Page 18 of Invidia

That can be arranged, I almost said, before reining in my clingy thoughts at the last minute.

I lifted myself up on my knees, hoping my glutes played ball so I could ride Evrin the way he deserved after the best oral of my life, but I didn’t even have to try. He immediately took over, claws digging into the flesh of my ass as he bounced me on his lap, setting a far-faster pace than I’d have ever managed in this position.

My already limited vision in the in-between went hazy around the edges as pleasure barreled into me from all sides. Evrin’s body was warm and solid against mine, his arms around me giving me that confined feeling I always sought out. I was surrounded by him, filled by him, and dangerously at risk of falling in love with him.

And it was that terrifying thought that tipped me over the edge. Evrin groaned as I clenched around him, the base of his knot swelling instantly, dragging us closer together and keeping us that way.

If only I could keep him forever.

Chapter 5

“That was… really something,” Meera laughed as we made our way back from dinner. Austin’s arrival in the shadow realm—the first Hunter dude to show up here—had caused quite the stir. At one point during the meal, I’d half expected his admirers to serve him up on a platter to be feasted upon. “Has Austin always been so charismatic?”

“Yes,” I responded instantly, my head filled with memories of all the performances he’d made us sit through over the years at family parties, right from toddlerhood. “Tonight was probably weird for him, and I wish he was staying at Elverston House so we could talk about it, but I doubt he had any trouble with the attention part. He’s always handled that really well.”

“That must be nice,” Meera murmured a little wistfully.

“Right?”

She shot me a slightly bemused look. It was gratifying to know that I was pulling off my confident act so well that Meera hadn’t even seen through it, and she was one of my closest friends here.

“Wait up!” Verity called, jogging to catch up with us after lingering in the dining hall to chat to her fan club. That she was running on an uneven cobblestone path in heels only held up by ribbons around her ankles was honestly one of the most impressive things I’d ever seen.

“Thanks,” she panted as she caught up to where Meera and I were waiting for her, immediately linking arms with both of us. “My feet are fucking killing me. Hey, your cousin was on fire at dinner tonight, huh?”

“That’s Austin,” I agreed wryly. I wasn’t jealous or anything. Or, at least, I wasn’t jealous that he’d been surrounded by eager suitors. Maybe I was a little jealous that he’d literally stumbled into the shadow realm, drunk off his face, and immediately seemed to be right at home here.

“Are you alright?” Verity asked, tugging me up a little where our arms were joined. “Are you limping?”

“No,” I replied, maybe a little too quickly. “I mean, I have a blister,” I lied.

In reality, my inner thighs were burning from the “walk,” I’d taken earlier, and I’d spent all afternoon trying not to hum to myself like a woman who’d just had the best sex of her life and couldn’t tell anybody about it.

Not that I couldn’t tell Meera and Verity. We were very different people, and we didn’t always understand each other, but we supported one another. I doubted that either of them would judge my decision to have a low-key fuck-buddy arrangement.

The problem was that I was judging myself, just a little bit.

Which was stupid. I’d proposed the setup, and the sex was incredible, and Evrin was kind and considerate and attractive, and I liked being in his presence.

That was the problem.

I was just self-aware enough to know what they’d say if I vocalized all those thoughts out loud.

It sounds like you really like him.

Is this a good idea?

Aren’t you worried you’re going to catch feelings?

I just don’t want you to get hurt.

They were all very valid points and I didn’t want to hear them.

I would just dive in headfirst with the guy who’d explicitly said he didn’t do relationships and hope for the best. It wasn’t like I was going to try to change his mind or anything—that would be selfish of me. I just wanted to enjoy his presence for as long as I could have it, knowing I wouldn’t be able to keep him.

And if he happened to fall madly in love with me in the process, well, I could definitely work with that.

Verity headed downstairs to bathe when we got home, and I went straight to the kitchen to get the fire going. I suspected there were vents of some kind piped through the house from the kitchen hearth, because the bedrooms were warmer when I got the fire going overnight.

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