“Sneaking about, are you?”
I squeak as I whirl around, bracing my hands against the door frame. “Master Vince,” I exhale anxiously. My heart squeezes into my throat as he pushes off of the banister. Idiot! I was so anxious to get out of the room I didn’t think twice about looking for Vince by the stairs. I take a minute step back and instinctively play off my fear with a nervous smile.
“You scared me. I-I was just on my way to Master Kade’s room.”
“Were you now?” His tone is sceptical and I don’t like it. “Shall we go see him?”
Familiar panic begins to raise its head, but I don’t dare let it cross my countenance. I nod and step forward. Kade will have my back. He’ll lie for me. If he doesn’t, if he’s still mad about earlier and wants to me suffer, I’m screwed.
I let out the smallest exhale as we stop in front of Kade’s door and clench my fist before finally tapping my knuckles softly against the wood. In a fit of impatience, Vince reaches around me, grabs the handle and pushes the door open. It swings with a vengeance and slams against the wall. In a slow, unbothered movement, a half-naked Kade turns his head towards us. I take in the scene before me. Kade lies on large cushions smoking a pipe in front of a crackling fireplace that casts a beautiful, luminous glow around the room. He eyes Vince and me closely. The look is enough to set me on edge and my hands begin to tremble.
“There you are, Unfortunate,” he states finally. My spirits lift, my eyes widen and appreciation floods my tummy. I knew he wouldn’t throw me to the dogs, or dog, rather. “Did you get lost?”
I nod, overeagerly. “Yes, Master Kade.” I step closer. “I’m sorry.”
With a bored sigh, Vince leaves and fear begins to grow roots in my belly once again. I stand still as he draws his pipe to his mouth and inhales, all while his eyes lock on to me. The long, thin glass pipe is the width of a human finger then round, like a bubble. I drag my eyes down the pipe to the small embers that flare and burn the grass at the bottom. Ten seconds pass before he lowers the pipe and blows out the smoke. I watch as it swirls in mesmerising patterns in front of him.
“Come in.” I step inside and a small twitch pulls at the corner of his lips. “Shut the door.”
Trembling, I reach out for the handle and push the door shut. Of my own accord, I lock it. I don’t want Vince to come back.
Kade’s eyes narrow in. “Sneaking around the manor at night… do you have a death wish?”
“No, I—”
“—what do you want?” he asks, almost bored.
I guess he’s still mad I made him ruin his pants. I almost smile at the memory of how useless he was to stop it. I had his body under control. I owned it.
“I’ve come to see if you need any company.”
He turns his attentions back to the fire. “I would’ve called you if I needed company.”
“No, you wouldn’t have.”
Silence falls between us. The only sound to stop it from being deafening is the lulling crackle of the burning wood. “Come. Sit.”
I do as I’m told and make my way over to him as quickly as possible. This is where I want to be… in here with him. I feel safer. I always feel safe when he’s around. He gave me the benefit of the doubt tonight. For all he knows, I could’ve been walking around looking for an escape. I lower myself onto a large, red cushion beside him and he hands me the pipe. A distinct lesson blares in my head. ‘Drugs of pleasure aren’t meant for Unfortunates,’ and so I shake my head at him. Kade’s volcanic eyes narrow in and he draws the pipe closer to my mouth.
“I promise you’ll like it.”
I swallow hard and recall the last time he said that to me. We were alone and it was right before he blindfolded me. The last time ended well so why would I say no this time? With minimal hesitation, I lean forward and put my lips around the warm, smooth glass. The taste of trees and dirt tickle my tongue, numbing the area. There’s a gleam in Kade’s eyes, an arousing, naughty gleam, so I inhale and hold, letting the smoke caress my throat and burn my lungs. Instantly, my head begins to float, feeling completely unattached from my body. Almost instantly, I begin to pulse in hot waves between my legs. The waves then intensify when I feel Kade’s rough hand on the inside of my thigh. His hand feels like a million tiny, vibrating nodes and I close my eyes. I inhale more smoke, loving the way my head swims and my fears slip away from me. And suddenly, I no longer exist… which is really hard for me to wrap my head around. I mean, I exist, I can see Kade and my surroundings, but I feel light and… invisible. In this moment, I’m no longer an Unfortunate, but a human, equal to Kade. I don’t fear him… I crave him. I crave his mouth, his skin, his tongue, and his hands. All of it.
I want it.
I open my eyes and he’s watching me with the same lustful expression that is undoubtedly displayed on my own face. I blow the smoke out and he lowers the pipe, letting it drop to the floor with a slight thump. We watch each other, neither one making a move. It’s quiet—dead quiet—and I hear my heart drumming in my ears.
“Careful, Unfortunate,” he murmurs, his hand stilling on my thigh. “If you keep looking at me like that I’m going to have to do something about it.”
“I didn’t know empty threats were your style,” I say, almost breathlessly. They haven’t been so far.
“I wasn’t expecting you to come tonight,” he admits, pushing himself further onto his elbow. “I was just lying here, wishing you’d show up at my door…”
I eyed him warily, ignoring the way my stupid heart flutters. “And I did.”
He nods, his thick, warm fingers twitching against my thigh. “You did.”
Warmth floods my body, washing over me like solar flares. My head ceases to spin, but the pulsing waves refuse to stop. “Do you want to talk about this afternoon?” I ask, swallowing hard, and he dips his head subtly. In a swift movement, he’s on his hands and knees and closes the slight distance between us. I try not to worry about his arms that are planted on the floor either side of my legs. His gesture is sexual, not violent.
“This afternoon when you came in here all confident and impertinent I decided I was going to finally slip myself between your legs and have you.”
My breath hitches and I fall back on my elbows as he crawls over me, his demeanour as calculated as a tiger. “You were?”
“Oh yes.” He lowers his mouth and kisses the very edge of my lips. God… he smells good. “I was going to be kind and loving… then I was going to bury myself deep inside you. That’s how I wanted to come, but you were being too sexy. Your body felt too good against mine and I couldn’t help it.”
“I was being sexy?” I never thought I’d hear him admit that I succeeded this afternoon.
Kade pulls back slightly, his eyes flaring in front of mine. “I came in my pants, Nine. Fuck yes, you were being sexy.”
“If that’s how you felt this afternoon… how do you feel now?” My head is clear, my mind unhindered by the effect of the pleasure drugs, but my body is working itself into a frenzy. It’s taking everything I have not to wrap my legs around his hips and pull him into me.
“Don’t worry about me.” He plants another kiss on my lips, making them part unintentionally. “I want this to be all about you.”
“What, more nipple pinches and hand slaps?”
He smirks playfully, making my heart slam into my ribs. Why doesn’t he do that more often? It takes years off of him and makes my insides melt like butter. “Only if you ask me to.”
In the next heartbeat, his mouth is on mine, his tongue slipping right in between my lips. The taste of wood smoke and berries floods into me, making me dizzy. As he continues to sensually taste me, I breathe him in. He smells of cherry and musk, a scent I wish I could capture in a bottle. Kade pulls back and our breath collides in hot pants.
“I wanna take you, Nine. I wanna take you places you’ve never been before.”
“Well,” I say, unable to hold a nervous laugh. “The beach is a good start. I’ve
never been there.”
He chuckles. “Always sarcastic.” Kade pulls back even more, far enough to let me take in his whole face. His stare flicks between my eyes and my mouth. “Tell me what you want me to do, Sweetheart, and I’ll do it.”
I watch him curiously. Why is he being like this? All kind and not asshole-ish. What has changed between this afternoon and tonight—despite the obvious? The drugs have my body on fire and there’s a building pressure between my legs, even my nipples pulse in agonising rhythms against my dress, but other than that, I feel normal. I don’t feel funnier, happier, angrier or sexier… just normal. Kade, on the other hand, is different all over.
“Are you all right?” I ask, caution lacing my tone.
“I’m better than all right.” His stare falls to my lips again and it stokes something wicked inside me. “I’m happy… even happier now you’re here.”
I’m unable to hide my smile, and dammit, I don’t want to. I want him to see that I like it when he’s nice. “I make you happy?”
I watch him, expecting him to drop the shutters and close me out. He doesn’t.
“You make me a million things.”
“And you mean it?” My voice is low, a heady breath of anticipation. “You’re not playing a game with me?”
Is it possible that he regards me as fondly as I regard him? Is it possible that he wants this as much as I do?
“Telling you whether or not I mean it is easy. I’d rather show you.” He lowers his mouth to my neck and I angle my head, giving him access to my skin. With a smile I barely feel at the base of my throat, he tortuously drags his lips up my skin to the lobe of my ear and I shiver. “Will you let me?”
It’s a no brainer. I want him. I want him in ways I’m supposed to have him and in ways I shouldn’t. I nod my head before my brain even registers his promising words. He crushes a heavy kiss to my lips, sucking the air from my lungs.
“Bed,” he orders, the gentle tone but a veil over his stern command.
Kade pulls back from me and I take a second to gather my thoughts. Shit. Is this really going to happen? Now? Am I ready? How do I ‘become’ ready? I blink a few times, ignoring the way the fire in my body danced with the nausea. Noticing my uneasiness, Kade extends his hand to me in one slow, comforting movement and I take it. He pulls me up from the floor and escorts me over to his bed. I swallow hard, hoping it’ll take down some of my sudden anxiety with it.
“Nervous?” he asks in a teasing manner, smirking slightly.
I am, but I’m not going to admit it to him. Not after the show I put on this afternoon. I don’t want to go backwards… I want him to be proud of me for being confident. “Should I be?”
“It wouldn’t be the strangest thing.”
Keeping his eyes locked on mine, he frees his belt from his pants and tosses it to the side. Unintentionally, I take a minute step back, until the back of my knees touch the edge of the bed. He looks pointedly at my dress. “Take it off.”
I push the straps off my shoulders and the dress pools in a mess of blue-white fabric at my feet. With a satisfied smile, he steps forward, but I quickly raise my palms.
“Wait.” I inhale then exhale. I want this, I do, but I’m absolutely petrified. “Will it hurt?”
He pushes my hands down and wraps an arm around my waist. He pulls me in, until his naked torso is flush against mine and it feels good—natural even. Under my breasts, I feel his muscles tighten.
“Maybe a little, but I’ll make it feel good, so the pain doesn’t matter.”
Kade urges me back, lowering me onto the mattress. He parts my legs with his knee and slips into the space he created. His lips twitch when his eyes zero in on my rapidly moving chest. I’m not going to lie, I’m nervous as hell. My palms sweat and I have no fabric to wipe it on. I bunch the blanket up in my fists and squeeze as Kade surveys my face. I see his features dampen, becoming more sympathetic than aroused. I want him. I want to run my hands over his hard body, to feel his muscles. He has muscles in places I’ve only seen bone and skin so clean and smooth. It’s like he’s from another world. A world filled with beauty and unity, nothing like the one I live in.
“I want to touch you,” I blurt out, not wanting him to change his mind.
The thought of fisting the blankets through this whole thing unnerves me. I’m not a scared girl. I am a woman, a woman who is choosing to have sex with someone she wants to have sex with and believe it or not, that’s rare in this world and I should feel empowered.
Light ignites in his irises and he lowers his mouth to mine, until his bottom lip brushes teasingly over my own.
“So touch me,” he whispers against my mouth.
Finger by finger, I release the blanket. With free hands, I press them to his sides and his hard muscles contract and twitch under my touch. Holy hell, it has to be the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen. His skin was soft and perfect… my fingertips feel rough against his silkiness and I pause. He is a Fortunate and I am an Unfortunate, yet I’m running my fingers over him like I have the right to. My teachers would slap me in the face if they knew of the disrespectful things I’ve done to him. However, even as the thoughts filter through my mind, I keep touching him… because I want to touch him. Touching him fills me with power, with control, and I crave it. I crave making my own decisions. This isn’t allowed and yet I’m doing it of my own accord.
I admire Kade’s arms as they tighten while he holds his body off of me. I follow the veins up his arms before finally dragging my stare over his collar bone and down his chest. Perfection. All of him.
I trail my fingers down his chest and over his stomach. I don’t stop until my fingers slip under the button on his pants. He tsks at me and the sound has me snapping my hands back to my chest. To my relief, no slaps or nipple pinches ensue.
“I have some things to show you before we get there.”
He kisses my mouth before I have the chance to ask him what he wants to show me. Then, he kisses my chin, my jaw and my neck, trailing heavy kisses down to my chest. His lips brush over the swells of my breasts before his wet mouth engulfs my sensitive nipple. My breath hitches, my hand instantly flying to his hair. He teases it, flicks it with his tongue over and over. Occasionally, he’ll graze me with his teeth and I shudder, earning a smile from him.
“This is my favourite part about sex,” he tells me, trailing warm kisses onto my ribs. “Making us both crazy first, without fucking.”
I quiver as his lips move over my navel and onto my left hip.
“I’ve wanted to part you with my tongue since the moment you stepped into my room on Selection day,” he confesses, his finger brushing over my slit.
“Wait!” I shoot up on my elbows. “You’re going to put your mouth on it?”
It’s not allowed, it’s taboo! To be caught in such a position would get me killed—Kade too, considering his past with Unfortunates. After a few seconds, he drags his gaze from between my legs to my face. My heart stills and melts into a giant puddle, adding to the endless amount of hot fluid coursing through my body.
“Baby,” he says in a voice so erotic and husky it makes me suck in an inhale. “I’m going to do more than put my mouth on your pussy.”
I blush at the word. I’ve only ever used vagina because, well, that’s what it’s called. “And what if we’re caught?”
“Then we’ll both die happy.” Keeping his stare locked on mine, he parts his lips and I watch as his tongue slowly slips out and presses between my creases. The warmth, the wetness, hits me like a bolt of electricity and my breath hitches. His tongue, languid against my centre, swirls gently, testing me and tasting me as if I’m as good as the berries he eats. He groans deep in his chest, setting fire to my blood. My blood burns, hotter and hotter, getting thicker and thicker until it melts my organs and becomes red hot lava. My leg muscles twitch as the lava eats away at my humility and my worry until his body is the only thing in this world I want. In this moment, as his mouth moves faster and he beg
ins to suck and nip at my super-sensitive flesh, not even my freedom matters. To me, in a way, this is freedom… I’m liberated, and liberation has never felt so good.
Of their own accord, my hips move, rocking with the motion of his tongue. I’d never imagined something so erotic would ever happen to me. In my dreams, the naughty ones, I’ve always been in control. I’ve made them suffer—beg even. I suppose it’s a little fetish of mine, to control a Fortunate. Right now, though, I’m happy being at the mercy of his mouth. One of Kade’s hands slip under my ass and angle my hips while the other is poised strategically between my thighs. I feel his index finger brush the very inner flesh of my thigh before it caresses my tender opening. I squirm, panting as though I’ve run a mile. My skin is pebbled with goosebumps and my muscles twitch with every flick of his tongue.
“Oh,” I whimper as the very tip of his finger pushes past my lips and into my core. The friction is perfect, the rigidity of his finger is just enough to start a chain reaction of tingles in the pit of my belly. They flare rapidly, tearing through my body and setting me alight. I feel his hot breath on my thighs as he chuckles darkly and inserts the tip of his second finger. My fingers dig into the blankets beside me as sensations take my body by storm. Unable to stop it, my back arches and my thighs press together as my entire body tenses.
“Yeah, that’s it,” he rasps as I sink my teeth into my lip, opting for deep gasps of air over screaming. “You’re so fucking beautiful.”
Stars dance behind my eyelids while flames lick me all over… until the pleasurable feelings fade and my muscles twitch as a result of being ticklish, not aroused.
I unclench the sheets and run my hands over my face. I feel Kade move away from between my legs and lie beside me. I shield my face from him, out of embarrassment. It’s a strange situation… for me, anyway. I angle my head and peer through my fingers. Kade smiles at me and soon I feel his fingers dance across my belly, earning a few last minute spasms.