Page 44 of Fanged Temptation

Maxine bucked and writhed above me, hissing through gritted teeth, and I pressed hot, open-mouthed kisses to her core.

My tongue was soon joined by my fingers and Maxine’s moans rang around the room, her head tilting back, her hips rolling as she rode them to a violent climax. I kept up the rhythm, even as her own steady thrusting began to falter, stuttering to a halt as she hunched over and came on my tongue.

“Oh my god.” It was a breathy whisper that escaped her lips and she stumbled back a step, lowering her leg from my shoulder, panting hard.

I hauled myself upright, licking the last of her orgasm from my fingers and pulled her into a kiss, all clashing teeth and sweet, tart flavor. It was heavenly.

Maxine kissed me in kind, grasping fingers tugging me closer even as I lifted her shirt over her head, laying her bare. My gown quickly followed, slipping off my shoulders and whuffing to the floor, and then we were both naked.

I pulled her flush against me, skin-on-skin contact coaxing me into overdrive. Her breasts pressed against mine, soft and full and warm against my heaving chest. My fingers trailed through her hair, over her face, down her bare back.

I wanted to touch every inch of her, every soft secret place I had never dared dream of approaching before.

Maxine moaned quietly, putty in my hands as I tugged her toward the bed and pressed her down onto the mattress. She collapsed on her back in the crisp white sheets, parting her legs and reaching for me.

For a moment I merely stood there and drank in the sight of her. Her cheeks were pink, her whole face flushed, and her curls tumbled wildly on her shoulders. Her skin was smooth, faint freckles peppering her shoulders. Her thighs were damp and quivering, deliciously parted to welcome me closer.

I obliged, crawling up the length of her and locking my lips with hers again. I tangled myself in her, bent limbs and grasping fingers, until I couldn’t tell where I ended and she began.

She kissed me and the world spun out of view. All I could see was her, the faint flecks of amber in her eyes, her full lips – pink and raw from my teeth. My hands mapped out the shape of her, tracing over the curve of her hip, the soft mound of her ass, the drenched crevice between her legs.

At the brush of my fingers against her clit, Maxine whimpered, thrusting her hips forward, chasing the slightest pressure.

I wedged my knee between her legs, straddling her thigh where I lay on my side and we both groaned in unison at the contact. Then we were grinding, kissing, teeth occasionally clattering together in the desperate mess of our urgency.

The sheets tangled up around us, the pillows fell from the bed and I kissed her. I kissed her until I was breathless, until that hot heat in my belly boiled over and my body spasmed through a climax I hadn’t even anticipated.

And still, I kissed her.

On and on—I could have kissed her forever. It was all I ever wanted to do.

21

Maxine

It felt somewhat surreal to gather in River’s living room—if you could call the sprawling, ornate space a mere “living room”—with the rest of the Leyore women and Leah tacked on for good measure. They all peered at her, and Leah stared back, part-defiant, part-deflated, like she couldn’t decide if she despised the attention or couldn’t care less.

Decorative lanterns illuminated every trinket-laden table, and bright koi fish glided through the indoor stream that snaked past plush couches and low-slung tables. It should have been a peaceful scene, but the tension in the air was palpable.

They were all there: Hunter and Addison huddled together on a bench carved to resemble a flock of swans, Sky standing by the tall archway while Jordan leaned against her shoulder, River perched on a high-backed armchair like a regal overseer, and Dylan, arms crossed, with Amara close by—looking pale. Paler than usual.

Her scent was different too, still human but definitely sickly.

Leah hovered at my side, her eyes darting around the room, taking in the rag-tag group of delinquents I happened to call my friends. All eyes were focused on me—and on Leah, by extension, and we both shifted under the scrutiny.

I swallowed, summoning my courage.

“So,” I began, voice coming out tighter than I intended, “I guess you all know… I’m the cause of the latest chaos around here.”

Jordan folded her arms, inspecting her nails. “Yeah, about that. Why don’t you fill us in on exactly what’s going on, Maxine? From the top.”

I shifted from one foot to the other, glancing at Leah for a shred of reassurance. She shrugged, bug-eyed and out of her depths.

We’d woken up that morning in a tangle of limbs to River hammering on the door, yelling at us to get our asses out of bed. By the time we stumbled into the living room I realized it was an ambush; all the Leyore women had turned up, all ready to grill me on what exactly was going on.

Apparently, word had gotten out about the strange incident at the harbor, and River had conveniently mentioned to Jordan that two bedraggled boatmen had spent the night in her guestroom.

Now I was on trial, and Leah alongside me, and it was time to come clean about everything.

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