I growled, my wolf sounding, snuggling further into the warmth.
“Fuck off,” Ezra’s voice vibrated against my ear, his arms tightening around me.
“Five more minutes,” Pearl slurred.
“Hell…chickens,” Jack groused.
It was the snickering that really woke me.
And the sound of…Elder Jacobs…muttering, “Chickens?”
“Kill ‘em…bastards,” Jack snorted.
Jack mumbling unintelligibly in his sleep was nothing new, but hearing Elder Jacobs and King Venclaire? Well, that wasn’t normal. Nor were the many chuckles sounding.
My head and Ezra’s popped up at the same time, and I blinked blurrily. “Huh?” I pulled my hand out from underneath the blanket, rubbing my eyes to see better in the bright light. “Who’s there?”
Ezra’s predator growled loud in my ear, sounding ferocious, though he apparently had the same problem as me with his sight, taking a hand off my hip to rub his eyes. “Answer her!”
Someone whistled long and high, followed by, “Someone’s testy when they wake up.” That would be King Nelson’s voice off to my right.
“You have no idea,” Cahal’s voice muttered, sounding exasperated, directly in front of me. “I don’t know how many bedroom doors, alarm clocks, and light switches we went through during his teenage years.”
I shook my head, still hearing Jack and Pearl snoring, and squinted through the light. I went completely still. I had no clue how Ezra and I had ended up on the ground, but there it was. We were lying in front of the couch, half concealed by the blanket, which was wrapped under us and protecting us from the hard, cold floor. All the Kings and Antonio’s posse were standing in front of our couch, spread out like a bad fucking dream. “Nightmare. It’s got to be.”
“Jack had it right the first time,” Ezra grumbled, basically lying on top of me. “It’s hell.”
“With brooms,” I muttered, brushing hair out of my face and staring at what King Kincaid held, firmly ignoring some of the looks we were receiving waking like this.
“And dustpans,” he mumbled, eyes on what Elder Jacobs held, even as I felt him carefully removing his other hand from under my shirt, where he had been gripping my breast. One of his favorite sleeping positions. Just not exactly appropriate for our current audience. Again, thankfully, the blanket partially covered us.
I nodded toward King Fergus’s hand. Stalling. Giving Ezra just a bit more time. “Pearl can Windex.”
“Revenge?”
“I stank of it for weeks afterward. It was like it soaked into my pores.”
“Are you two done yet?” King Nelson griped.
Ezra actually chuckled, his hand slowly creeping down my stomach. “Just about.”
I snorted hard, and my voice choked as I glanced at Cahal’s hand. “Jack gets the Dirt Devil.”
King Venclaire appeared pretty damn amused. “For the hell reference?”
“Exactly,” Ezra murmured while his fingers gently pulled the hem of my shirt down. “Well, that about does it.”
My head lolled back against Ezra’s chest as I began to laugh my ass off.
“Ignore her.” Ezra patted the back of my head. “I think she smoked something herbal.”
King Venclaire snorted, but coughed over it, then took the broom King Kincaid held next to him. I blinked as he whacked Jack and Pearl, whose snores turned to shouts, up on top of the couch. The broom was suddenly back in King Kincaid’s hand, and King Venclaire pointed at him, saying, “I believe he did it.”
“What?” Jack muttered loudly. A pause. “Hey! Where the hell are Ezra and Lily?”
“Down here!” I called, my chin quivering as I waggled my fingers. “Somehow.”
“That happened during the…” Elder Merrick paused, looking at King Kincaid. “What? During the second movie?”
King Kincaid’s head tilted. “Well, it all started during the first when Pearl fell asleep.”
King Venclaire nodded. “Ezra and Lily were already out, and then Pearl fell asleep.”
“What did I do?” Pearl asked slowly.
King Venclaire blinked. “You fell over on them.”
Cahal pointed the Dirt Devil at me. “Ms Ruckler started growling in her sleep, muttering something every once in a while about ‘too hot’.”
Elder Jacobs nodded. “Then Jack fell asleep.” He made a down motion. “And he fell over, too.”
King Nelson pulled at his ear. “Then Lily really started hollering.”
King Fergus shook his head, a look of absolute disbelief on his face. “How you four slept through her racket is seriously a miracle.”
“Ezra started growling when she got louder,” King Venclaire chuckled. “We didn’t see anything, but suddenly, we heard a thump.”
Elder Merrick’s eyebrows rose at the Kings and Elders, prompting, “During the middle of the second movie.”
They all nodded.
“I jumped up to check on you guys,” Antonio stated. “Apparently, Ezra had used his Vampire speed in knocking Lily to the floor, leaving Jack and Pearl to have the couch to themselves.”
King Nelson sighed. “It was blissfully silent after that.”
They stared, eyes darting back and forth between the four of us.
Jack muttered, “They’re putting us on.”
“Maybe drugged us, too,” Pearl griped.
“Lily?” Ezra asked, rubbing the back of his neck.
I chuckled, extremely embarrassed. “Truth. All of it.”
Elder Merrick’s nostrils were flared, ignoring me as his eyes darted over us. “That’s one hell of a blanket.” He pointed, eyebrows puckering. “Huge, in fact.” He sniffed long and hard.
Ezra and I both stilled. Oh, hell. Had we washed it recently? Not only were all four of our scents on it, which wasn’t a huge deal since we were currently all using it, but there was the tiny fact that Ezra and my combined sexual scents might remain. Just as my own nostrils flared to test the scent, a flash of golden light shone from above us. Ezra and I both grunted as we fell a few inches onto the cold floor, the blanket suddenly gone.
“I have a very large bed,” Pearl murmured, her legs swinging over the couch, barely missing stepping on Ezra and me as she stood. “Do you have an issue with that, Elder Merrick?” Her hands were on her hips as she glared at him.
His lips slowly curved. “No, Ms Cooper.” His eyes met mine. “My own bed is large.”
Pearl snorted, then nudged us with her foot, having saved our asses. “Lily, you get the Windex.”
Sighing in defeat, I muttered, “Fine.”
And so, we cleaned.
I reeked of Windex for several days afterward.
Chapter Fourteen
After meeting with King Kincaid, where he had given me a cell phone so he could contact me at all times, I roamed the halls of King Cave searching for Ezra, since over the past few days we had been too busy for extracurricular activities, and I was beginning to get a little itchy for some horizontal time. Pearl and Jack hadn’t been in our room, so I didn’t know where the hell anyone was at. The King had stated that all the Prodigies were receiving phones today, but I didn’t know yet their numbers to call them. It was actually pretty handy to be given these…if only I had their numbers.
Turning a corner, I stopped in my tracks, seeing the object of my carnal musings sauntering in my direction. His hooded black robe billowed out behind him, while his long legs, encased in perfectly worn denim, ate up the distance between us. Dangling from one of his hands was a black towel and his gaze was on the pool’s entrance. Watching him move, I knew why so many feared him. He was a predator by every stretch of the imagination.
And to me he looked like sex walking.
I watched as his nostrils flared. Feet faltering, his gaze immediately swung in my direction, green eyes finding me in the intimate golden lighting. He stopped moving, and his eyes flashed bright for the barest moment before he rested a shoulder against the cold, black wal
l. One eyebrow crooked as he cocked his head, and his eyes began to blaze with desire as they roved over me. His head straightened, and he reached out a hand, opening the door directly next to his shoulder.
Oh God, yes.
I nodded, and quickly hurried after him as he entered the room. Shutting and locking the door behind me, I saw the room was a softly lit office of sorts. Definitely a Mage’s, by the amount of gold decoration. And beautifully empty except for the sensual Vampire who was lighting the golden candles lining one wall of the small square room. There was a gold marble desk to my direct left, a row of bookshelves lining the wall to my right, and a sitting area at the end of the room with two gold and cream couches, a cream lounge couch, a golden leather chair, and a coffee table in front of the lit fireplace.
I itched my nose as Ezra blew out the long wooden match he had used to light the candles. The twinkling of firelight played across his face as he turned to me, placing the match on the long, narrow shelf of candles. As he lowered his hood, I could see his hair was mussed, but quickly forgot when he blurred, suddenly in front of me and pressing my back against the door.
Warm, strong hands ran down my sides to my hips, tiny flames leaping to life wherever he touched. Green eyes on my blue ones, his grip tightened and he lifted me, my legs automatically hooking under his robe around his waist as I grabbed his shoulders. Wide lips hovered directly in front of mine, his heated breath fanning my lips. “Is there something I can do for you, little wolf?”
“Mmm.” My lips lifted on a grin. “You can take your clothes off, for starters.”
Soft, lush lips teased closer, barely brushing mine as he spoke. “And after that?” He pressed against me enticingly, revealing his growing erection and aligning us perfectly for the act we desired.
A soft moan escaped, and I answered his question by rubbing my breasts against his chest, my eyes closing at the caress of warmth, his hard contours against my softness. “I don’t care if we’re too busy.” My lids slitted open to stare him in the eyes. “We’re gonna have to make time for this.”
His grip tightened on my hips, and he growled, “You’re the one who fell asleep last night before I got into bed.” He nipped my lower lip gently. “But I agree. Two days has been too long.” Wide lips landed on mine and began stroking with a hunger that matched my own, our lustful demands battling with each other, the push and pull intoxicating. Between our feasting at each other’s mouths, he asked, “I was looking for you. Where the hell were you?”
“With King Kincaid,” I murmured against his lips, craving his taste and his heat, our mouths quickly meshing wickedly, perfectly. Fingers shaking with the need he tirelessly inspired, I began undoing the tong buttons to his velvet robe, barely managing not to rip them off, before pushing it over his shoulders, just to have it catch at his biceps.
Resting against me more heavily, mouth never leaving mine, he tugged his robe the rest of the way off, letting it drop to the floor behind him. Heated palms landed on my thighs, kneading as they traveled to my hips, while his searing, slick tongue glided across the seam of my lips, demanding entry. Shivering in sensory pleasure, I tilted my head and opened for him. My profound groan was in concert with his as our gliding tongues invaded, rubbing sensually and making love to each other’s mouths.
Blissful moments passed as our thorough strokes altered, increasingly burning into a frantic desire of flesh-driven urgency that left both of us gasping. Breathless, and still not leaving my lips, Ezra ordered, “Don’t let go.” Clinging to him as instructed, his clever tongue plunged, returning to mine, as he pushed away from the door. I felt cool air at my back and heard items crashing to the ground as he bent, laying me on the desk now empty of office objects. Quick fingers began unbuttoning my black top as he pressed his lips firmer to mine, eating at my mouth just as hard as I was his. I whimpered as his knuckles grazed my bare skin with each button he unfastened.
My own hands journeyed, heat suffusing every nerve ending, as he began grinding his impressive cock against my sensitive core. Grabbing his billowy red shirt, I yanked it over his head, making him grunt in frustration when he had to stop his task and lift his lips from mine. He snatched the shirt from my hands, haphazardly stuffing it under my head for protection against the unforgiving marble, then his mouth instantly returned. I barely got in a breath before his tongue slid across mine, tempting me to sin.
I got my hands on his belt just as he finished with my shirt, cupping my breasts and squeezing them through my bra. He moaned, his breath rushing over my cheeks. Igniting heat traveled from the tips of my breasts to my belly, and I arched into his touch, whispering, “Ezra.”
That was when I felt his belt snap beneath my fingers.
He stilled on top of me, his dilated eyes traveling from my breasts to my wide gaze. A slow blink. “Sweetheart, that is the third belt you’ve broken this week alone.” A pause as humor entered his gaze. “I don’t even know how many that makes so far.”
I licked my lips, my gaze a smidge sheepish. “I’ll buy you more, or maybe, you could quit wearing them?”
“Not gonna happen,” he murmured, eyes journeying down to my breasts. “And I don’t think I want you shopping for me.” His thumb traveled over my bra, brushing my nipple and making me jolt under him. He grinned, his head slowly lowering. “You’d probably bring one back with a cartoon character on the buckle.”
A quick glance at my current bra, and my cheeks flushed. I was wearing one of my Shifter festive bras, this time with a bunny print. At least it wasn’t the one with animated frogs I had finally found in my drawer today. That one I really liked, but he would probably hate. “I’m sure I could manage something without the term ‘cute’ applied to it.”
He hummed in his throat — his attention caught elsewhere — no longer listening as his lips dipped to my collarbone. My own distressing reaction flew wayward as his wicked tongue danced over my skin, tickling and enticing me to bare my throat. Grabbing his hair, I tilted my head and pressed his mouth to my neck, and I felt his fangs brush my pulse before retracting without biting, as I had originally asked. Breaths coming in pants as he suckled at my neck, leisurely moving downward while his hands continued working their magic on my breasts, I tilted my face toward him.
And damn near choked on slut as I inhaled. I blinked, sniffing his hair again, making sure I had the clinging scent right. It was. A slow growl that I couldn’t contain rumbled from my chest as I remembered his mussed hair. And this growl wasn’t a nice one as my emotions spiraled. Not at all.
Ezra’s body froze on top of me as his head lifted, eyes scanning the room, misunderstanding. His gaze found mine a moment later, and his black eyebrows slammed together. Slowly, he took his hands off my breasts and placed them on the desk’s surface next to my shoulders, lifting on them so he was staring down at me. He inhaled sharply, and immediately his thick lashes hooded his gaze. “Lily?” A multitude of questions was in that one word, my name.
“You smell of slut,” I hissed, taking my hands back from his hair and sniffing them, which only made my growl intensify. Luckily for him, all I smelled was her normal scent, not her sexual fluids. Still, my emotions raged their own private battle, trying to devour me, and I tried to understand as they beat a heavy rhythm in my head and chest, stealing my very air.
A pause, his head cocking as he watched me. “You mean Jessica.”
“Same thing.” I unlatched my legs from around his waist, starting to squirm out from underneath him.
It didn’t really work since he grabbed my hips in an unbreakable hold, keeping me flush against him. “Jessica isn’t a slut.” He paused, and ignoring my growl, his face dropped to inches from my face. His eyes were on mine. Searching. Inhaling deeply, then holding the breath in, he murmured, “You’re jealous.”
Abruptly, my growl cut off. Staring up at him, I blinked repeatedly.
Was I? Was that what was causing this? Was that the emotion flaring bright?
I knew I didn’t like
her scent on him, that was for fuck sure. And I sure as hell didn’t like the fact that he was with me after being in direct contact with her.
Was that jealousy? Or just pride?
Green eyes watching me carefully, Ezra softly kissed my lips. The lightest touch. Gaze steadfast on mine, his mouth hovered before lowering, pressing gentle lips to my chin. The barest of touches down my jaw. My throat. Eyes still holding mine, he nibbled down the center of my chest, ever so slowly, pressing his mouth’s warmth against my skin.
Quietly, he affirmed, “You know I’ve only had sex with you since we got back together.” Truth. His tongue dipped, beginning to create designs on my cleavage before giving my flesh an open-mouthed kiss. Breath rushing over my gradually reheating skin, he said, “I only drank from her today.” As I stayed silent, trying to figure out just what the hell I was feeling, his gaze dropped to one of my breasts. Gently, he palmed it, beginning to suckle at my pebbled nipple through the material.
My breath caught, and I grabbed a fistful of his hair, my other hand going back to his pants.
Only to have the smell of slut puff at me like a cloud of pissed-off fury, and right now, I could feel his jeans already unbuttoned, which I hadn’t gotten to doing yet.
Using great restraint, I actually withheld the growl. “Your pants are already unbuttoned.”
Ezra laved my nipple, shrugging his massive shoulders over me. “She tried to put her hand down my pants while I drank.”
Okay. The growl couldn’t be contained as I envisioned her perfect hand going for his cock, and I started shoving his shoulders. “Get the fuck off me.”
His head snapped up, not moving one damn bit as I pushed him, and again, he inhaled sharply.
I growled low, and was pissed off just enough that I shoved with my Shifter strength.
He moved that time.
Watching as he stumbled back two steps from the desk, I rolled off it, backing away from him even further and stepping on the discarded items from the desk right before my back slammed against the wall under the shelf of candles.
King Cave Page 27
