Page 42 of The Never List
I glance up at her, my mouth poised above her. “Anyone who walks in here will catch me worshipping you.” I drag my tongue up her slowly, holding her gaze. “But if you want me to stop, just say the word.”
She slides her fingers in my hair, gripping it. “Don’t stop,” she begs.
I smile against her, then flick my tongue again. “Fuck. You taste like salted caramel.” Her thighs tremble around my face as I unleash myself on her, eating her like I’m starved. And fuck, maybe I am, because I’ve never been this desperate for anyone.Ever. With the previous potentials, it was all formulaic, strategic on both sides.
But this? This is unrestrained need. This is pure, carnal pleasure.
This is chaos.
Her grip on my hair tightens as she rocks against my face, moving against me. I hold her steady with my hands, one on her hip and one behind her lower back, adjusting her so she can do nothing but hold on. And just when I know she’s on that edge, when I can feel her primed and aching for that push, I suck hard.
“Kal,”she moans not so quietly as her flavor bursts on my tongue. Her body trembles as I work her through her orgasm, taking her down with slow, gentle strokes until she goes limp against me.
I lean away, licking my lips as I help her into her lace and pants, bringing the clothing up with me as I stand.
“Mmm,” I groan after buttoning her back up. “I could do that all day.”
Her cheeks are flushed, her eyes hazy as she looks up at me. I grin down at her, adjusting myself so it’s not so obvioushow badly I want her. I help her into her jacket, smoothing my hands through her hair. “Now that I’ve already had dessert,” I say, and her blush deepens, “would you like to see the rest of my city?”
She bites her lip, almost like she’s trying to hide the smile that steals my breath. Fuck, I’m already losing it for this woman, and we’ve barely begun.
Worry slices through my chest. I can’t get too attached. There are so many obstacles she has to overcome before I can even consider the possibility of her actually belonging to us, but I can’t help it. Something about her makes me envision a future I have no right to picture so soon.
What is she doing to me?
14
Rylee
Several hours later, my legs are still weak from what Kal did to me.
Fire flares along my skin just thinking about it. I’ve never—notonce—come so hard before. And that was just his mouth. I can’t imagine what else he can do to my body, what pleasures he can wring from it.
And right there in the café, next to an unlocked door where anyone could have walked in on us. This man is all kindness and charm on the outside, but delicious risk-taking on the inside. The combination is intoxicating, but it’s doing horrible things to the defenses I’m trying to hold in place.
Since Kal’s utter devastation of all my better senses, I’ve seen the many faces that make up the Ruby Aire, from the innovative businesses to the museums and everything in between. But the Crimson Riverwalk is my favorite. It’s a long stretch of river that winds along the city’s border with a gorgeous bridge that connects the lands on either side, all manner of shops and nightclubs and taverns along the way.
Mirren joined us around midday, arriving by carriage, and neither she nor the Occuli have stopped following us once. Not that I expected they would, but it’s a little hard to get used to, especially when I’ve lived my life trying toavoidattention.
“The guys are meeting us here,” Kal says after the sun has long since set, the stars casting the red city lights in a silver glow. “I’m sure you’re hungry.” He holds open the door to a grand brick building situated near the end of the Riverwalk.
“I can always eat,” I answer honestly and walk inside.
The sounds of violins and other string instruments swell as we enter, cast throughout the space by magic, making the song reverberate along the dark walls. It’s almost too dark to see anything, but crimson candles and lanterns hang in sections, bathing everything in that ruby glow that is the signature of Kal’s city.
A marble bar takes up the length of one wall to our left, an endless number of bottles stacked on shelves behind it. Private half-circle tables with cushioned seats take up an elevated space on the right, with a few smaller round tables scattered around the ground level.
Kal leads us through the crowded space and up a set of roped-off stairs, guiding us to one of the private tables. My breath catches as Axl slides out of it, rising to meet us. Pierce and Jax remain seated behind the middle of the table. Pierce gives me a nod, but Jax scans the room, looking very much like he’s lording over the place even though it doesn’t belong to him.
And for some reason I can’t explain, something tight inside my chest eases when I set eyes on each of the Legends.
Where is that coming from? Is it some side effect of the Choosing I haven’t been made aware of? I barely know these men, and I’ve hated their fathers—and them by their relation to them—for most of my life. How can I breatheeasier at just the sight of them?
My connection to Kal, I understand. I’ve learned so much about him today. I know the way he takes his coffee, that he prefers sweet to savory, and that he will do anything for his people. That much was clear when we were stopped earlier by a woman who begged Kal for special approval on renovations to her clothing shop. Kal signed the licenses needed without batting an eye or demanding a favor in return.
“Fuck, Rylee,” Axl says after shaking Kal’s hand. He scoops me up in a bear hug like we’re old friends reuniting after a lengthy separation, spinning me around with my feet dangling off the floor before setting me back down. “You’re downright edible in blue,” he says, his smile wide as he glances at Kal. “How jealous did this make you?”
I chuckle, unable to resist Axl’s energy. No wonder he’s the Player—he’s always in a good mood.
