Page 70 of Cruel Games

She blinked rapidly, her lashes fluttering like flower petals on the wind as she fought to regain her bearings. “Stop that,” she sputtered finally, her lips turning down in a frown.

“Stop what?” I asked, a smile stretching across my mouth. “Pestering you?” I ran my hand over the bed between us, shooting her a wink to match the grin. “Stop sleeping in my own bed? Or stop suggesting easier ways to do things?”

“All of it,” she snarled, backing dangerously close to the edge of the bed. “You’re the one supposed to be getting annoyed here, not me.”

If she scooted another inch, she’d be on the floor. Thinking I was helping, I extended a hand, trying to grab her and tug her closer. My fingers grazed her chest as she fell right off the edge in her quest to get out of range of me.

I couldn’t stifle the laughter that burst from me as she groaned, and a littleowechoed over the edge of the bed from the floor.

“Ahahahahahaha,” I wheezed, crawling my way to the side of the bed she’d vacated against her will, peering over the edge with a shit-eating grin on my face. “Are you okay down there? Youshould have stayed up here. The bed is so much more comfortable than the cold, hard floor.”

The scowl on her face could have frozen an iceberg from a tropical storm.

“Get fucked,” she growled, her cheeks red as she dusted herself off and stood.

I couldn’t help but remember another time she’d said that, and I’d dared her to go first. Somehow, I got the feeling the same response wouldn’t give me the same reaction this time.

Shame, that. I really rather enjoyed watching her get fucked.

I rather liked the feel of my tongue in her tight cunt, too.

Shame she didn’t plan on repeating that any time soon.

My eyes roamed the expanse of my bed with an irritated sigh. “Are you going to pick up your mess, or do you expect me to handle it for you?”

“Oh, that would be amazing; thanks for suggesting it,” she preened, turning on the fake smile as she leaped onto the idea I’d just stupidly given her. “I have no idea where half this stuff even came from, let alone where it goes now.” Her smile turned malicious as she backed away from me, heading for the door I clearly needed a better lock on. “You’ll know better than me what goes to what. And besides, a queen never does her own dirty work.”

“Queen, my ass,” I huffed, already feeling the festering resentment grab hold of my heart again. “More like a slave driver.”

“I prefer the termmaster.It lends a sort ofelegance,ofhierarchy,to our situation, wouldn’t you agree?”

With that, she shut the door and disappeared into the room beyond, probably to hunt down the chocolate I just fucking restocked.

I swear to all that is holy, if she doesn’t leave me a single fucking piece?—

With a heavy sigh, I settled in to start cleaning up the messshe’d left, aggravated beyond compare and so very, very tired of this shit already.

Almost made a man wish she’d just fucking killed him and gotten it over with sooner.

Almost.

TWENTY-SEVEN

IVY

Wasthis what my life had become? Poking three angry bears, looking for ways topiss them off and get under their skin even as I used them for my own gains?

I was going stir-crazy, sitting around day after day as they went about their lives and carried out contracts like nothing had changed. After all, it wasn’tmyidea to join their fucking boys’ club. It was theirs. Or, rather, Coyote’s.

The same bastard that currently sat across the roof from me, staring down at the sunrise like being awake at this time of day was a blessing and not a fucking curse.

I didn’t even know why I let him lead me out on this fucking roof in the first place. He just held out his hand as I stood there at the counter, sipping coffee in an attempt to stay awake for a few normal people hours again. When I simply stared at it, he motioned for me to take it and then finally reached down and took mine himself, tugging me along until we reached the roof access and emerged out into the chilly morning air.

I stood there in the pink and orange rays of the morning sunrise, shivering in my tanktop and sleep shorts, arms and legs bare to the chilly breeze as it blew past us, heading for the shoreline. The only thing keeping me somewhat warm was the mug cradled in my hands, steam rising from the surface of the caramel-colored liquid to caress my face.

I lifted it and took another sip, smiling to myself despite the situation.

It’s been so long since I enjoyed something as simple as a sunrise.

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