Cool air washed over my arms as he entered the manor.
I peeked at him from the corner of my eye. He was quiet, less teasing. Introspective almost. His bow lips pressed softly together, and I wet my lower lip, valiantly trying to keep my thoughts PG.
“Here we are, Pet.” He dropped my legs, bending so my feet flattened on the ground. I blinked at the packages stacked across the couches.
“What’s all that?”
“Stuff I ordered for you,” he responded, smiling. He gripped my shoulders and I gawked up at him. His head lowered and he met my lips with a disarming kiss.
His wet tongue brushed against mine and I moaned, sucking it. The tip of my tongue flicked across his fang. My eyes flung open.
“Is something the matter?” Asher’s eyes softened, looking into mine inquisitively. A chunk of his blond hair fell forward in front of his blue eye, and it did something bad to my insides. I was okay with his soap box, right? We weren’t tied together. If I kept telling myself that, maybe I would be okay with it.
I jerked my head in a hard nod and slid my fingers through his hair, pulling him back to me. Squeezing myself to him, tight and desperate—a hold he mimicked—he straightened and my feet dangled as he clasped me tightly to his chest while our tongues played with each other. I groaned, twisting my head to the side so he could?—
He nipped my lip, and I gasped as he tongued the wound. His arms clenched as if trying to fuse us together and his sucking on my lip became more insistent.
“We’re running out of time,” Tobias snapped, and I jerked my head back, but Asher clenched me tighter. “Asher.”
Asher lifted from my mouth, leaving me raw and wanting. I caught a red hue to Asher’s irises before he closed them tight. Tobias released the back of Asher’s hair where he’d used it to jerk him off me.
“Killjoy,” Asher panted, eyes still bright with lust and then he lowered me. I wobbled, gripping his arm to steady myself.
I turned my attention to Tobias. His lips were set in a straight line.
Before I could greet him, Asher gripped my shoulders and turned me toward the couch. A long magenta dress rested across the back, and with each step I took forward, the jewels beading the bodice glinted. My hand hovered over the fabric, similar to the shirt Asher wore. It seemed airy and too expensive to touch. I didn’t want to ruin it.
“It’s for tonight.” Well, that gave me all the permission I needed to lift it. It slid across my fingertips, so buttery and silky I wanted to rub my face against it. Asher gripped the hem of my shirt.
My eyes widened, pressing a palm to his wrists before he exposed me, and peeked at Tobias.
“Don’t worry about him, nothing tempts the priest.” I frowned. I begged to differ. I thought back to the feel of his cockshoving against me when we were in my van on the day I met him.
I shook my head and handed Asher the dress to remove my clothing myself. If he took my clothes off, it would turn sexual and that’s probably the route I should stay away from.
Unbuttoning my jeans, I shoved them down. My face warmed at the non-matching set of bra and panties. At least they were both around the same realm of nude.
Asher’s attention fixed on my ass, his look smoldering. His tongue poked the inside of his cheek causing it to distend.
“If I don’t leave, I’ll fuck you and we don’t have time for all the delicious things I want to do to you,” he rasped. “I’m going to fetch Jax.” Asher trailed his fingers down my naked spine. “I’ll be back, Pet.”
He’d already disappeared by the time I pulled the dress up my legs. The material strained at my thighs and over my hips. I puffed my cheeks out at the squeeze. It was nowhere near as bad a fit as the dress that belonged to their past love. Ignoring the odd pang, I shucked my bra, pressing the dress hem to my breasts tightly. Asher would have to carry my inhaler. Hopefully I managed not to get an attack so I didn’t have to use it. After all, that was why I’d been around Asher ‘training’ so much, so I didn’t freak out so easily. I reached behind me, straining to grip the little clasp midway up my back.
A finger grazed my back, and I tensed. The touch was electrifying and gentle. The zip slipped up the rest of the way with a loud noise, and I remained frozen as Tobias’s presence radiated into my back. I swallowed hard and turned, finding him close. Lifting my chin to meet his expressionless gray eyes, he leaned down to stare directly into my face and my lips parted. His hair was sexily mussed while remaining stylish.
“You’re a sweet girl, Catalina,” Tobias murmured, his lips grazing my hair at my temple. “Don’t expect anything from vampires.”
He inhaled sharply, grazing my ear. A shiver coasted up my back and I blinked, my heart rate picking up pace.
The slight tilt of his aristocratic nose drew my attention and those lashes that rested against the crest of his cheeks whenever he blinked heightened the desire.
“Beautiful.” I sucked in a deep breath at his murmur. Tobias straightened and caressed my cheek.
I took a nervous step away, face blistering. I was attempting to wrap my head around his words, but he was scrambling my thoughts with his nearness. Asher made it very clear that Tobias wasn’t one to be interested in things sexually, but jeez, he was alluring. Tobias’s hands grazed my bare shoulders as he collected my long hair and pulled it to my back. His fingertips grazed the ends of it near my waist. A shiver coasted down my spine. I slowly turned with my breath held.
He suddenly stiffened and slipped his hands in his pockets.
“They’re on their way down.” Asher’s steps were clipped against the floor, but he halted when he looked at me, eyes slightly widening. “Gorgeous. Just as always.”