It was probably the ass-spanking part.
Serena tried to wiggle free when I reached the deck, but I didn’t let go of her until I deposited her troublemaking ass on the couch.
Glaring up at me, Serena grabbed for a pillow.
I intercepted, yanking it away from her. “I really hope you weren’t thinking about hitting me with that.”
“No. I like holding pillows when I’m sitting down.”
“Really?” I placed the pillow on the other side of the couch. Standing over her, I knew I was looming, and I also knew it made her uncomfortable by the amount of squirming she was doing. I stayed right where I was. “What am I going to do with you?”
She stopped moving. “I don’t know. How about do whatever job you’re supposed to be doing?”
My cock twitched. Damn, I did like her snappy mouth. “I thought I was doing my job up until the moment you ran off.”
Irritation flushed her cheeks. “And I’ve apologized for that.”
I watched her as I mentally tallied up everything that was fucked up about this situation. There was a chance that the Luxen would find her—a small one, but there.
They were the damn glowworm mafia of the universe. Couldn’t forget about Raz and his merry band of assholes, and thanks to her little field trip today and my refusal to let them play with their food source, they were going to be as problematic as reoccurring jock itch. There was also the fact that I knew I would have to tie Serena up to keep her inside, and while that made certain parts of me very interested, it wasn’t feasible.
What to do…what to do…
“What are you glowering about?” Serena asked as she reached for a pillow. Her eyes narrowed on me as she hugged it to her chest.
“You.”
She made a face, then squeezed the pillow tighter.
Close to the end of my patience, I prowled around, caged like a wild animal. When I stopped in front of her again, I saw that her lashes had fluttered shut. They’d been doing that since she sat down, each time taking a little bit longer to sweep back up.
This time she let go of her pillow and let her arms go to her sides.
“Serena?” I placed a hand on her shoulder before I really thought about it, gently rousing her. “Are you asleep?”
Prying one eye open, she frowned at me. “Obviously not.”
“How tired are you?”
“Tired enough not to argue with you.”
That would be a nice change of pace, but… “Do you feel dizzy?”
“Earlier, but I’m just tired now. Why? Did you permanently damage me?”
A long moment passed. “Maybe.”
Serena watched me for a moment and then settled back into the cushion. I remained there and then backed off, heading into the kitchen. Finding what I needed, I returned. She’d already dozed off again.
“Serena, open your eyes.”
It took a couple of seconds for her response.
I held out a chocolate bar. “Eat this.”
“I’m not hungry.”
Here we go again . “You have two options: feed yourself or I will feed you.”
“Jesus,” she snapped, swiping for the bar. She missed by a mile the first time, but managed to snag it the second time around. “You aren’t going to open it for me?”
My lips twitched as I sat beside her. “Do I need to?”
“No.” She tore open one end and took a huge bite. “Yum.”
I arched a brow. She was apparently very grumpy when tired. “Are you pouting?”
“No.” She took another messy bite and when she pulled the bar away, tiny pieces of chocolate clung to her full bottom lip. My gaze zeroed right in on them like they were some kind of fucking mecca.
I didn’t stop to think.
Cupping her chin, I turned her head toward mine. Her sleepy eyes widened a split second before I struck, catching the pieces of chocolate with my tongue. One quick flick and her lip was clear and the chocolate was melting on my tongue, but the soft gasp that teased my lips undid me.
I trailed my tongue over her lip again as I slid my hand down the front of her throat.
I expected her to pull back, maybe even hit me, but she remained perfectly still. If I had any sense of conscience, I would’ve stopped. Serena knew exactly what I was, but her defenses were most definitely down.
But a conscience wasn’t something I really believed in.
Taking it one step forward, I brushed my lips over hers. A sharp pang of need deafened me for a moment and lust rose rapidly. I lifted my head, searching her face for a sign of something. She stared up, lips parted and swollen. The flush spreading over her cheeks fascinated me. I couldn’t gain crap from her expression, but she wasn’t swinging on me.
She should be and I shouldn’t be doing this.
Fuck it.
Dipping my head, I captured her lips. Her sharp intake of breath reverberated through my skull. I deepened the kiss, slipping my tongue past those sweet lips, and damn. Serena tasted like chocolate and that freshness I’d come to recognize as sunlight. And who the hell knows what sunlight tasted like, but if it had any kind of tang, Serena had it.
Fuck. I was drowning in her taste and her warmth and I didn’t care. A whimper escaped her as she gripped at my arms, her fingers digging into my shirt, and my hand was now between the hollow of her breasts, each swell teasing my hands.
I wanted more.
My hands slipped to her rounded hips. Grasping them, I twisted and tugged her body under mine in one fluid movement that had her brown eyes wide and unfocused. The chocolate bar thumped to the floor.
Using one arm, I supported myself over her as I trailed my other hand back up the thin cotton shirt she wore. Her body jerked in such a delicious way when I stopped between her breasts again.
It was such a dangerous game I was playing, but damn did I love playing it.
“Open your legs,” I growled, more than pleased when her thighs parted.
I lowered myself, my erection pressed against her core, and when I moved against her in a slow, undulating grind, she gasped out my name. Oh, yeah. I liked it. And hearing that, well, the game was on. I claimed her mouth once again. Over and over, my lips moved with hers, and I was lost in her warmth as I grinded against her.
Her mouth opened, and it happened. The human side of me, which really only was the skin I wore, the pretense I existed in every day, gave way and my true nature roared to the forefront. There was no stopping it, even if I wanted to, and back in the farthest corners of my thoughts, where only darkness lived, I wasn’t sure I wanted to.
I inhaled.
Oh hell, the first taste, the first drop of her essence was a deep, firm stroke to the fire that burned inside me. It spread rapidly, lighting up every cell until my body flamed. I was always so cold, but not right now. Oh no. I was burning. I slid a hand down her side, around her thigh, hooking her leg around my hip, and I rocked into her. I was nothing but the taste of her, a husked shell soaking it in. That was what I really was, a living, breathing monster. I was a killer. I’d done it before, more times that I could even count and…
Before I could draw in another breath, I tore my mouth from hers and launched backward, hitting the arm of the couch. My senses were buzzing. The room was bright even though there was only the light from the kitchen. That tiny taste and I…
Serena.
Shit.
Pushing off the arm of the couch, I crawled over her still form and smoothed the sunlight-colored hair from her cheek. Her complexion was pale—too pale against the dark lashes fanning her cheeks. A faint bluish tint shaded her lips.
Yep, there was a second when I thought I might have killed her.
The deep rise and fall of her chest told me that she wasn’t dead, so I guessed that was a good thing. Oddly enough, though, my chest tightened as I hovered over her.