Page 25 of Villains Never Die

He pulled back and used his death grip on my neck to tilt my head at the angle he wanted it, and then his lips neared mine until they paused an inch from touching. He wouldn’t take that kiss. If I wanted him gone, I’d have to give it to him. I wanted him gone, didn’t I? His lower lip was slightly full in a way that would have bent me to his will if he’d pouted at me with it and been anyone other than my enemy.

His fingers loosened, then fell to his side. I was free now to make a choice.

I closed my eyes, leaning forward and erasing the space between us. I was not one to call anythingelectric. My life had little excitement or pleasure. I existed to work, to gain money, and above all, to solve the mystery that had haunted me since I was a child. I lived for goals and nothing else.

But the moment our lips touched, I felt a jolt. Rook must have felt it too—he deepened the kiss with no warning. His tongue slipped against mine, forcing itself into my mouth and Ilet him, as if I could fool myself into thinking it was a conscious decision; as if I could convince myself with our mouths tangled up and hungry that he had no power over me.

One of his hands slid around my ribs to pull me closer, and the other, which was still pressed against the bulge in my trousers, began to rub up and down, applying more pressure along the length of my cock. In response, I nipped the tip of his tongue, and he groaned into my mouth. With that one hand, he unfastened the button of my pants and slid his fingers into the fabric of my underwear, seizing my cock and stroking it in long, languid measures.

I wrapped both my hands around the back of his neck, gripping him like he might go somewhere, even though I didn’t think there was a chance he would run from this. His strokesquickened, driving me mad. I swelled under his touch, suddenly aching, desperate for release.

“That’s it, England, let yourself go.” His lips attacked me again, tongue exploring my mouth. His fingers moved faster, pressure increasing, driving me toward…I was going to…

He didn’t stop kissing me as I came in my pants, coating his curled fingers in my semen. When I finally broke away from him, panting, his eyes were heavy-lidded. But they widened as the moment ended and he withdrew his hand. He did not sever our gaze, and I watched the motions of his tongue as he licked his fingers clean.

“See you around, England.” He kissed my cheek as he walked around me and out the door. “And lock that keypad down with a spell. Numbers are way too easy to guess.”

I stood perfectly still. The room did not tilt. My head did not spin. Everything was eerily calm, utterly silent. But something fundamental shifted somewhere beneath my feet, leaving me unsteady where I quaked in the charged air he left behind.

Chapter Eleven

After three hours of sleep, I pulled myself out of bed to face the daylight that shone on my bad decision. I took a deep breath. I could do this—I could dress and put on a neutral face and pretend like nothing happened last night. Gray wouldn’t ask many questions, and if he did, I was his boss. I didn’t owe him an explanation. The guards who had failed would not be returning for their shifts the next evening. All would be well and right with the world.

I showered for thirty minutes, scrubbing my skin harder than normal to make it forget the way his hands felt, and took even longer grooming and dressing. I would look perfect, put together, not at all bothered.

I entered my bedroom with a towel wrapped around my waist, opened my closet, and flipped through hangers for my favorite suit—the deep burgundy one that was unique without being flashy. I slid aside the outfit in front of it and found my most prized suit in tatters, shredded from collar to waist. Pants, too. Bits of it hanging off the hanger like rags.

That bastard.

I huffed and dressed in something else, suddenly not caring what I chose, and stormed over to the nightstand to grab my phone.

You are an arsehole.

Rook: Have a good day at work. :-)

I flipped the phone shut and pressed it against my forehead. I didn’t have time for this.

Gray was already waiting in my office, being the only other person who had a key, and must have noticed something was off. That was the bad side of his keen senses—they were useful at gleaning information, but annoying when they took an interest in me.

I held up a hand. “No questions. Just business.”

“You got it, boss.” He shrugged. “Two weeks until the gala. I hired an event planner, by the way. I’m not getting shackled with flowers and music anymore.”

I nodded, settling behind my desk. I prioritized Gray for things like ridding myself of incompetent staff, so I didn’t complain that he had no time to plan this month’s Full Moon Gala. I threw them every month, partly to satisfy my love of parties, and partly to monitor all the players who might be a threat—or of benefit—to me. People clamored for invitations. Sometimes I coupled them with fundraisers to keep up the facade of everything being above board. It was all a delicate dance of power, information, and money.

“Keep me informed—flowers or no flowers, you're the middleman to the event planner,” I said. “Any luck finding Teddy?”

“Locator spell worked, but by the time our guys got there, he was already gone. We’ll find him.”

“Feel free to cause him pain before you bring him back,” I said. “It’s always such a pain in the arse when they run. Go get yourself a coffee."

Gray had a credit card in my name that I trusted him to use responsibly. “Pick me up a latte or something.” After last night, I think I needed to start today the way Americans did. Just…with something less bitter. I made a face at the thought of it, and Gray chuckled.

“I’ll make sure they pour a shit ton of sugar in it,” he said, rising from his chair.

I realized, as the door closed behind him, how tedious it had all become. A party once a month, meetings with buyers, warehouse inspections, artifact acquisitions, calling in favors only half the people I granted them to could pay back. Same shite day after day.

I opened my laptop and checked my messages on Midnight Chat.