Page 25 of Sin and Salvation

“Hey—!” Before I could stop him, Aeron leaned down and licked the curve of my breast. My heart started pounding again, in the way that left me breathless with desire and a strange feeling bubbling in my stomach.

Was this… happiness?

Pinkish shimmer coated his lower lip as he smiled up at him, green eyes gleaming. “Tastes sweet. I’m gonna call you sugartits from now on.”

“Don’t you dare!” I swiped for the container, but Aeron held it out of reach. He managed to swipe more cherry glitter all over me before finally surrendering the container.

“You look delicious, sugar tits,” he taunted. Pink glitter sparkled on his cheek.

That weird feeling in my belly twisted again as I stared up at him.

Maxime had told me for years that if I ever found myself in Black Hearts territory, I’d be lucky to make it out alive. That I’d be begging for mercy, an unrecognizable body buried in a shallow grave.

But the Sergeant at Arms of the club was in here with me, making jokes, glitter on his cheek… and he’d been worried. Aboutme.

Without thinking, I reached up and gently ran my thumb over the sparkling smear, cupping Aeron’s cheek.

He leaned into my palm, gaze burning, hands sliding around my waist. “Save a dance for me, Venus?” he asked, a low rumble in his voice.

I smiled, but that twisting feeling wouldn’t let me go. It was like a hand inside me, squeezing the breath from my lungs and rattling my heart.

It was a dangerous feeling.

“You’re not going to pay me in favors, now are you?” I purred, trying to joke, to push this feeling aside.

But Aeron reached up to touch my face, and we were so close…

“I’ll pay you whatever way you want.” There was something of the hellhound within as he looked at me, a possessive fire in his gaze. “Anything you ask.”

I swallowed hard, and it was like a demon had taken possession of my body. Words I hadn’t meant to say spilled out. “I don’t want to be paid for it. I just… want to do it because I like you.”

Aeron’s eyes flickered. “I like you, too.”

A wave of goosebumps ran over me, and thankfully Kylaea chose that moment to knock on my door, calling my name.

The tension between us snapped like a broken string. Aeron released me, taking a step back, his expression a little guarded once more.

“Good luck out there, sugar… tits.” He swatted my butt before he left, and despite myself, I couldn’t hold back the hugest grin as I put on my gloss.

ChapterTwelve

Icaught Aeron’s gaze from across the crowded club, arching my back and sucking my lower lip between my teeth.

His white teeth caught the strobing lights as he grinned, raising a glass of whisky and crooking a finger in a ‘come hither’.

I was planning to hither on over as soon as I felt like the bills surrounding my stage were sufficient.

After Aeron had left my room, I’d needed to take a moment to talk myself down.

No matter how I felt about them, nothing was guaranteed. Just because they gave me weird emotions—okay,happiness, which I sure as hell wasn’t used to—didn’t mean I could lose sight of my plan.

I needed to be able to be independent, able to save myself, and if that meant putting off my own desires for a while to make that happen, well… Aeron would have to wait for his lap dance.

So I lowered my bedroom eyes to the House of Sloth demon sitting in front of me, who was holding up two folded twenties and lounging on his bar stool like he wanted to melt out of it.

I felt the gaze of the three leaders burning into me as I shook my sugar ti—mybreasts, damn it—towards the leering Sloth demon.

It took everything in me not to stare at the trio continuously, tempting though it was.

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