Page 6 of The Deity of Death

A deep, primal rumble emits from Malik’s chest at my satisfaction to his service as I fall limp in my chair. Turning my attention back down to the table, no one seems to pay me any attention. There’s no way I can reason why they haven’t noticed, but I’m glad everyone’s focused on Dad and his response.

“You’ve proven yourself mighty useful, Malik, so I’ll accept that offer,” Dad says after a long moment of contemplation.

“Fantastic.” Malik slides his finger out of me and shoves it into his mouth. He sucks it clean of my liquids and licks his lips at the taste.

But it’s the sly smile he turns in my direction once it’s all said and done that sends me into another spiral.

“So, what do we have on offer? I’m starving,” Malik says without so much as an inkling of how he just rocked my world.

He starts dishing up a plate while I’m left in a gooey little puddle, hardly able to think, let alone fill a plate with food.

5

MALIK

I’ve touched her. I’ve tasted her.

There’s no way in hell I’m sharing her.

Hours pass while they eat and drink. The conversation has long ago devolved from negotiations on our arrangement to laughter and jokes. I don’t partake in their festivities. The outcome of our chat put me in a difficult position. Melina Remington’s protector during this fallacy of a marriage, but also the true middleman for two powerful organizations.

Everything is going exactly as planned.

But where I should be focusing on my new title, listening to what both Henry and Omar are saying, trying to secure my place further, I can’t. My mind keeps wandering back to Melina. No matter how much I eat or drink, her taste lingers on my tongue. Burned straight onto my taste buds, desperate for more.

And I’m going to get it. She awoke something in me. A primal beast that slumbered so deep, I believed it died a long time ago on some battlefield while fighting someone else’s war.

I’ve gotta say, it feels fucking fantastic to be back.

“During the week, we’ll come by and let the children have their formal introductions and encounters.” Omar’s words are slurred from the copious amount of liquor he’s consumed.

Henry’s demands didn’t change a thing. In fact, it seems that everyone at the table is looking at the future brightly. But it does put me on a timer. If I want to walk away from this with Melina at my side and a title of power, I’ll have to make it happen before next week’s wedding.

But that doesn’t worry me. I’ve always done my best work while fighting against a clock.

“Anytime, anywhere.” Henry’s barely sitting upright anymore. He’s slouched so low in his chair, I’m sure he’d be happy to sleep right in it.

The four stationed guards approach Omar as he hoists himself to his feet. He stumbles forward and starts to fall, but Nasir catches him before it happens.

“Alright, Father, time to go,” Nasir says. He hooks one of Omar’s arms over his shoulder, and they leave, escorted by the four soldiers.

“Let me walk you to your rooms.” I rise and help Melina out of her seat.

We haven’t spoken since I touched her, exchanging words for cheeky glances and naughty smiles. If nothing else, helping her come settles her nerves. Even while the boss and her father said rather terrible things to one another, she laughed as if they were old-time friends enjoying each other's company after years of absence.

“Why, aren’t you a gentleman?” she says as she stands. But with her tiny frame so close to me, I can’t get a grip on myself. My hands instinctively travel to her behind and squeeze her ass, but I release it before she turns to face me.

“Not in the slightest,” I say in a low whisper. “You’re lucky Henry hasn’t passed out completely. Otherwise, I’d be fucking you atop the meat, the salads, and the beer.”

Where the hell did that come from?

“Is that so?” She winks, but as she sidesteps past me, her hand runs a lap across my cock. It’s rock hard, and her exploration makes her suck in a sharp breath. “It drives you crazy, doesn’t it? But I know how to make it so much worse.”

Slow, sultry words dripping with lust. They force a growl to rip through my body, and I ball a tight fist at my side to keep me from doing exactly what I said I would.

“I don’t think that’s possible,” I admit. My aching cock is a testament to that. It hasn’t found a moment of rest since I set eyes on Melina.

Melina lifts herself onto her tip-toes and brings her mouth so close to my ear, her hot breath tickles my skin. “You’re the first man who’s ever touched me.” Her tongue strikes my earlobe, and she sucks it between her lips. “And if you’re lucky, you’ll be the first man to fuck me.”

---