Page 18 of Marked

Six

Ican’t wait,” Seth pants below me, sweat beading his forehead.

“Seth, no,” I groan in frustration as he removes his thumb from my clit, making me lose the orgasm that had finally been starting to crest.

He grabs my waist tightly as he thrusts his hips up, pounding his erection into me. “I can’t—I’m going to come!”

I have to brace my hands on his smooth chest as he bucks into me, his thrusts becoming jerky and frantic with his impending release. He gives a final hard thrust, burying himself in deep before going rigid. A few long seconds later, he relaxes against the sheets, his head falling heavily on my pillow.

His hands lazily trail over my thighs as he tries to regain his breathing. “I’m sorry,” he pants. “I tried to wait until you were there.”

Frustrated, I climb off his lap and flop down next to him on the bed. “It’s fine.” I huff as I stare up at the ceiling.

He laughs and rolls onto his side to face me. “I can always finish the job in other ways,” he offers, walking his fingers down my torso towards the part between my legs. “I’m always a hungry beast when it comes to you.”

I shake my head, the mood lost. “Really, it’s fine. I think I just have a lot on my mind.”

“I want to hear about it after I take care of this,” he gestures at the condom before standing from the bed. He presses a kiss to my cheek when I turn my face from him. Gods, I hate when he tries to sneak in kisses. “Be right back,” he adds with a wink.

I sit up as he leaves and frown at the empty room. Is he asking me to share my day with him? That goes against our rules. We don’t talk about our personal lives. It just wasn’t something we did. Maybe I need to distance myself from the warlock.

Reaching for my phone on the nightstand, I see a missed text from Taylor. I click on the message and smile at the grinning selfie of Taylor and Bryan.

Happy he’s finally home. Have lots of sex. I’ll see you tomorrow. I type in response.

Oh, don’t worry. We covered that. Details tomorrow!!!She sends back, making me laugh.

“What are you smiling about?” Seth asks as he walks back into the room, stark naked and holding two copper goblets and a dark-tinted wine bottle.

“Taylor’s boyfriend came home and she sent me a selfie,” I answer as I place the phone down on the mattress.

“Cute,” he comments before handing me a goblet. When I hesitantly take it, he laughs and uncorks the bottle. “Why do you look so skeptical?”

“I’m not.” I lean back against my headboard and grab my pillow, placing it in my lap to cover my nudity. When he fills my glass halfway, I lift it to inhale the scent. My nose instantly scrunches at the stench of the metal. “You and these damn goblets.”

He sits down in front of me and gives me that charming grin before putting on a horrible British accent. “My dear, everything tastes better in a chalice. I made a wine fit for royalty and so we shall drink as such.” His accent goes away as he looks lovingly down at his goblet. “These are my favorite treasures, I think. I found them for sale during one of my trips to the Middle East. They’re said to be meant for a god, so naturally I had to have them.”

I roll my eyes at him and take a tentative sip of the wine. It’s room temperature, as Seth likes his wines, but it makes the subtle undertones of fruit pop. “Cherry?” I guess, mulling around the flavors sitting on my tongue while trying to ignore the metallic scent.

He smiles behind the rim of his cup. “Yes, a bit of raspberry as well.”

I swirl my glass and take another sip. “It’s good,” I praise. “A little heavier than what I’m used to, but it’s good.”

He nods. “It’s more like juice, isn’t it?”

“Adult juice.” I laugh.

“I’m glad you like it.” He rests his goblet on his knee and looks at me seriously. “Why don’t you tell me what’s on your mind? Does it have something to do with pushing back our meeting time tonight?”

I can’t help but bristle. “Seth, I thought we agreed not to mix personal life with this.”

He lifts a blonde brow. “I asked about your day, not for your hand in marriage.”

I put the cup down on my nightstand and hug the pillow to my chest. “Talking about our day and what upsets us is too much like a relationship.”

Seth glances down at his wine for a moment. “Would that really be so bad, Val? What if I want you to be mine?”

I recoil back against the headboard. “I can’t be yours.” I wince at how cold that sounded. “Seth, you’re great, but my life is too complicated. I can’t have a normal relationship.”

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