Page 85 of The Never List
“I don’t regret my choice,” he says, his words washing over me like the sweetest caress. His fingers flex on my neck, just the slightest pressure that sends a bolt of heat throbbing between my thighs. “But I told you before: Ihateliars.”
He releases me, the move so jarring I gasp like he was truly choking me. He takes a few steps back, eyes knowingly on Axl’s door. Not a second later, Pierce ambles through it, focus darting between the two of us.
“I’ve been dismissed,” Pierce says when he reaches us. He takes my hand, planting a kiss on the back of it. “Until next time, my darling.”
A flutter of heat makes my head spin.
“You coming?” Pierce asks Jax, who is staring at me with that unrelenting gaze.
Stay with me.
Choose me again.
I want to shout the words at him, but he flinches like some invisible force has shoved him. He nods to Pierce, silently turning to follow him away from Axl’s home and down the steps, disappearing into the night.
I stand there for a few moments, collecting my thoughts and shaking my head at the man I can’t even begin to understand. He doesn’t regret choosing me but says he hates me in the same heartbeat?
After a few deep breaths, I shake off the interaction, more than ready to go back inside and find a way to forget all the worries bouncing inside my mind. I close the door behind me and lean back against it with my eyes closed.
“Kitten.” Axl’s voice is coated in demand, making every worry and doubt disappear.
“Axl,” I reply, opening my eyes to find him and Kal standing in the entryway.
“About your punishment,” he says, smirking. “You have two options.”
A thrill rushes through me as I look between them.
“One, you can come back to the couch, and we’ll spend the evening hashing this out together, going over every strategy until we’re exhausted…whatever you need.”
I dip my chin, warmth radiating through my chest at the offer.
“Or two,” he continues. “You can walk that sweet ass upstairs and do as you were told earlier.” His grin is devious, and Kal’s is the same. “Maybe if you do it fast enough, we’ll go easy on you.”
I wet my lips, my heart racing at the options laid before me. Sure, we need to figure out what Baydel wants, wherehis true intentions lie, but I’m exhausted from worrying. And since they didn’t find anything on Erin, part of me believes she is living her best life, happy, safe, far away from the king’s reach…even if it’s a betrayal of me, her fuckingsister.
So, right now? I just want tobe.
“What’s it going to be, Rylee?” Kal asks, blue eyes flickering.
My choice. It’s always my choice with them.
I bite down on my smile, holding up two fingers before I bound up the stairs.
25
Rylee
A sharp rush of anticipation hits me as I stop for a second, taking in Axl’s loft bedroom. The space is wide and open and airy, with a massive bed pressed against the back wall, royal blue nightstands framing it on either side. There is a cushioned bench at the foot of his bed, and a small shelf of books is tucked in a far corner next to an armchair with blue and gold details. Marks from Jax’s blades are easily identifiable in the wood armrests, and beyond that, next to the shelves of books, is a door connecting to a bathing chamber. A plaster half wall completes the room, overlooking the rest of the house below.
I hear slow, heavy footsteps on the stairs behind me, sending a jolt of pure excitement down the center of me.
“Ready or not, here we come,” Axl calls, his voice wolfish.
I grab the hem of my top and haul it over my head, making quick work of the cotton pants next. He told me to be naked and sprawled on his bed, but I feel like pushing his limits. So, instead, I lean against the armrest of the chair in the corner.
Axl appears first, Kal right on his heels.
A low growl rumbles from Axl’s chest when he finds meleaning against the chair. “Naughty kitten,” he says, sucking his teeth and shaking his head.
