Page 104 of Lust

He lowers his hand from my waist and grabs my ass, pulling me into him so we’re no longer waltzing but grinding against each other. It’s nerve-wracking and exhilarating. At the edge of the dance floor, some of the couples have already given up. I can see Anthura’s hateful stare boring into us. It's as if the waltz itself has become a battleground.

His other hand curls around my back so my breasts are crushing into him. “You really are a smart mouthed bitch.”

The resentment hurting my heart is matched by the desire coursing between my legs. “I don’t remember you complaining about my mouth when I was sucking on your dick, Barclay.”

And now that’s all I can think about!

His face hardens at precisely the same time as his cock and the shock of it has my lips parting and my panties dampening. If any of the spectators watching us on the big screen can lip read, they are in for a field day.

“Fuck you, Rowena!” he growls under his breath as the music intensifies to a crescendo.

I look into his eyes as he still holds my body locked to mine and my voice comes out in a strangled sob. “You already did, Barclay.”

And then it’s silent. The dance is over. The only percussion left is my heart pounding wildly.

My whole body is electrified as people begin to applaud. I don’t even know who they are applauding for, and neither do I care, because Felix’s mouth is on mine, his tongue in my mouth. My senses are all over the place and my head is reeling, but I can’t back away. I don’t want to. It’s as shocking as it’s thrilling. It’s hostile but it’s wonderful at the same time. Felix Barclay is kissing me.

Kissing.

Me!

In public.

Someone wolf whistles and still I don’t stop kissing him. I’m aware that we’re causing a scene and I don’t care. I don’t have the capability to care when all my senses are centered on Felix and how good he kisses. It’s passionate but not the battle that our first kiss was. My mouth moves against his and my whole body is ignited. The exchange of cutting remarks between us was nothing more than a form of foreplay.

When we untangle from each other, I become acutely aware of the spectacle we’ve caused. Noémi looks positively thrilled and the sight of Juliette's gaping mouth suggests that I've finally managed to surpass even her capacity for shock.

But then my gaze lands on Anthura. Her face is twisted with a malevolent fury, radiating waves of malice and rage.

“I think we broke Anthura!” I whisper, still reeling with shock at what I just did.

Felix glances her way, then back to me. “That should get us some points with that bitch, Noémi.”

My heart contracts as he walks away heading right to Anthura leaving completely lost and humiliated, alone on the dance floor.

53

BACK INTO THE EARTHERY

QUINN

Iheave in a long, shocked breath as my entire body feels like it’s being hit by a bolt of lightning. Seconds later, a feeling of glorious euphoria runs through me, making me feel light as a feather and better than I have in my whole life. It’s like a billion orgasms followed by flying on a cloud.

“Back to new.”

I sit up and rub my eyes. I have eyes again. I can see. I stare around me as I try to piece together what happened. I can see in crystal clarity my eyesight better than it was before. Everything is more vivid. A surge of strength courses through my body, each fiber and sinew feeling more alive than ever before.

“Valentine?”

I focus on Dade. His worried expression is the balm to my soul that whatever just happened was to my body. He bends down and lifts me up gently into a standing position. I’ve never seen him look the way he does now. He’s worried but his mouth is pulled into a smile. I lean forward and kiss him. It’s like coming home. A cough cuts through the air and I pull away to see a massive demon looking at me with a friendly but grave expression on his face.

“Hades?” Suddenly, everything comes back to me. I frantically search the room for Twila and find her right next to Hades. She gives me a reassuring smile, which I return.

“What happened to me?” I look down to find my body completely intact, not a mark on me. Even my skirt with its seemingly million layers of tulle that Rowena made has regenerated.

“I fixed you as you fixed me,” Hades responds good-naturedly. “Now, we need to get you all out of here before other demons come back. We need to stop the destruction upstairs before it happens.”

Shit! Rowena. The ball! It started ages ago. I don’t even know how long I was out.

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