Page 56 of The Female

Instead, I lean forward and kiss his cheek, hoping it expresses the emotions I’m unable to vocalize. I’m grateful he shared this with me, and I feel closer to him.

If I didn’t know any better, I’d say Gray’s cheeks redden as he pulls me off the table and gestures for me to take my next turn. I move to do so, but then I pause as the second part of his story registers in my mind.

“Wait!” I hiss, spinning to face him. “You and Aziel are bonded?”

Gray looks confused before he leans back and nods.

“Did you not know that? I thought it was common knowledge. The fates made it so anybody descended from the royal Wrath bloodline bonds when they have sex. Bonding another person can be seen as a weakness, and it prevents Aziel from taking hundreds of women and making an army of super strong Wrath children. I fed from him, made him orgasm, and that was enough to bond him to me.”

What the fuck? I had absolutely no idea.

“But since you two are already bonded, does that mean Aziel can never have a female?” I ask.

Gray shakes his head. “No. Aziel could bond multiple people if he wanted. Having a bond is a weakness though, so he obviously wants to keep the number as low as possible.”

I suppose that makes sense.

“So, you two are…” I trail off, looking for the right words. “Together? Why did he purchase me, then?”

Gray shakes his head. “We aren’t together, not like that. He doesn’t recognize our bond, so we live together as friends.”

“And you’re happy with that?”

“The bond makes things complicated. Our souls are entwined, and that makes us want to be together, but Aziel’s mad about the forced bond, so he ignores it. It’s all very angsty, but I’m content with the life we live. Especially now that I have a beautiful female I can give my affections to. She’s quite feisty, and I like it.” Gray steps forward, always flirting, and I wave him away and return to the game.

That’s a lot to digest, but it explains a lot about their relationship.

I take my next shot, pouting when I miss it. Wanting to lighten the mood after such a painful story, I turn my back to the room and sit in the nearest chair.

Gray’s gone out of his way to be kind to me, and I want to trust him. Sucking in a deep breath, I tell myself this is okay as I lift my feet to the seat of the chair and let my dress slide to the tops of my thighs. I pretend I don’t notice he has a complete view of my underwear as I rest my chin on my knees and watch him step forward to take his turn.

It takes Gray a moment to notice, his attention on the table, but the moment he looks at me and his body stiffens, I know he’s seen. My lips split into a wide grin as I gesture for him to shoot.

He makes no effort to hide his line of sight, his eyes locked between my thighs as he halfheartedly aims and misses. He doesn’t wait for the balls to stop moving before stalking toward me. I drop my legs and stand.

A quiet groan tumbles from his throat as I walk past and bump my shoulder against his.

“You cheated,” he complains.

I shrug, my face warming at my brazen actions. I can’t believe I just did that.

Trying not to appear as flustered as I feel, I rush to take my turn. I manage to pocket a ball and breathe out a sigh of relief.

“What’s your favorite thing to eat?” I ask, copying Gray’s initial question.

I gulp as he enters my personal space, a dangerous glint in his eye.

“It’s not something I’ve had the pleasure of trying before,” he says, pinning me against the table and sliding a hand up the front of my dress. “But I can only imagine it’s delicious.”

I worry the others in the room will be able to tell what’s happening in our corner, but thankfully, Gray’s body blocks any view they may have. My jaw clenches, and I grab Gray’s hand as he traces the seam of my underwear.

Teasing him like this was stupid. He’s going to take it as an invitation.

“Hey, hey, Charlie,” Gray says, his wandering fingers coming to a halt as he uses his other hand to tilt my chin up. “We’re just teasing. This doesn’t mean I expect anything from you when we go home.”

I gulp, still wary. As much as I don’t want to send him the wrong message, I can’t deny that our teasing turns me on. I like it. I like it, and I can’t even blame his lust. He’s keeping it tucked securely away.

Gray refuses to let me look away as his fingers move slightly, gently grazing against my clit. He leans in and presses his lips to my ear before hooking his finger into my underwear and pulling it to the side.

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