Page 68 of Villainous Greed

“Let me finish. It hurt me, August, to imagine you with others. So much so that when I learned of Sofia being alive, all I could think about was she got to be by your side, and I didn’t. While I was happy she survived, I still felt unsettled and hurt. I realize now it’s jealousy. To think I was jealous of someone I loved because she got to be with you the last century.” I wiped my face when I felt the tears. “I want to tear Harvest apart every time I think of these things.”

August caressed my cheek before guiding my chin upward to face him again. “Sofia is like a sister. I took care of her foryou.”

My heart swelled. His dark orbs held me captive.

“Once I traded for those in the harem, I never spoke to the females again unless it was to parade one around in the Underworld.” He scoffed, closing his eyes. “Greed needed something to do, something to prove. Nothing could satisfy my curse after I lost you. I’m sorry, Nova. I should have fought my curse.”

“No,” I whispered, shaking my head as my throat and nose burned. “Let’s not keep doing this. Every time we get upset about the past, Harvest wins. I don’t want to go another day being at odds with you, August Reaper. Thank you for watching after Sofia. And thank you for saving me. You freed me like you wanted to do so long ago, and if Harvest hadn’t messed with us, I truly believe you would have saved us back then.”

August dropped his head to my shoulder and let his tears fall.

“You aren’t like anyone else,” I added, combing my fingers through his hair. “When you claim me, I know it will be the same way I claim you. You are mine, and I don’t wish to see you with anyone else but me.”

“I’m yours. All fucking yours.” August raised his head, met my eyes briefly, and leaned in. Suddenly, his lips brushed against mine. The contact was the softest, most maddening thing. My lips tingled, and that sensation traveled through me, drifting lower, until a storm felt trapped within me. Unfortunately, the kiss was over as soon as it began.

I breathed heavily as August rubbed my cheek, smiling. The chaos within me hadn’t settled at all. The feelings he invoked always unnerved me. I never felt so out of control as when touching or being touched by him. My body tingled as if it expected something to happen or someone to arrive, but nothing ever did. And it left me feeling depleted and restless for something that never came.

August’s nostrils flared, and his eyes blackened completely. “It’s okay. You don’t have to chase it away every time you feel it.”

“What am I feeling?” I asked.

“Desire for me.”

“I’m not sure I like it. It’s not something I can control,” I admitted as my skin heated under his scrutiny.

“Because sex is something you thought you’d never want,” August finished. “And yet, you yearn for itwithme.”

I huffed and pushed him away. “I don’t.”

“Okay,” he said without an argument.

I narrowed my eyes as he brushed his thumb over my lip. That tingle dipped between my thighs, and my core throbbed when his eyes blackened again.

“Stop that,” I said, squeezing my legs together. The slight friction made it feel good, but uncomfortable.

“It’s okay,” he whispered, kissing my forehead. “This is okay. It’s not bad. We’re not bad if we touch. The emotions we have for each other are nothing like what you’ve witnessed.”

My vision blurred as I tried to keep the tears from falling. I knew our relationship wasn’t like the brutality I watched at Derrick’s camp. I was just scared of feeling so out of control.

“Let’s rest while we can.” August leaned over and tugged off mine and his boots, then pulled me onto the bed farther. I melted in his arms as he tucked me into the blankets with him.

Only I couldn’t sleep. August succumbed to his exhaustion within minutes. I assumed he hadn’t recovered from the lack of sleep, but the longer I remained under the blankets, the more frenzied my body became. The throbbing between my legs was constant, especially with August’s scent filling my nose. My nipples pressed against my bra, and my breasts were achy and heavy.

My hands were going to wander over August’s body if I stayed another second, so I climbed out of bed. Taking a deep breath, I decided it was time to visit Sofia. I knew exactly where August’s old home was from Harvest, showing me over and over.

I arrived and found Sofia shuffling through papers at a wooden desk.

She beamed and shouted, “Nova!”

“Are you busy?” I asked, stepping closer.

“Not for you,” she said, tossing the papers down. “Considering everything happening in the human and Underworld, it seems pointless trying to run the casinos. I don’t know why I’m bothering.”

“Do these casinos belong to August?”

Sofia nodded. “In name, yes, but they might as well be mine. He’s always left me in charge. Now that he has you, I don’t think he’ll have a need for anything in the City of the Dead anymore.”

“Are you unhappy I’m alive?” I blurted, and my face burned.

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