Page 44 of The Devils Melody
I feel Lennox chuckle behind me, dark and sinful. The sound curls through me like smoke in my lungs.
“Yeah?” he murmurs, a teasing glint in his voice I don’teven have to see to feel. “You’re not so bad yourself, little bird.”
I grin up at him, dazed and weightless as the room spins softly. “Good…cause I was thinking about keeping you.”
There’s a pause. A beat too long for comfort. Lightly tugging a strand of my hair, he shakes his head, quiet amusement tugging at the corner of his lips. “We’ll see, sweetheart.”
He doesn’t move or say a word after that. He just…stays here, looming over me like some kind of shadow I never saw coming but don’t want to leave. His hand slides lower, from my hair to my neck, a slow drag of fingertips across my skin. Possessive. Lethal. Gentle.
“I meant it,” I whisper. “about keeping you.”
Lennox exhales a soft laugh, but there’s nothing light about it. It’s a warning. “Drunk girls say all kinds of shit.”
I shift, tilting my head slightly, resting my cheek on his thigh. “Yeah? But I was thinking about itbeforeI was drunk.”
That makes him still. I feel the tension ripple through him, the way his hand tightens just a little at the base of my neck. Not enough to hurt, just enough to let me know that he heard that.
He leans down so no one beside us can hear. “You were gonna let Kage fuck you with his mouth in the car,” he whispers into my ear, his voice full of gravel. “Don’t think I didn’t notice.”
Heat slams into my gut.
“I was,” I whisper. No shame or lies. “I wanted him to.”
Lennox leans closer, breath brushing my ear. “Andnow?”
I look up at him, mouth parted, heart thrumming like a goddamn drum. “Now I want both of you.”
His eyes go sharp and blaze right through me. His hand slides under my chin and tilts my head so I’m fully facing him. “Careful, little phoenix,” he says soft but dangerously. “You say that shit to the wrong men, and you don’t get to take it back.”
Why does he keep calling me that?
“I don’t want to take it back,” I pant. “I’m tired of pretending like I don’t want you.”
A low growl rumbles in his chest, dark and hungry, but he doesn’t move. I can feel how much he’s holding back, his fingers twitching against my chin. How tightly he’s gripping the leash. That restraint is what undoes me.
“I’ve been good,” he says, almost to himself. “Trying to stay the fuck out of it. Trying to let Kage have you.”
The words cut through me, sharp and unexpected. “What if I don’t want you to stay out of it?”
He’s staring at me like I’m something holy and forbidden all at once. Maybe I am. Maybe Iwantto be. For them.
“I’ll ruin you,” he says quietly. “He’ll love you, but I’ll fucking ruin you.”
“Then ruin me,” I whisper.
He opens his mouth, but a shadow falls over us before he can answer.
“Miss me?” Kage drawls, voice thick with tension.
Lennox just stares at me, breathing slow, the tendons in his neck bulging, a storm churning behind those piercing sage eyes. But then he leans back, slamming the fucking vault shut. That restraint clicks back into place, his arm draping across the back of the couch as if none of that just happened. Like he didn’t just promise to destroy me.
But I felt it. Iknowhe wants it just as much as I do.He’s not backing out, he’s just…waiting. Waiting to see if this is something I’m serious about, or if I’m just saying all of this because of the alcohol. But I know what I want, I wanted it before the alcohol ever hit my system. I wanted it the moment they walked into the bar and kicked Rich’s ass for touching me. I knew it was inevitable, I think I was just trying to deny my heart the happiness, and orgasms, it deserves.
I shift again, thighs pressing together as heat coils low in my stomach. It’s maddening. He’s fucking maddening. I want to scream at him to touch me or leave me alone. But I know if he touches me, I won’t survive it. I’ll just crave more of him until I finally break.
Kage drops onto the opposite end of the couch with a wide grin and a plastic bag of ice wrapped in a cloth. “Look what I found, sweetheart. VIP ice, just for you.” He winks, smug as hell. “Imported. Fancy shit.”
Olive rolls her eyes from across the table. “Wow. Prince Charming.”
