Page 44 of The Huntress and Her Hound

My phone vibrates. I pull it out, bodies bumping into me and blurring the screen as I open the message—and then nearly vomit.

Unknown: You make a hideous bunny.

Panic rolling down my spine, I can’t help myself.

Me: Who the fuck is this?

They don’t immediately reply, and out of frustration, I shove my phone back into my purse. I’m the fucking Black Widow. I can take anyone who tries to intimidate me. Samuel Erickson didn’t even win against me. However, before I can finish my inner hype, a deep voice rumbles in my ear.

“I knew you’d show up.”

My thighs clench at the familiar voice, and instead of turning around to face him, I lean into his chest, closing my eyes. I can be whoever I want.

And tonight, I want to be free.

His breath audibly catches in a break in the song playing, and I expect him to pull away. But instead, his hand threads around my waist, and he turns us, putting his back to my brother and his best friend. He knows the risk, but he’s taking it anyway—and I’m suddenly very intrigued.

Chapter 16

The Huntress

I close my eyes, pressing against him, inhaling his scent like it’s oxygen and I’m suffocating. Moans litter the air around us, and I don’t know if the sound drives me forward or if it’s the way Jude’s slipped his fingers beneath the sheer of my shirt, brushing my bare skin. It’s so minor, so soft, and yet so intimate.

And I want more.

Now when he touches me, the voices are fucking silenced. Only I can get in the way of myself, but that’s not happening. I want to see how far I can go before I...snap.

My fingers brush over his hand, and I interlace my fingers with his. I peel his hand back and he stiffens against me, our swaying bodies stilling. He probably thinks I’m going to stop him, but I just want us to be alone. Latching onto him, I tug him away, parting through the crowd, and heading for the dark rooms. My heart hammers in my ears. My pussy is wet, and I push away the panic that threatens to sweep through my body like a tidal wave.

“Your brother will notice I’m gone,” Jude’s voice rasps as I tug him into the hallway, ripping open a door to nothing more than a dressing-room style area. “I’m not supposed to be—”

“Then go,” I snap over the music, disappointment and rejection hitting me like a ton of bricks. “I’m not forcing you to be here.” I try to pry my hand from his, but he latches on tighter, his body bumping into mine and guiding us into the room. With his free hand, he slams the door behind him.

“You want to do this then? Because I’m only going to ask once.”

I bristle. “I thought you only do this with girlfriends?”

“Some risks are worth taking, and you are all I can fucking think about. So tell me what you want. You seemed mortified by me a couple of weeks ago.”

My mouth grows dry, and I swear all the moisture drains right to my pussy. “I want to try,” I choke out, not even beginning to know how to explain myself. A Scream mask hits the floor at my feet as his lips land on my neck, nipping and sucking at my skin. Goosebumps cover my flesh.

“What do you want to try?” he murmurs, his hands slipping up the front of my corset, running over the snaps. “Tell me.”

I swallow hard as he undoes one of the snaps. “To be with someone.”

He pauses, his voice growing sharp. “I know you’ve been with people. I won’t touch you without honesty, Cher.”

My core begins to ache nearly as severe as my heart as I whisper, “To come, Jude. I’ve never...” I can’t bring myself to finish my thought, ironically. My vulnerability is on the line, and I wait with bated breath for him to do something—anything.

He undoes a second snap. My heart thrums in my chest as his fingers glide under the cup and across the flesh of my breast. I freeze at the intimate touch I haven’t ever consented to before in my life.

But tonight, I’m normal.

I squeeze my eyes shut as he pads across my nipple. It stands at attention for him, and he lets out a light groan into the nape of my neck.

“I don’t know if I can go slow,” Jude rasps as his other hand teases the waistband of my shorts. His words send a surge of panic through me, and as if he senses it, he continues. “But I will if that’s what you need.” The gentleness in his tone works, and I relax again.

Just keep the voices at bay, Jude.

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