Page 88 of House of Lilith

“Then what’s your problem?” she demands with a touch of defiance in her voice. “Didn’t you just admit this was your kind of thing?”

I blow out a frustrated breath. “There’s a difference between having casual sex and being a predator, Romanov.”

She throws daggers at me. “What exactly are you trying to say?”

“You’re drunk and you’re vulnerable. You’re only doing this to hurt your fiance.”

“Exfiance,” she protests, getting all red in the face. “And who areyouto talk aboutmyreasons? Am I a fucking child? Or am I an adult capable of making my own decisions?”

The words make my already poor defenses start rapidly crumbling to the ground.

But it’s at the very next moment that she shakes her head. “You know what?” she snaps. And she moves to get the Elevator moving again. “Forget it.”

I grab her wrist before she can do anything. “No, hey,” I rush to say, making her face me again as my heart starts pounding.

“So you’re really single?” I ask, fighting to keep my voice steady.

She looks up, locking eyes with me. “I am.”

Fuck, I think as all my desire for her comes rushing to the surface.

“Alright, then yes,” I rush to whisper before she can change her mind again.

And I can no longer stop myself from moving to kiss her, but she lifts her palm to her face, making me let out a groan.

“There’d be rules,” she says in a low, serious voice.

That makes me laugh, my eyes darting to her lips again. “Of course there would,” I reply, my voice rough with desire.

But she’s already listing them. “No lingering after, no mentioning it to anyone, no spontaneous meetups, and absolutely no kissing.”

“No kissing?” I protest, frowning. “Come on, isn’t that a bit much?”

“Not on the mouth,” she insists. “Take it or leave it.”

“I guess I’ll be taking it,” I lean to whisper in her ear, making her suck in a sharp breath.

The sound she makes and the smell of her make me go crazy. I let go of her wrist only to grab her by the waist and pull her tightly against myself, her hands wrapping around my shoulders.

Walking her backwards and pressing her against the Elevator door, I move to bury my face in her neck.

But then there’s that soft ping again and she’s rushing to break herself free from my grip.

It’s like a cold shower, being spit out into the garden with people buzzing around, her clearing her throat and smoothing her dress out as she takes a step away from me.

It makes me sad and amused all at once. “Jumpier than a rabbit,” I lean to whisper to her as the Elevator disappears behind us. “Who would’ve thought?”

But judging by the look on her face and the way she takes another step back, she’s in no mood for jokes. “I’m leaving tomorrow,” she announces in a sober voice, now avoiding my eye, “and I’m not coming back until the end of winter break.”

“Tomorrow’s a long time from now,” I protest as I try to get a little closer.

“No, not today,” she almost cuts me off. “Tomorrow, five PM,” she says as she throws me a quick glance. And she moves to walk in the direction of her home here at the Academy. “Meet me at the top of Lilith Tower.”

“At your service, Your Highness,” I reply in a soft, teasing voice, my body flooding with a mix of disappointment and excitement as I watch her disappear to my right.

And as I start walking in the opposite direction, all the way back to camp, with the night around me cold yet fragrant, it finally hits me.

Instead of staying away from her, what I told Ricky our mission was, I’ve just let myself be persuaded into becoming her little fuck toy.

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