Page 17 of Dead to Rights
Still, neither of them pulled away, and with every brush of their lips, Finn’s confidence grew. Sliding his fingers through Noah’s silky curls, he palmed the back of his head and pulled him closer, slanting his mouth to take the kiss deeper.
He teased with his tongue, seeking entrance, and Noah parted for him with a wistful sigh that went straight to his dick. Still, he kept his touch gentle and unhurried as he dipped inside.
A growl slipped past his defenses at his first taste, but rather than frighten his mate, it only seemed to excite him. With a quiet moan, Noah arched into him, his arms coming around Finn’s neck as he molded himself down the front of his chest.
“We should have done this a long time ago,” he murmured against Finn’s lips.
“We can do it as often as you want from now on.”
A lazy smile curved his kiss-swollen lips, and he bent his head to rub their noses together. “I’d like that.”
Chapter six
“Doesn’tshehaveanythingbetter to do?”
Following Keegan’s gaze to the other side of the diner, Noah sighed when he spotted Karleigh standing near the fireplace, the flames throwing shadows across her face. Narrowed, focused, those blazing blue eyes cut across the distance, and they were locked on him.
Hell, she didn’t even try to be subtle about it.
He could practically feel the loathing radiating from her, and while unsettling, it would be a lie to say he didn’t know why she hated him. The fact that her stalking had escalated in the week since he and Finn had made their relationship official only cemented that understanding.
In Karleigh’s mind, Finn belonged to her. Worse, she was partly right. As his sire, she shared a unique connection with him that couldn’t be replicated. Although not as deep or intense as a mate bond, it wasn’t that far off.
And that scared him.
Not because he feared Finn would choose Karleigh over him. It didn’t have to be a competition. Moreso, he worried the female would use that bond to wield control over his mate.
Obviously, Finn didn’t know the answers to his questions, and he hadn’t wanted to freak the guy out by bringing it up anyway. His first choice for information would have been another vampire, but he didn’t know of any in the village.
Rune, despite being old as dirt, had been stupidly unhelpful.
He had considered talking to Orrin about it but had dismissed the idea just as quickly. While the elf would likely have the answers, he’d also force Noah to sit through a two-hour lecture on compassion before he gave them.
Luckily, Orrin wasn’t the only god he knew.
“Why not just drop her in the river? Problem solved.”
Keegan wheeled around in his seat to stare open-mouthed when a stranger appeared at their table, seemingly out of thin air. Though he knew his twin almost as well as he knew himself, this time, he couldn’t decide if Keegan looked startled by the male’s sudden appearance or offended by his homicidal solution.
Probably a mix of both.
“Who the hell are you?” Folding his arms across his chest, Keegan looked the guy up and down through narrowed eyes.
“I asked him to meet us here,” Noah interjected before his brother could say something too stupid to take back. “This is Rebes.”
“Wait…like Erebus?”
The god glanced at Noah before nodding. “Yes.”
To his bewilderment, Keegan started to laugh, the sound so exuberant it drew the attention of nearby tables. “You are so not what I expected.”
“You two know each other?”
Erebus, god of primordial darkness, sniffed haughtily and flipped his ebony hair over his shoulder. “Certainly not.”
“We’ve never met,” Keegan confirmed, struggling to regain his composure. “Let’s just say I have been on the receiving end of one of his temper tantrums.”
A low, threatening growl slithered past Rebes’ lips, and his inky eyes flashed with icy blue light. “I do not havetantrums.”
