demon. Human morals don’t concern me.”
I rolled my eyes and saw his lip curl in a snarl. Somebody did not like that gesture aimed at him.
“Demon or not, you can’t just take things. The humans deserve to be paid!” I yelled back.
He glared at me for an eternity, and I thought he was going to disregard my concern, but he grumbled and glanced heavenward while digging in his back pocket for his wallet. He rifled through his billfold and then threw down five crisp hundred-dollar bills before meeting my eyes. “Happy now?”
Holy shit. He was clearly loaded if he could throw down cash like that.
“Y-yes,” I spluttered and struggled to calm the raging storm brewing inside.
I wanted to yell more, but I forced myself to smile brightly and step up to him. I stood on my tiptoes and gave his cheek a kiss. He looked taken aback and slightly shocked as he touched the spot I had kissed. Then he seemed to shake himself out of it and reached out to grasp my hand, misting us back to his apartment.
After a quick shower and changing into some of my new clothing—I made do without make-up or a hair straightener—I was ready to take on the town.
The bar turned out to be a hopping place. It was down an unassuming back alley downtown, and all kinds of supernaturals were there. I smelled vampires and witches, to name a few, as well as multiple other supernatural creatures I had never smelled before and had fun trying to guess the species. This was clearly a place the supernatural could go where they didn’t need to hide who they really were. Humans were strictly not permitted.
Low lighting set the mood as: “Hide if you want to, or don’t if you dare.” The decor was black and red with clean, modern lines. I understood now why Gray had taken me to the little-black-dress boutique. Every female in this place was wearing one, and Gray himself had chosen a pair of mouthwatering tight black-wash jeans and a black button down that his shoulders filled out expertly.
I grumbled and looked away angrily as Gray did another perusal of the bar. We sat in a booth toward the back, waiting for his contact to arrive. Despite all the excitement of being in a real bar for the first time in my life, I was bored. Gray was literally no fun. I swear to the Moon Goddess all he did was tell me no.
“No drinking, Mébh. You’re only eighteen.” He felt the need to reiterate this despite having already told me no booze.
“No dressing like a whore.” He had demanded I wear the leather jacket over my revealing strappy dress.
“No talking to anyone.”Especially not any of the interesting supernaturals at the bar.
“Stay right by my side”... and be bored . . . That’s basically all I heard.
And with my rage already stirred up, I’d yelled at him about every single damned rule. He hadn’t backed down, only agreeing to mist me if I promised to behave, so I’d been forced to agree.
When the waitress brought over his beverage, a glass of the Devil’s Cut of Jack Daniels, and he thanked her, my Wolf howled in jealousy. How dare he give another female positive attention while I was literally instructed to sit next to him and behave?! He refused to get me a drink . . . well, an alcoholic one, and I didn’t want a stupid soda right now.
I silently sulked until his contact finally arrived. Gray stood up to greet the other male demon, and it suddenly became apparent to me just how big and powerful Gray was for his species. He towered over Felix. The Luciferian demon had small goat horns that protruded an inch from his forehead. He barely came up to Gray’s shoulder, had a slight build, and a pointed face. He was unassuming, and at a guess, perfect for spying.
The two of them sat and talked in hushed tones. I lost interest almost immediately and saw my chance. I slid from the booth silently and stole away to the end of the bar, just out of earshot and eyesight of the booth. I peeled the sparkly jacket from my shoulders and draped it over my arm with care.
The purple-haired, pixie-faced bartender met me at the counter with a big welcoming smile. She smelled like sex, so either she had just had it in the back room, or it was her natural scent. “My my, don’t you look good enough to eat, dearie.” She winked at me.
“What?”
“Hmm, you’re young. And a new face around here.”
“I am, but I’m with him.” I gestured over my shoulder at the demons around the corner.
The bartender cocked her head, moving over to see where I was pointing, and a look of understanding and then irritation crossed her face when she saw Gray. “Pity. I would have taken you home for a snack later.”
“I’m sorry?”
“I’m a succubus, dearie. Just shopping for dinner.” She winked again.
A succubus? That was why she smelled like sex. They gained nourishment through sexual interaction and were highly attuned to beings’ energies. I stared at her, dumbfounded. She wanted to have sex with me? I couldn’t tell if I should take that as a compliment or not.
I brushed my hair behind my ear nervously and the succubus watched the movement, riveted.
“What can I get you, dearie?”
I glanced with uncertainty at the shelves of assorted bottles on the wall behind her. “Uh, surprise me,” I replied, expecting her to give me a soda, but the good bartender poured a shot of something that sparkled into a glass and then mixed it with sprite and grenadine.
She placed the cocktail in front of me and winked once more. “This will ensure you have a fun evening, okay? Should I charge it to him?” She tipped her head in Gray’s direction. He clearly had a reputation, and it made me feel slightly sick to think of him finding conquests here nightly.
“Yes, you should,” I replied with an evil grin, and I took the drink without a smidge of guilt as my Wolf growled at the image of him bringing other females here.
I walked off toward the crowded dance floor and found a standing table to people watch from—or more like creature watch—while I tried to rein in my jealousy and anger.
I sipped the sparkly cocktail, and it tingled in my mouth and warmed my belly. After a few sips, I was already feeling looser and more relaxed. This was good stuff; it was most likely magically infused. I silently thanked the succubus bartender.
It was then that a mysterious male approached me. He was tall, but not nearly as tall as Gray. He had dark-sable colored hair and matching eyes. He bore large bull horns that protruded on either side of his head. They were a quarter of the size of Gray’s ram horns and lacked the many spikey points, but my curiosity got the better of me. I wanted to touch Gray’s horns—lick them if given the opportunity—but I doubted he would let me do either of those things.
Then I got to thinking, maybe this bull-horned male would let me feel his. I nearly giggled to myself because I knew instinctively Gray would not like it one bit if I touched another’s horns. The alcohol was hitting me all at once and making me feel bold.
Fuck Gray.
He had brought other women to this bar to seduce them.
I wanted to know what horns felt like.
“Well hello there, sweetie,” the male said loudly over the thumping, bass-filled music. His voice held a bit of a southern twang.
I smiled coyly up at him from under my lashes.
“What brings a pretty wolf like yourself out here?” he asked.
“I came for the excellent company,” I said while eyeing him up and down, a seductive smile on my lips, making my intent clear.
He wasn’t as muscular as Gray either, I noted.
The male grinned cockily. “Well, I have been told I am excellent company.”
“Oh, are you?” I grinned wider and batted my eyelashes at him.
“Why yes, I am,” he assured me with an arrogant smirk.
“Well then, maybe you can help me answer a question that has been bothering me, oh so much?” I asked softly, slightly leaning forward, so the male did the same in order to hear me. “What happens when I touch your horns?”
The male’s eyes went heavy lidded, and he stumbled over his words. “The . . . they . . . uh . . .”
Before he could form a coherent sentence, I reached up and grasped one of them. It felt rough and textured against my skin. Not unpleasant, but not as appealing as I thought. A sense of wrongness hit me, and my Wolf was also dissatisfied. Far from quenching my curiosity, I only wanted to touch Gray’s more, knowing intuitively they would feel right because he was mine.
The male groaned loudly.
Suddenly, I was yanked backward and found none other than Gray’s furious silver eyes boring into me. He grasped me by my upper arms and snarled in my face. “What the hell do you think you are doing, Mébh?”
The alcohol made me cocky. “I was just touching this kind gentleman’s horn because I was curious what it felt like.”
Gray’s nostrils flared. “He isn’t a kind gentleman. He’s a damned Minotaur, mere cattle in our world. I will not permit you to give a horn job out in public!”
He was shaking, he was so angry. More of his demonic traits appeared as his fury got the better of him, his features sharpening, fangs dropping, teeth forming points, and claws lengthening.
Jealousy was not a pretty look on Gray, but I secretly loved it.
We were starting to cause a scene, but I certainly didn’t give a shit.
“You’re a brat!” He practically spat the words out as he grabbed my discarded leather jacket from the table, and then scooped me up and flung me over his shoulder. My Wolf loved the rough behavior. There were many shouts of encouragement from around the bar, and I saw the succubus bartender give me a wink and a thumbs up. I kicked profusely and used every curse word I knew as he misted us back to his apartment.
“You think you can just go give another supernatural a fucking horn job? Is that it, princess?” Gray snarled, then threw me down onto his bed in the master bedroom.
His eyes were wild and silvery. His horn points were elongating before my eyes. I longed to feel them up, knowing they would be so much more pleasing to touch than the Minotaur’s, but in Gray’s furious state, it wasn’t a smart move. He was dangerous right now, and somehow this only excited me more.
As if to prove my point, a whip-like black tail appeared behind him and formed an arrow-shaped barb at the end.
He had a fucking tail?
He held my right arm with his left hand and his tail wrapped around my left arm to hold me tightly in place. With his right hand, he reached down and undid his belt. I gasped as he yanked down the front of his jeans and pulled his hard dick out. It was huge. In the light from the bedside table, I caught a glint of gold. He had a dick piercing of some kind, and it was hot as fuck. My core clenched.
As he began stroking his cock furiously, he towered over me and caged me in, his muscles bulging. He glared down at me and moved like a man possessed, jerking himself off above me.
“You think you can just sneak off and get attention elsewhere? I’ll show you the attention you deserve, princess,” he snarled.
Where he gripped me, his claws dug into my hip with a slight bite of pain, and it only turned me on more. The harder he stroked himself above me, the wetter I became. I wanted to explore that massive dick, suck on him like a lollipop, and run my tongue over his piercing.
Gray seemed to be losing more and more control of himself. His body was starting to grow, to take on more height—it made me wonder how much taller he would be when fully shifted. All the while, he continued stroking with jerky motions. Faster and faster, he moved. His breaths became gasping pants.
He used his claws to slash open the little black dress I was wearing, bearing my breasts fully for him. He groaned at the sight and fisted himself harder. My thighs were slick—I was so damn wet, having long ago soaked through my tiny black thong. The scents of both our arousals were thick in the air, and my Wolf was going crazy within me, loving every second of this. She wanted the dominating demon above me, and she needed him to claim her.
“Fuuuuuck,” Gray roared desperately as he threw back his head and found his release. Thick spurts of cum came shooting out to paint my breasts and stomach, effectively marking his territory. He stroked himself a few more times before slowing.
Chest heaving, his silver eyes toured the mess he’d made. Pure prideful possession filled his expression. He was damn proud of marking me with his cum in a figurative claiming. And so was I.
He released me and stepped back, pushing his cock back into his pants and zipping them up. His tail swayed behind him as he met my gaze with utter confidence, silently daring me to complain.
Two could play at this game.
Keeping eye contact with him, I reached down and scooped some of his cream from my chest. His eyes flared. He tracked my movement as I put my finger in my mouth and sucked his salty cum from it. My Wolf howled with joy at the first taste of my mate’s spunk and all but demanded more. So I scooped some up again.
Gray’s eyes grew hooded as he watched me licking his cum from my finger. He bared his fangs and then stuck his tongue out. It was a lot longer than normal and the end split into a fork right before my eyes. I wanted nothing more than to feel that demonic tongue between my legs.
He snarled angrily and then disappeared, misting away. I still sensed him in the apartment, hiding yet again in his gym, most likely.
Gray wanted to deny what was going on between us, the pull of the bond we shared, and that we were fated, but he couldn’t help going full caveman and trying to own me when I flirted with another. I ached to see him lose control like this again. It was so fucking hot.
Smiling wickedly to myself, I rose from the bed, shed what was left of the black dress and my thong, and kicked off the stilettos. I walked straight to the shower to clean off with a renewed determination to get a rise out of Gray at every opportunity. I was happy to wait until he was ready to accept that we belonged together. But I wasn’t going to play fair anymore ...