Page 134 of Blood & Betrayals

The machine beeps once, and he smiles wolfishly. “Already done, sweet cheeks.” He winks at her and then swaggers away. Alice stares after him and then glances at me when she’s managed to fix her face into a look of ire.

I smirk at her, one eyebrow raised.

“Damn it,” she says, stomping over to the other end of the counter.

“What?” I ask, following her.

“Pretty sure I’m going to hate-bang him later.”

The barista puts our smoothies on the counter. I pick mine up and take a long sip before saying, “You should. He’s hot.”

Alice pulls out her phone and taps at the screen.

“What are you doing?”

Alice starts scrolling. “I’m ordering a new ball gag. He seems like a talker.”

“And cuddler…” I feign a shudder as we leave the cafe. I’m a total fraud, given that I enjoy a little dirty talk, and with Connor, I’m not entirely opposed to a cuddle.

Ugh. The smoothie curdles in my stomach at even the silent admission. Connor is ruining me. I don’t even recognize myself anymore.

“Gross,” Alice hisses, taking a drink of her smoothie.

“Well, at least he bought our smoothies.”

Alice gives me a withering look as we approach the dorm. “Holy fuck. The bar for men is subterranean.”

I laugh, shrugging. “I don’t know. Mine is pretty all right.”

Alice rolls her eyes. “Please. Connor doesn’t count. Even I like him.”

Connor knocks on the door an hour and a half later, and Alice lets him in. She’s dressed for going out, wearing tiny leather shorts and a top that looks like it is made of fishnet, her black bra visible beneath it.

“Big date?” Connor asks.

“Gross, no.” Alice rolls her eyes, closing the door behind him.

“She’s going to fuck a shifter,” I clarify, greeting him with a kiss. “He bought her a smoothie, and she’s going to thank him with her snatch.”

Alice sputters. “I am not! I’m going to tie him up naked in the woods and leave him there.”

Connor thinks for a moment. “What kind of smoothie?”

I laugh, kissing his jaw. “Sure you are, Al. See that, Con? All you needed to do was buy me a smoothie.”

“Maybe I’ll take his cock and mount it on the wall as a trophy of torture,” Alice growls.

“Not the direction I would have gone with the decor, but…” I ponder for a moment.

“Who’s the shifter?” Connor asks.

Alice looks indignant, almost offended. “I don’t know his name. That is not information I need.”

“Right, right. Sorry.” Connor holds one of his hands up, the other squeezing my hip. “What does he look like?”

Alice shudders. “He looks like a talker. Luckily, my ball gag just arrived.” Alice holds it up, the black leather strap gleaming dully in the light.

Connor presses a kiss to my neck. “What’s wrong with a talker?”

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