Chapter Seventeen
Black jeans that clung to him like a second skin and a gray sleeveless top with a plunging V-neck that showed off his chest replaced the suit Nico had worn at the nightclub.
Had he always been that muscular? I suppose he had.
I’d met him twice before, and both times he’d worn clothes that covered him from head to toe.
His mask was split down the middle, one side black and the other silver. Tiny black feathers adorned the silver half, giving it a sleek, predatory look.
The woman he was speaking to stood uncomfortably close, as though she’d climb inside his skin if she could. Her hand drifted across his bare forearm, lingering for a fraction too long. A subtle shift in Nico’s stance forced her to either hold on and make her intentions clear or let go.
She chose the latter.
Apparently, she was willing to play the long game.
She wasn’t the only admirer. The man standing on Nico’s other side looked equally captivated, if his body language were anything to go by.
I could see why.
Dressed like this and carrying himself with that effortless confidence he’d had from the moment I first met him, Nico’s attractiveness bordered on lethal.
“Does he come here often?” I heard myself ask before my brain had approved the question.
Harlan twisted around in his seat. “Nico?” I nodded. “No.”
“Barely at all,” Marcus added. “Which means he’s after something.”
I might have asked more, but my bladder chose that moment to remind me about the tea I’d drunk. After confirming where the toilets were, I headed in that direction, trying to decide whether the fact they were on the opposite side of the club from Nico was a relief or a disappointment.
Even though the bathroom was empty, I chose a cubicle over a urinal. Wonderland offered precious few opportunities for privacy, so there was no way I wasn’t going to seize the opportunity when it arose.
I spent several minutes gathering my thoughts. It dawned on me that I hadn’t asked about Warren. Granted, I’d mentioned him in my explanation of why I was here, and neither Harlan nor Marcus had volunteered any information, but that wasn’t conclusive. Especially not in Wonderland.
A feeling of wrongness hit me once I stood. It only grew worse as I stepped back into the club. A wave of heat. It started in my stomach before spreading through my chest.
Nausea?
No.
Something else.
Something entirely unfamiliar.
I was too busy cataloging the sensation to notice the approaching man. By the time I registered him, he’d already backed me against the wall, one beefy arm braced beside my head to block any escape. I instinctively tried to duck under it. He laughed and adjusted position, cutting off the exit.
He was huge, almost Dodo sized. The thick, dark beard and the red mask covering everything above his nose hid most of his face.
“I need to get back to my table,” I said. “They’re waiting.”
He shook his head, his lips curving up into a smile. “No, you don’t. You need to come with me.”
I attempted a laugh at the sheer audacity of the statement, but it emerged as more of a strangled moan. The glint in his eye suggested that he appreciated the sound. He planted his other arm against the wall and pressed his body against mine.
The strange sensation surged through me again. What the fuck?
This man wasn’t my type. I liked pretty, muscular men.
Men like Warren.
Men like…
Nico, even though it pained me to admit it.
The stranger leaned closer, hot breath washing over my neck.
It should have revolted me. So why was my cock getting hard?
A finger traced a central path down my chest. “The things I’m going to do to you,” he murmured.
“When I’m finished, you won’t be able to walk for a week.
You like the sound of that? I’m gonna be your new Daddy. ”
New one? I didn’t have an old one.
Pointing that out would have required forming a coherent sentence, and the alien sensation that had taken over my body had stolen my language capabilities.
“I’m going to chain you to my bed and keep you there. You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”
My mind didn’t.
Unfortunately, my body seemed to have severed all communication with it.
“Time to leave, Drake.”
The voice was quiet and authoritative.
Drake hooked a finger through the strap of my tank top and dragged me forward as he stepped back. “Sure,” he said. “We’ve got better things to be doing with our time.”
“Alone.”
The single word cracked through the air like a whip.
Silence followed.
For a moment, it looked as though Drake might argue. Then he released me. I slid bonelessly back against the wall.
“It’s hilarious when you try to act like one of them,” Drake said. “Everyone knows you’re not. You pretend as if you have all this power.”
“Keep talking,” Nico replied, “and I guess you’ll find out exactly how much power I have.” A beat passed, during which Drake said nothing. “Are you willing to test that theory?”
Drake swallowed, the action seeming to take some effort. Then he walked away without another word.
I turned my attention to Nico. “I know who you are,” I said, my thoughts still sluggish.
He laughed. I liked the sound. Deep. Rough. Dangerous.
He tapped the side of his mask. “And here I thought I’d discovered the perfect disguise.”
I reached for my mask, the pressure of it against my face suddenly suffocating me. I ripped it off and dragged in lungfuls of air until the dizziness eased.
Nico stepped closer. Not as invasive as Drake, but close enough for me to feel his body heat and catch the woody scent of his cologne. “How’s Wonderland treating you so far?”
The question was so absurdly polite that it infuriated me. “Fucking awful! Everyone’s insane, and nobody gives a straight answer to anything. Everything’s a damn riddle.”
“Maybe you’re not asking the right questions.”
“That,” I snapped, “is exactly what I’m talking about. People answer questions with more questions, or say things that make no sense. Everything here is twisted.”
“Shhh. Keep your voice down.”
I glared at him. “Or what?”
“There are people here who don’t take kindly to Wonderland being badmouthed.”
I snorted. “You mean your employers? Mr. and Mrs. I-Run-The-World-And-Take-Whatever-I-Damn-Well-Please? And don’t get me started on the devil spawn. He’s―”
“Stop.” Nico’s jaw firmed. “Don’t say another word.” He studied me. “Why are you so flushed? Did you not want me to interrupt you and Drake? Should I have let him take you?”
“Take me?” I barked out a laugh. “Have you heard yourself? Do you think I’m interested in a Neanderthal like that? I have a boyfriend. He might be missing, but that doesn’t mean he’s stopped existing.”
“Your pupils look dilated.”
“I’m angry.”
“You’re sweating.”
“It’s hot in here.”
“No, it isn’t.” Nico’s fingers closed around my jaw. Not hard enough to cause pain, but firm enough that shaking him off wasn’t an option. Even as I glared at him, the heat roared back to life.
He took his time in closing the space between us, the blue eyes behind the mask watchful. He gave me every opportunity to pull away.
To protest. To do something.
I did none of those things.
His lips brushed mine.
The kiss was surprisingly gentle.
Exploratory.
Until it wasn’t.
His tongue traced the seam of my mouth until I opened for him.
The heat became an inferno.
I buried my fingers in his hair and kissed him back with everything I had.
When he finally pulled away, I whimpered—actually whimpered―clutching at him as though letting go were impossible.
Nico let out an irritated sigh. “You drank the tea.”
“What?”
“The tea. You drank it. How much? Less than a cup? More than a cup? Give me an idea of what we’re dealing with here.”
“What we’re dealing with?” A giggle escaped me. “We’ve only met twice.” My hands rested on Nico’s shoulders, the muscles flexing beneath my palms. I let them trail downwards over his pecs, squeezing them appreciatively. “You have a nice body. Far too nice to hide under a suit.”
It took Nico grabbing my wrists for me to realize I’d been openly groping him. “Well,” he said. “I certainly don’t drink the tea. I’m not that stupid.”
“It’s just tea.”
“Yeah? And how are you feeling?”
I let my head thud back against the wall and closed my eyes. “Hot. Like someone’s lit a fire inside me.” Horny. “Strangely free of stress, considering how the last couple of days have gone.” Incredibly horny. “Maybe a bit tired. But I guess that comes with relaxation.”
“And?”
“Horny,” I admitted, opening my eyes again.
“Everyone knows they lace the tea with a powerful aphrodisiac.”
Nico had a nice collarbone. I wanted to lick it and find out what it tasted like. That, and his neck. And then why stop there? He probably had a hundred interesting places I could explore with my tongue. Did he have a big cock? I wanted to suck that too.
Nico shook his head. “For fuck’s sake! No wonder you were ready to let Drake do whatever he wanted to you.”
“He wanted to chain me to his bed.” Another giggle escaped me, even though somewhere deep down, I knew it wasn’t funny.
“I bet he did. This isn’t just a sip or two of tea.”
“A cup and a half,” I announced proudly. “Probably would have been two, but the whole moving thing messed it up.” The memory made me smile. “The room moves. How fucking crazy is that?”
“Yeah, yeah, it moves. It’s just a parlor trick.” His fingers tightened around my wrists. It made my already throbbing cock get harder. “A cup and a half,” he echoed. “You’re in for a long night.”
“Maybe there’s an antidote.”
“There isn’t. There’s only riding it out until it leaves your system.”
“I need to fuck something,” I said. “Or get fucked. Anything. Everything.” My voice had started to fray at the edges.
“Perhaps I should call Drake back.”
“Not him. You.”
I was way past the point of feeling any shame for my actions. I yanked hard enough that Nico had to let go of my wrists. I immediately used my newfound freedom to pull Nico closer, slot his thigh between mine, and grind against him. “Take me home. You can do anything you want to me.”
“Anything?” Nico sounded amused. “You should be careful throwing that around. Especially here. Some people in Wonderland would take you at your word. And before you know it, you’re tied to a bed with a ball gag in your mouth.”
“Please,” I begged, rutting against him harder. If he stayed still, I might actually come like this.
Hands caught my waist, stopping me. “You want to come here? With everyone watching?”
There was a part of my mind that knew the answer should have been no. That under normal circumstances, it would have been unthinkable. But it was buried too deep now—melted in the forest fire of my lust.
If Nico told me to drop to my knees and suck his cock while everyone gathered round in a circle and offered pointers, I’d do it. “I just want to come.”
Nico’s fingers closed around my wrist again, firm enough to remind me of the handcuffs in the nightclub. When he pulled me after him, I didn’t resist.
I had, after all, asked him to take me home.