She glanced warily back at the ajar door.
‘Do you hear well?’
She nodded. ‘I have very adept hearing.’
‘Good,’ he whispered, sliding his free hand down over the curve of her behind to between her legs.
Her heart jolted at the feel of his fingers against her sex again, a sweep of perspiration washing over her as she glanced warily back at the door.
He skilfully prized the bottom drawer open with his foot, giving her a ledge as he used his knee to guide her foot up onto it, kicking her other foot over another couple of inches with a nudge of his.
He let go of the hand he’d guided to his crotch to gently cup her throat again. ‘Then keep watching,’ he whispered against her ear.
She bit back a breath as he used two fingers pressed together to coat her sex with her own arousal, using the natural lubrication to ease his entry as he slid his middle finger inside her.
She closed her eyes.
‘Okay,’ she said breathily, opening her eyes only to look warily back down the hall again, ‘this is pushing it.’
‘You started it.’
She gasped, shuddered, jolted, as this time he pushed two fingers inside her.
She squeezed her hand over his erection. Dared to slide her hand down further to cup him.
His grip on her throat tightened a little, his fingers plunging deep enough for her to grit her teeth, to close her eyes again to indulge in the sensation.
‘And you knew I’d respond,’ he added. ‘I warned you about playing sex games with me.’
‘I haven’t even started.’
‘Me neither. So tell me, if I came in your mouth, would you swallow?’
Her heart leapt. Her sex clenched. Wet heat pooled in her abdomen, his fingers slicker on their slow withdrawal before re-entering her again. ‘Would you want me to?’
‘Would you want to?’
She closed her eyes, before opening them warily on the door again. ‘Yes.’
‘We need to take this somewhere,’ he said softly against her ear. ‘What’s behind that door?’
‘What door?’
‘The one you’ve been glancing at ever since we got down here.’
Her heart pounded a little faster. ‘I haven’t.’
‘You’re lying,’ he pushed his fingers a little deeper. ‘What’s in there, Jess? Maybe I should take a look.’
She heard footsteps. Flinched. Thrust Eden away from her with a curt knock of her behind against him.
Luckily he took the hint. He responded quickly, taking up his coffee, stepping over to the table behind him.
Jessie tugged her knickers back up over her behind. Pushed her hair back from her face. Took a steady breath and reached for her coffee too.
He kicked a gap between the chairs so he could ease up onto the table to sit facing her. He lifted the mug to his lips, his bicep extended distractingly as it always did within the boundary of his T-shirt sleeve. He rested a foot on each chair just in time for Dice to walk in.
He glanced at Eden, then at Jessie, neither of them daring to look at each other until his back was to them on his way across to the fridge.
Frustration coursed through her veins at the interruption – a frustration that was equally evident in Eden from his clenched jaw as he looked across at Dice.
Then he met her gaze, sending a jolt through her heart and between her legs again as he sent her a furtive wink.
‘She behaving herself?’ Dice asked, turning back around with two beers in his hand.
‘I’m managing to keep her in line,’ Eden declared with a smile in his eyes that Jessie had come to know too well by now.
Dice smiled too, despite clearly not being in on their secret.
She lifted her coffee to her lips to conceal her own smile.
Dice looked across at her, his gaze lingering on her chest, down to her legs. He glanced back at Eden, sharing another conspiratorial smile.
Only Jessie had seen that look from Eden before too – right before he ploughed his blade into Travis’s groin. A look of possessiveness that caressed her with an unfamiliar warmth of belonging. She wasn’t even sure Eden knew he was doing it but, if that was the case, it forged an even deeper pang in her heart.
* * *
‘You did right,’ Dice said, flicking off the lids before handing Eden a beer, ignoring the coffee he still held, ‘getting in with Pummel.’ He held his own bottle up towards Eden by way of a toast.
Eden complied. Clinking glasses with the con, he knocked back a mouthful. Back on task, he hoped Pummel would make an appearance before too long. Then somehow he had to get the information out of him.
‘You think so?’
‘I know so. It’s a good sign he’s left you in charge of Jessie. I reckon I can persuade him to let you in on other ventures too. I’ve got this special little business,’ he said, leaning forward conspiratorially. ‘One Pummel lets me handle on my own – a pool hall and bar a couple of miles from here. The place has gone to shit without Len, not making any profit.’ He took another mouthful. ‘He used to run the place.’
‘What happened to him?’
‘The business was already on the slide so me and Chemist went around to have words. It was supposed to be a warning beating.’ He shrugged. ‘We got a bit overexcited. You know how it is.’
Eden took a slow and steady sip from his beer, his gaze not leaving Dice’s over the top of his bottle. In the corner of his eye, he saw Jessie shift with discomfort, reminding him that she would have spent most nights listening in on conversations like this.
The con sniffed. ‘It’s about letting them know who’s in charge, see. You slack off on one and soon they’re all expecting it. And everyone knows you can’t run an empire that way.’
‘So who runs the place now?’
‘His wife and his sister. Or trying to. Like I said, the business is shit.’
‘Can’t be easy running a place around here – a couple of women on their own.’
Dice laughed. ‘Don’t let Tatum hear you say that. She’ll leave you castrated and bleeding out from every artery for making those kinds of sexist remarks. Her businesses are amongst the most successful around here next to Pummel’s. Yeah, we’re leading the world on women’s lib here in Blackthorn, treating them as equal as we treat men. Unfortunately, those two women relied too much on Len looking out for them. Now we’ve got punters taking advantage, waltzing out without paying and that kind of thing.’
‘Pummel lets that happen?’
‘He keeps intervention aside for the more lucrative businesses.’
‘Then why doesn’t he shut the place down?’
‘He’s not completely heartless. He knows those women have got nowhere else to go, not unless they want to move out of the south and get sired by some vampire scum – and no doubt get separated in the process. Besides,’ Dice said, with a shrug, ‘like I said, it’s my business now and there are other ways they can pay their protection rates.’ He lifted his bottle to his lips, his smirk churning Eden’s stomach. ‘Which means free entertainment for me.’ He knocked back a mouthful. ‘And you too if you want in. I think we’re alike me and you,’ he added, pointing the bottle at Eden.
Nothing fucking alike, Eden spat out in his head whilst he offered Dice a smile.
‘You can come with me next time I collect if you want.’ Dice leaned forward, licked his teeth before grinning. ‘They’re both real willing, you know. I barely ever hear a peep out of the one – Josie. That’s the sister. Tanya kicks up a fuss sometimes but it’s all part of the game. Which type do you prefer – the willing or the fighters? I’ll let you have picks.’ He raised his eyebrows, nodding with encouragement as if he were doing him a huge favour.
How Eden didn’t draw back his fist and smack him clean in the nose, spreading it halfway across his face, he had no idea. ‘We’ll see when we get there, shall we?’ He knocked back another bitter mouthful.
Dice frowned. ‘Yeah, well, don’t
let me take you there if you’re not up for it. I don’t want to be feeling awkward about it, do you know what I’m saying? But I’m telling you, Reece, you want to be in on this. One day, we’re not just going to rule the south. Our time is coming. One day we’re going to rule this entire fucking district. The authorities don’t give a shit. They’ll just keep shipping in us cons until we outnumber those third species, and then they’re not going to stand a chance. Fucking deterrent?’ He exhaled off a terse laugh. ‘Being sent here isn’t a fucking deterrent. It’s all part of Pummel’s strategy. He’s got plans. Big plans. We’re going to take out the third species big guns, the likes of your Kane Malloys, Caleb Dehains and Jask Taos, those who think they rule this place, and then those of us who are entitled – us fucking humans – will stake our claim. Stake being the operative word.’ Dice laughed at his own joke, the already disturbing glint in his eyes glimmering. But then his expression was sombre again.
‘It’s not fucking right, is it?’ he continued. ‘I mean, the third species, what the fuck are they even? You hear stuff about them, don’t you? You know, like what they like to do, how they get off and stuff. It just isn’t natural. Those lycans especially. I bet they get up to all sorts of weird shit in that compound. And from what I hear they’re more than willing. I’m going to get me one of those lycan bitches one day, I’m telling you. Not when they’re all dogged up under a full moon or anything – that would just be fucked up. I’m not sick in the head.
‘No, one day we’re going to run things our way,’ he said, lowering his voice. ‘Blackthorn will be our fucking prison – a prison that we rule, that we run. This is our locale, our district. Those third species show up thinking they can be in charge, using our resources, taking what’s rightfully ours. Well, not for much longer. And I say we need to start as we mean to go on. You’ve got to let them know who’s in charge, Reece. People don’t respond to negotiation; they respond to fear. We have to keep that leash around their necks tight or we lose commodities for someone else to take. Those two women – my little perks - they’re compensation. And we deserve to collect compensation for the shit our own fucking authorities shovel our way.’
Eden smiled again – a painted smile that sickened him deep to his gut. ‘You should be in fucking politics, you know that?’
Dice laughed. Shrugged again. ‘I was. Top of my game for eight months,’ he declared before knocking back a mouthful of drink. ‘Until my bitch of a PA hacked my computer and squealed on me.’ He shrugged. ‘But making sure she’ll never walk in a straight line again has been worth doing the time.’ He glanced across at the door. ‘Talking of it being worth doing the time…’
Tatum leaned against the doorway, glancing firstly in Dice’s direction before resting her full attention on Eden. But she wasn’t alone. A petite brunette followed behind her, barely out of her teens. She didn’t have Tatum’s confidence or her composure as she glanced from one to the other. But as her gaze rested on Eden, a smile crept across her lips that betrayed she wasn’t quite as innocent as she first appeared.
Dice instantly puffed out his chest, licked his lower lip as he assessed the brunette slowly. He flashed Eden a swift grin. ‘I told you there were bonuses. It looks like playtime has arrived.’
‘Fuck off, Jessie, yeah?’ Tatum said, glancing across at her. ‘It’s not that kind of playtime.’
Jessie glanced back at Eden as if forgetting the situation, a situation he needed to remind her of, remind himself of, quickly.
‘Wait in your room,’ Eden said to her. ‘I’ll check on you shortly, so don’t even think about leaving it.’
Her gaze lingered on his. The glimmer of rejection he saw stabbed deep, but if he turned Tatum down again, or if he did so too quickly, tense questions were going to be raised.
‘You promised me round two,’ Tatum said, stepping between his thighs, rubbing her hand between his legs, her lips inches from his. ‘It’s time to pay up, hero. I’ve been telling Nadine here all about what you did out there.’
He could feel Jessie’s eyes burning into his. He could only hope she’d understand. That she wouldn’t close down on him again. That she’d see through the mask to what he had already shown her. He braced his arms back on the table in what could be perceived as an offering to Tatum but, for him, was his only way to stop himself pushing her away.
He glanced to the floor in frustration. He’d hoped to get rid of Dice relatively quickly so that he and Jessie could have picked up where they’d left off. She may have been playing the pure sexual intent card as well as him, but he had seen the way she’d been looking at him back in her bedroom. And now he had no doubt she’d seen the way he looked at her too. Neither was ready to admit it, but their understanding had been sealed the minute he’d interlaced his fingers with hers in the hallway and she hadn’t pulled away.
‘This time you’re not telling me no,’ Tatum declared.
And those eyes meant it. Those eyes that bored into his in an entirely different way to the female he really wanted. The one who was stood witnessing it all.
He wasn’t doing it to her again. She wasn’t naïve – he already knew there was little she hadn’t seen or heard, but she didn’t know enough about him yet to understand this. To understand just how easily he could detach himself when he needed to. She deserved to be spared from seeing that. He needed her to be spared from seeing that.
‘Your room, Rapunzel,’ he said, looking back at her, hoping she would pick up on the affection in his choice of name – his reminder of his reason for being there.
Tatum laughed. ‘Rapunzel? Is that your pet name for her? Aww,’ she said. ‘That’s sweet. And what’s your name for me?’ she asked, her hand cupping between his legs as she moved closer.
‘Call me a coward but, considering you’ve got my balls in your hand, I think I’ll refrain from answering for now.’
Thankfully, Tatum laughed.
He glanced back at Jessie who now placed her coffee aside. She sent Eden one more glance, this one laden with even more discomfort, before heading out of the door.
His heart plummeted, the residual effects of her departure telling him those depths were becoming treacherous. He wasn’t just feeling something – he had the uncomfortable stirring sensation that he was on the untrodden path of falling for her.
‘You have got her in line,’ Dice declared as she disappeared from sight.
He looked back at Tatum already opening his jeans. Even considering it in that room, where Jessie’s presence, despite her absence, still lingered, left a nasty aftertaste.
He grabbed Tatum’s wrist firmer than he knew he should have, snagging her attention. ‘Not here,’ he said. ‘Let’s move into the lounge.’
* * *
Jessie pulled herself from sitting on the stairs to stand at the landing window, her arms folded as she looked out into the darkness, the rivulets of rain chasing each other down the thin glass.
She could hear Pummel snoring from inside his room. She knew the canter of his breathing only too well – had often listened in on him over the years before deciding whether to wander the row or remain tucked away.
He’d be sleeping deeply and heavily as part of his recovery, just as Eden had – Eden, of course, with a little added sedative to be sure. Eden whom she had first discovered by staring out of that very window. Eden who was now potentially her way out.
She heard their laughter echoing up from the lounge below. When she heard Tatum’s laughter amidst it, her heart wrenched. The unfamiliar knot in her stomach was back – the same one that had appeared when Tatum had come onto Eden around the pool table and he had responded. The sick feeling it created, as if she had lost something irretrievable, only made the landing feel even more isolated.
She tightened her arms around her chest.
She had to learn to trust.
It had come so easily with Toby. It had been stamped on and spat on by Pummel, and reinforced time and time again by everything she had witnessed in th
e decades she had been there. But she would find herself again – beneath the protective layers and barriers she had built, she would learn to trust again, even if only for a short time.
His calling her Rapunzel had been more revealing than anything – reminding her of their deal. Reminding her of what he’d said. Reminding her of the glimpse of the real him that he’d not dared let anyone else in that house see.
If he was brave enough to extend that trust, then she could be too.
So, for now, with everyone distracted, she needed to check on the lycan young – to take them the food and water she had planned before the attempted kidnap.
The evening’s entertainment echoed up from the rooms beyond the arch as she descended the stairs. Turning right past the newel post, she glanced through the lounge door. Catching a glimpse of Dice, the empty kitchen ahead, she nearly kept going, but she was drawn back by the fixation of Dice’s stare.
Whatever he was watching on the opposite sofa, his grin filled her with a sense of unease.
She willed herself to keep going but instead she froze to the spot for a moment, her heart pounding uncomfortably. She took a couple of steps forward to angle herself to see what had captivated Dice so intently.
Nadine was straddling Eden, her mop of hair making her face invisible to Jessie. But from the angle of her head, from the way Eden looked back at her, she knew they were locked in eye contact.
He held a cigarette between his index and middle fingers – something she had never seen him do. Smoke lingered in the air as he kept the thumbnail of his cigarette-holding hand locked between his teeth, his elbow resting on a pile of cushions as he watched Nadine slide down between his spread thighs to kneel in front of him. His other hand was caressing Tatum’s inner thigh as she nestled next to him, her fingers playing with the nape of his neck as she whispered something in his ear.
Whatever it was, it made him smile.
But it wasn’t a smile Jessie knew, neither was the look in his eyes. The way he looked at the girl as she slid between his spread thighs, unfastened the buckle on his jeans, was unrecognisable.
Blood Deep (Blackthorn Book 4) Page 29