Chapter 23 #4
Lory almost chuckled as he tried to get her to tell a secret both of them knew didn’t exist, so she scooted sideways on his thigh, sitting closer to his knee and bracing her hand on the backrest of the chair as she swung her legs over the armrest, watching the slit in her dress cleave open.
She needed some distance from the heat radiating off of him like he was about to burst into flames, or she’d say or do something she’d regret.
He’d told her he wanted her, multiple times, and showed her in every way how much, but when it came to his heart, Lory was flying blind, and she wasn’t sure if she was ready to learn that particular truth.
Putting on a mischievous grin, she let Khayrivven’s eyes rove over the length of her legs, along the curve of her hips and tight waist, where they stopped on the golden brooch.
“Tell me yours, and I’ll tell you mine,” she whispered, leaning in just enough to inhale his leather and sage scent, and she could have sworn he shuddered when her breath touched his ear.
Heart hammering against her ribs, Lory pondered the merits of mimicking the other girls and simply kissing him.
His flushed cheeks and lips certainly made her want to, but nerves left her the moment Khayrivven started turning his head, tipping it back, and leaning it against the backrest in silent invitation to take what she wanted.
“All the things I want to do to you, Gutter Gem…” He murmured, barely audible above the carpet of background noise. “They should be secrets. All the ways I want to touch you.”
Heat lanced up Lory’s spine as he shifted, and she felt something hard against the side of her hip that was definitely not his thigh.
“All the ways I want to make you moan…” His fingers brushed along her thigh, sliding to her knees in a luxurious, idle stroke that could have been an act, the patron examining his chosen goods while he could still return them, but when he met her gaze, the fire dancing in his eyes told a different story.
“Tell me how.” Lory’s voice was a murmur, so low she was convinced he couldn’t hear her, but his fingers slipped on her thigh as if he hadn’t expected her to play along. “Tell me everything, Khayrivven.”
Her mouth hovered too close to his, but like a bee drawn to nectar, she couldn’t seem to help herself. Just one kiss. Just one touch. But it wouldn’t be enough. It was never enough with him.
Not like this. The thought brushed her like a distant memory.
The edge of her vision turned dark, and she grasped the chair hard enough to break a fingernail as she tried to convince her mind to focus, but Khayrivven had already dragged her into the sort of trance-like state where she could barely tell dream from reality.
She was still sitting on his lap, but instead of bracing herself on the backrest, she was leaning against his chest the way he’d pulled her onto him earlier.
She hadn’t dared look down in reality, but in this half-dream, his obvious arousal was pushing against her backside, and Khayrivven’s hand wandered down her stomach to her hip, caressing the exposed skin beneath her hipbone.
His touch was like fire and lightning, surroundings fading away. On her neck, his breath was like the kiss of flames, sending shivers down her back, and her entire body became hyper-aware of every place they touched.
“You want to know a secret, Lory?” Had she thought the feel of his breath on her skin was like fire? Now that his lips were skating up the side of her neck, her body became an inferno of need.
As if on its own volition, her chin dipped in confirmation, but if she were honest, it was to give him better access, and Guardians, did he know how to use it.
With one hand, he pulled her tighter, the drink he’d been holding vanishing into thin air, while the other stroked the inside of her thigh, right where the fabric gaped open, an invitation to explore.
His body curved around hers, bending her further as he licked up the back of her neck, hips rolling against her backside.
He was solid behind her—and huge—part of her wanted to reach between them to free that impressive length, but Khayrivven didn’t give her an inch of space, his fingers skirting the wetness pooling between her legs as he slid up the length of her thigh.
Whether he could feel it through the golden lace Lu’Shen had provided, she couldn’t tell.
With a shift of her weight, she turned her head just enough to get a good look at his glazed expression. “Is this a dream, or am I making a fool out of myself in front of the entire establishment?”
The corners of his mouth tilted up, and his hand slid further up, brushing up against her slick center, and his groan of approval reverberated through her entire body.
“If anyone is making a fool of himself, it’s me.
” His fingers slipped under the edge of the fabric, teasing and stroking just out of reach of where she wanted him.
“I want you enough to pull both of us into a trance in front of a full room, risking exposure of what I am just so I can touch you like this.”
The hand on her stomach glided over her breast, tugging lightly on a strap of satin, and Lory arched into his touch, legs falling open. Where music, laughter, and chatter had dominated the room, silence had replaced them, the gold and blue of the background fading into calming darkness.
A dream—
“I’d willingly break any rule for even a moment like this.” His finger circled her clit, beneath the lace, while he kissed his way along her shoulder and the inside of her arm now reaching behind his head.
A soft moan parted Lory’s lips.
“I want you.” It was the first time she’d admitted to it in words, and she was about to regret it when Khayrivven froze behind her, his finger right at her entrance and his other hand over her breast.
Frustration turned his voice into gravel as he pulled both hands to her waist, lifting her off his lap and sliding into a more casual position that placed Lory’s ass back on his thigh instead of his cock.
“I can’t do this.” His hair tickled her neck as he shook his head against her, still close enough to feel the hard lines of his chest, not against her spine, like before, but against her side. “Not like this.”
The darkness lifted from Lory’s vision, and Lu’Shen’s came back into view, its customers unaware of the dream Lory had drifted into for a fraction of a moment.
She was still sitting on Khayrivven’s lap, her legs over the armrest and her side against his front, her dress and underwear were in place, and he hadn’t shifted an inch beneath her, but the frustration in his eyes was obvious when she faced him, lifting her drink to her mouth and taking a deep sip.
Under any other circumstance, she might have climbed off him and left, but she couldn’t forget she was playing a role, as was he.
This wasn’t Khayrivven Falcrest, Flame-born, the man who had saved her twice, but a stranger seeking distraction for a couple of hours.
So, Lory plastered a pleasant smile on her face and got to her feet.
“Come on, handsome, I’ll take you to a better place.”
She had no idea what she meant by it or why he took the hand she held out for him and allowed her to tug him out of the chair, and she didn’t question why when he drained his drink, then took hers from her hand and drained that one, too.
She certainly didn’t question when he gave her a cautious smile—a real smile—and said, “Lead the way, Gutter Gem.”
Lory didn’t let go of his hand when she guided him through the busy room, directly toward the stairs, and Khayrivven followed, a million emotions warring on his features.