Page 27 of Viper’s Reign

My eyes drift, landing right between his thighs—and that thought goes straight out of my mind. His cock is long and thick, half hard, the broad mushroom head wet and slightly flushed.

My mouth waters at the sight, heat building low in my belly as I imagine wrapping my lips around it. I’ve never given head before. The realization hits and sticks, the image turning so clear it’s impossible to ignore—me going down on my knees in front of him and⁠—

“Are you going to get out to eat, or are you planning to stare at me all day?”

“Oh, I—uh. Sorry, I was just…”

I scramble out of the tub so fast I slosh water across the floor, my cheeks burning as I grab the nearest towel. How embarrassing. My body still hums from earlier. His cum might be washed away, but the ache between my legs lingers, reminding me he was there, reminding me how electric it was.

Is sex always this good? This addictive?

It’s barely been thirty minutes, and I’m already fantasizing about more.

From the predatory way his eyes follow me as I towel off, he’s in the same boat. Literally, I guess.

We eat breakfast on the top deck, and it is, without question, the most absurdly good meal I have ever had before noon. I eat slowly, trying to make it last, watching the water move around us in long, flat swells.

This is just part of the job, I keep telling myself to absolve the guilt. The more you lose yourself to the fantasy, the less suspicious you’ll seem.

But the longer it goes on, the harder it becomes to pull myself out of the fantasy. At some point, I glance toward the Statue of Liberty. “How incredible would it be to actually go there…” I mutter, mostly to myself.

“You want to go there?”

“Who wouldn’t?” I shrug. “But it’s an impossible wish. The island’s been closed to the public since the renovations started—you can’t dock or even get close enough to try. It’s one thing even money can’t buy.” I know that for a fact because Millie and I tried a few months back. We even looked into renting a friend’s boat on the cheap for a night so we could try to sneak on. Then we saw the consequences for trespassing. Federal consequences. And there went that little dream. The only silver lining was the odd comfort that it wasn’t money standing in our way, that some things are off-limits to everyone.

Dimitri doesn’t laugh with me. “You want to go there?” he repeats, his tone serious this time, and my smile fades.

“I would love to,” I answer slowly. “But it’s not possible.” He hums and goes back to eating. I frown at him, trying to figure out what that reaction was about, but then I shrug and let it go.

After breakfast, he excuses himself to make a call, and I wander down to the lower deck, making my way to the back where there’s a small pool. I sit at the edge with my legs dangling in the water and watch the slow, rhythmic roll of the waves against the hull.

It’s a shame Millie isn’t here to see this. She would have loved this.

My heart aches at the thought of what I’ll have to do to get her back. I try to tell myself it won’t be anything dangerous, that Dimitri will be fine, but the unease twisting my gut refuses to loosen. I sink deeper into the thoughts circling my head, staring blankly ahead until a voice cuts through them.

“Something to eat, Miss.”

I jerk in surprise as a woman steps toward me holding a tray of food. I didn’t even hear her come up. “What time is it?” I ask, blinking through the afternoon sun.

“Five o’clock.”

Five? I’ve been out here for hours. What kind of call is Dimitri on that lasts that long?

Frowning, I take the tray and eat the food, but I don’t even taste it. Without him around, it feels like the fantasy is already crumbling, and cold, harsh reality is clawing its way back in.

When I’m done eating, I get to my feet to go find him. I don’t have to look far. As I get back to the main deck, he emerges from the cabin with a wide, devilish grin.

“We’re going,” he announces.

I frown. “Back to shore?” Back home to reality?

No, I’m not ready.

His smile widens. “To Liberty Island.”

My lips part and my eyes almost bulge out of their sockets. “No, we’re not.”

He chuckles, like I’m amusing and not making a completely valid point.