Page 29 of TBR: Dead But Well Read

I’d settled on the ground behind her, still wishing to remain unseen by the small group. One day, I would talk to her, but that wasn’t the time. Lifting my hand, I lightly rested the tips of my fingers on her back and let my energy flow into her body.

It would’ve been more efficient if I’d sent the energy into Rhodes and healed him myself, but the grief on her face as she tried to save him told me she needed to do this herself.

For reasons I didn’t understand, I disliked the idea that she would think back on this night and remember being helpless. No, I wanted her to look back and remember that she had saved him. Because that was the truth.

Sure, some of the energy she was using had come from me. But the only reason I was sitting on a cold stone floor, surrounded by collectors, was because of her. He would be dead if not for her desire to save him.

I was snapped from my memories and back to the present by Zacharias.

“Are you even listening to me?” He’d risen from his chair and was waving a hand in front of my face.

“No. And I’m done listening.” Ignoring his pleas to let him explain, I turned on my heel and left the dining hall without another word.

Icould hardly breathe as Loch gently parted my legs. Unable to take my eyes from the man between my legs, I barely noticed when Rhodes rolled off the bed and moved to take Loch’s previous place on my right side.

Sandwiched between Rhodes and Evander, I trembled as Loch trailed kisses along the sensitive skin of my inner thigh. I should have been expecting it, but when his mouth moved to press against the tiny piece of lace fabric, I nearly came apart.

And when Loch sucked the soaked fabric into the heat of his mouth, I cried out his name in surprise from the intensity of such an intimate act. My legs quivered, and I tried my best to scoot away from his mouth.

“No you don’t.” Rhodes caught my chin and tilted my head so he could capture my mouth in a slow, passionate kiss that had me seeing stars.

Not wanting to be left out, Evander’s lips moved to my neck.

“You guys are going to be the second death of me,” I panted between kisses. “I’m not sure I’m built to survive being with three guys at once.”

“Imagine if you bring in a fourth,” Evander teased, his hot breath teasing my overly sensitive skin with each word he spoke.

For a moment, I thought I felt my motionless heart jerk hard in my chest. “A fourth?!” My voice cracked on the last syllable.

“Yes. In our society, it’s up to the female partner if she wants to bring in another male,” Rhodes answered.

“I’m not sure I can handle the three of you. My brain might explode if I tried to bring in another.” Even as I spoke the words, a fleeting image of the purple-eyed stranger in the library popped into my mind.

Stop being greedy, Axe,I scolded myself.

He was cute, but that didn’t mean I wanted him. Because I totally didn’t, right? I hadn’t even talked to him for gourd’s sake.

“Still, the decision is up to you. Things aren’t as simple among paranormals as they are with humans. Just like there was an instant pull between us, you may feel that bond with another. We want you to know up front that as long as he understands he will be joining our family and not taking you away from us, we won’t be upset with you. Fate has a weird way of meddling in matters of the heart. If you feel that bond, don’t be afraid to trust yourself.” Evander kissed the tip of my nose.

“Really Evander, I don’t think—” I began, but Lochlan had chosen that moment to slip his tongue beneath the fabric and trace along my slit. “LOCH!” Tiny spasms of pleasure ricocheted through my body as I screamed his name.

Needing to recover from the shock of that singular stroke of his tongue, I tried to close my legs.

“Behave, boo,” Lochlan warned, gently biting the sensitive skin of my inner thigh. “I’m not finished feeding. You don’t want me to starve, do you?”

Even in a moment like this, the man was teasing me. One thing was for sure, life with Lochlan would never be boring.

My panties were gone in the blink of an eye, causing a hot flush to run down my body and the lights in the room to flicker wildly. Lochlan remained motionless, his gaze burning my skin as he seemed to drink in the sight in front of him.

“You’re so beautiful, Axelle,” he whispered, sounding almost reverent.

Unsure how to respond, I remained quiet, simply waiting to see what his next move would be.

Lochlan’s thumb brushed my slick, exposed sex. My back arched off the bed at the direct touch of his rough skin. Rhodes’ lips reclaimed mine, swallowing my whimper of pleasure.

When Lochlan’s tongue traced along my slit, I pulled away from Rhodes’ mouth to stare down at him in a haze of disbelief.

Drinking in the sight of him, I wondered how a man with otherworldly good looks like his, could ever desire me. I mean, I wasn’t bad looking, but these men were on a different level. Yet there I was, with Lochlan’s tongue thrusting into my tight heat as he pleased me in the most intimate way I could imagine.

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