Page 59 of The Spare
She looked back at me and dropped her head in disappointment. I felt a soft whimper against the crook of my neck.
“I’m going to kill him,” I growled. It was almost poetic that the one thing that stood between us and a night of passion was our brothers.
I put her back down on the counter, and she unhooked her legs from my waist.
“Pick this up later?” she asked, catching her breath. I nodded and pressed a kiss on her lips. I sighed and turned around to go change.
“Hey, Xan,” she said. I smiled as I walked away and heard her attempt to control her breath.
CHAPTER30
Sloan
We took a town car to the bar. Marcus and I kept our hands to ourselves so we would look presentable.
Mostly.
“We should probably talk about that.” I fidgeted nervously, twining my fingers. He sat beside me with his arm draped over my shoulders. “Right?”
He nodded, turned to move closer, and ran his hand up my thigh. His fingers began stroking the skin beneath the lace of the La Perla set I wore for him.
“What color is the lace?” His voice was gravel in my ear. He dropped his lips to the hollow of my neck.
I struggled to fill my lungs. “Marcus.” The trembling made it to my voice.
“I need something to picture until I can get you into my bed.”
I couldn’t think. He stole any logical thoughts and replaced them with sinful fantasies. “Red.”
A pleasure-filled groan entered my ear. His fingers pressed desperately on my hip beneath the dress. “Don’t get drunk,” he commanded.
I inhaled sharply when his hand moved from my hip to my core, and he gently stroked his thumb over my aching clit. I arched away from the seat with a gasp. My body lit up with arousal.
“I don’t want to put you in the guest bed again,” he whispered.
How was I supposed to get through a whole night if he kept talking to me and touching me likethat?My head fell back when he continued his strokes for a bit longer. Every nerve ending in my body hummed for him.
“You can’t do things likethatfor the rest of the night,” I warned, knowing he needed to stop but wishing he wouldn’t. His low chuckle was enough to put me over the edge the way everything south of my naval was throbbing. “I can’t keep it cool and collected like you.”
“I’ll behave.” He lingered for a second, then pulled back slowly. Almost immediately, he looked unbothered and composed, not like he had his hand up my dress the second before. His focus made me nervous in a thrilling way—it promised pleasure, sin, satisfaction. “We can tell Xander and Henry when there’s something to tell.”
I nodded, reminding myself not to let Xander rope me into a drinking game.
* * *
We relied on Penelope to choose a place to meet. She was the most familiar with London. Luckily, she was available tonight when I called her from the car. She was surprised to hear that Marcus and I were going out on the town, less so when she found out who was visiting.
The night began to follow a familiar track. Xander and I bopped around, talking, dancing, and catching up on the last couple of months. Henry and Marcus were deep in conversation.
It felt like it used to.
Except for occasionally sneaking a few sultry glances at Marcus; that was a delightful new addition.
I had been so distracted with Marcus the last few weeks that I forgot how much I missed Xander. Seeing him was like being reunited with a part of myself. A fun and silly part. It felt like a dream or passage to an idyllic past that never actually existed.
Either way, it was an exceptional night.
Until it wasn’t.
