Page 3 of Gilded Kisses

I slip my satin stilettos from my feet.

“Aster.”

Luther’s voice chases after me. His long black hair spills over his shoulders and catches my imagination. I want to feel the ends play over my skin as he kisses me. I want to experience all those tatted up fingers caressing my skin.

I dash across the pristine lawn until I can safely hide among the tall hedges of my mother’s maze. I always hated this thing, but tonight I’m sending up a thankful prayer for every lush green leaf.

I pick up my pace and tuck around the edge and continue on down the well-known path I memorized years ago.

Heavy footfalls thud against the ground behind me.

A cool blast of air carries hints of their cologne through the night air—a heady mixture of masculinity and virility. Of sin and hopefully pleasure.

“Aster.”

Viper is losing his patience.

Deep. Powerful. Husky. Viper’s voice is never far from my mind and tonight it is the sound of my fantasies coming true.

Darkness fell hours ago, and music from the party spells out into the night.

“Aster, if you’re looking for trouble, you are about to find it. Stop running.”

His words slide over me like the finest whiskey. The allure of following his command nearly stops me where I stand.

But we are exposed. I smile and glance over my shoulder. Moonlight bathes us both. Viper’s long strides close the distance between us quickly. Muscles ripple under the fine material of his suit slacks. The material grips him in all the right places. He’s ditched his suit jacket and tie, leaving the top buttons popped open.

Fuck. He’s a walking sexual fantasy made for me. The way his massive body glides through the night is nothing short of orgasmic.

“Why don’t you catch me.”

Sin moves over his expression. My godfather growls at me when I slip from his touch just as his fingers catch wisps of my loose hair.

“Come.” The other two have fallen off, but I know they are close by. Waiting.

Viper swears under his breath, giving me a mixed look of patience and frustration.

I keep several steps ahead of him. “Do you like my dress, Viper?” As I walk, I put a sway in my hips and the deep rumble of appreciation I get pushes a blush through me from head to toe.

I picked a white silk dress that drapes over my curves and hugs my skin in a way my father’s disapproving scowl silently told me was too revealing.

To me, it is perfect.

“If you make me catch you, I will expect a price to be paid.”

My step falters at the raw tone to Viper’s voice. “Don’t tempt me to take you up on that promise,” I quip. “I have other plans. Come. It’s not much farther,” I whisper, afraid one of my father’s armed enforcers will overhear us.

I tuck around another corner and find the secret part of the hedge that is easy to push through.

Viper’s warmth reaches me a moment before his hands settle on my hips.

“This way.”

I lead us through the hedge and pull him into a hidden part of the garden I’ve kept secret from them. “I like to come here when I need a moment alone.”

There’s a moment of silence. A swath of grass cushions my steps as I move back to Viper’s side, placing my hands on his powerful chest.

“Why do I not know of this little spot?” He brushes his fingers through my hair and looks down at me in a way I’ve dreamed about in my fantasies. It’s dark, sure, but enough moonlight filters through to reveal the heat in his eyes and the sin in his expression. It’s nearly palpable.

---