Page 2 of The Black Lotus
“Do you want your surprise or not, little vixen?” Aster asks, stopping to look back at me. I give him a sheepish smile, bringing my hand to my lips, zipping my mouth shut, pretending to lock it and then place the imaginary key in Aster's back pocket, smacking his ass for emphasis. He shakes his head and smirks, continuing down the path.
“Close your eyes,” Aster demands as his steps slow.
Instead of listening, I lift my head and peek at what he wants to shield me from seeing. I yelp, as his grip loosens, my body plummeting to the ground. My eyes slam shut, and just as my head is about to slam into the grass, his arms tighten around my ankles, stopping my fall.
“Now, are you going to be a good girl and listen to your fox, or am I going to have to let your face meet the earth?”
I shake my head, my eyes pinched shut. “I’m a good vixen; my eyes are closed. I promise!”
“I’m going to place you on the ground, so put your hands out in front of you, and don’t look, or so help me Serena, I will burn your surprise to the ground.”
Extending my arms in front of me, I collapse into an inelegant heap, feeling the dirt beneath my fingers. I crawl towards where I think the shed is, feeling Aster's hands wrap around my arms, helping me up.
“Can I trust you to keep your eyes closed, or do I have to cover them for you?”
I turn towards his voice, biting my lips at his threat. “I promise, as your little vixen, I willtryto behave.”
He hums his approval, grabbing my hands and guiding me to where my gift awaits. We stop. I hear keys jingle and a door creaking open.It doesn’t sound like Aster’s kill space.It’s a quieter, groaning sound. Almost sensual in how it caresses my ears, my core liquifies. The urge to peek is strong, and as much as I love watching flames shine bright and flicker, I don’t want my present to be engulfed by them. So, like the good girl I’m not, I keep myself in the dark.
Aster’s hands grab my waist, preventing me from moving forward. His breath fans my neck, as he whispers in my ear, “On the count of three…”
“One.”
The excitement from anticipation of what awaits starts in my stomach, wings flapping wildly around.
“Two.”
The urge to peek is getting stronger with each shadow of a number leaving his lips.
“Three.” His hands release my waist, and my eyes spring open, my fingers cover my mouth, as tears threaten to fall.
I turn towards him, unable to form the words I desperately wish to say. He just smiles, answering my unspoken question with a dip of his head.
The room we are standing in is covered head to toe with shelves upon shelves of bookcases full of books, mostly dark romance. There is a giant chaise in the corner of the room with a big fluffy blanket. My feet must be ahead of my brain because before I can register what is happening, my ass is planted in the seat, and I swear it is the comfiest place my ass has ever been. My body melds into the cushion, and if there wasn’t so much to look at, I would be getting under that blanket, ready to drift to sleep.
“What do you think?” Aster asks, crossing his arms over his chest, leaning on the doorframe watching me with an amused look.
I pull the blanket up and nuzzle my face into it. “When did you have the time to do this?”
He pushes off the wall and sits on the arm of the sofa. “I finally had a reason to spend the money I’ve made from Graves, and what’s the point of being rich if I can’t spend it on the woman I love?”
“You could have put the money back into Graves.”
“Graves can survive even if I built you ten more of these.” My eyes widen at his confession.
“While that sounds like a dream, I really hope you don’t spend that much money on me, ever.”
“Serena.” He sits down by my legs. “I would give you my last dollar if it meant I could see your eyes light up the way they did when you saw your personal library.”
I grab his hand and squeeze it, tears threatening to fall, “How did you get this done without me seeing? Or hearing for that matter.”
“You were too busy screaming when the crew was working.” My mouth falls open.
“That’s why you were keeping me so satisfied so often?”
He quirks an eyebrow. “You think the only reason I fucked you until we were both raw was because I wanted to distract you?”
I shrug. “You kind of just said that.”
