Page 63 of The Prince's Curse

She shook her head. “Not a man, at least.”

He smiled, his thumb caressing her cheek. “And what do you want now?”

She stared at those ruby eyes, full of warm lust instead of threat. “Will you kiss me, please?” He leaned in, and she closed her eyes in anticipation. Even as her mind screamed what are you doing kissing a damned vampire? her body was squealing yes, finally!

Soft lips closed on hers, and a sensation of prickling warmth poured down her spine. Memories—dreams, fantasies, what was the difference—shimmered through her mind as she tasted his lips, felt the coarseness of his beard against her chin. She dared to lift her hand and touch his thick, wavy hair, twining her fingers through it. He groaned against her mouth, shifting closer.

She had only been kissed a few times in her life. In school, she’d had a classmate with whom she’d stolen away for secret kisses, though they’d both insisted they liked boys. Girls were softer, a bit sweeter to the taste. Then there was a drunken night at a bar—which had earned her a searing admonishment from Mina—with another hunter, ending in a sloppy, but exhilarating makeout session.She liked the hard muscles beneath his clothes, the roughness of his stubble against her neck.

But this was something entirely different. Julian’s touch felt intense and demanding, even as light as it was. It felt natural, as easy as running through the woods. Her body knew what to do, like she’d kissed him a thousand times before. She sank into it, eyes closed as the sensation swirled around her.

Pain pricked at her lip, and she gasped, pulling away to touch her lower lip. He sat back, eyes wide with horror as his tongue darted over his teeth. “God, I’m so sorry,” he muttered. “I haven’t…”

She caught the drop with her finger and smiled. “It’s okay.”

He rose, and she couldn’t help noticing the bulge at the front of his pants. There must have been vampire venom in her system now, because she didn’t want him to leave. She wanted to satisfy her fascination, to find out how real those dreams could be.

But he nodded to her, apparently unashamed. “If I stay, I will be tempted to do far more, and I want you to trust me. The others will be up by eleven to escort you downtown to meet Jonas.”

“Okay,” she squeaked out.

And then he left her, bewildered and flustered. She closed the door, cheeks flushed as she paced. What the hell was she thinking? There was an insistent pulse between her legs, and at least she had an answer for that. She went into the bathroom, splashed water on her face, and started the bath to create enough noise to cover what she desperately needed.

Eyes closed, she dropped her towel and teased at herself with her fingers. Those not-memories flooded her again, and it took no effort to find Julian there between her thighs, head bowed, lips teasing at her.

Heat swelled in her belly, flooding her body, coloring her cheeks as she stroked herself. Her legs spasmed, and her hips rolled in search of something. It was no mystery what she wanted. And she lay back, forcing herself to breathe, to feel the pleasure rolling through her.

Our whole world is asleep, he’d said.

Her heart raced as she embraced it, not trying to push him out of her head. That deep voice murmured not for Brigitte, but Scarlett.

His taste still lingered on her lips, the hint of venom where his teeth had pricked her. She ran her tongue over it, and the reminder of him was enough to bring her crashing over the edge. Her back arched, and she surged forward, legs shaking as orgasm washed through her. Clenching her teeth, she held back her urge to shout.

The water had gone cold, but she just lay her head against the edge of the tub and basked in the warmth of her body, the lingering scent of him still in the room. She was playing a dangerous game, but if Tante Mina meant to kill her next week, then who gave a damn? What was the point of any of it?

Downstairs, a soft chime alerted her that the washer had finished. She calmly washed her hands, wrapped herself in her towel again, and crept downstairs to move the laundry. The house was quiet as she returned to bed. Julian’s scent still lingered in the room, reminding her that the kiss was not a fleeting dream.

Still replaying that sweet memory, she fell asleep with a smile on her face.

A stern male voice saying, “Olivia, slow down,” woke her with a start. Scarlett sat upright and nearly burst through the door before realizing she was still wrapped only in a towel. Her dry clothes were folded neatly on the floor, making her wonder if Julian had brought them to her. After quickly dressing, she headed downstairs to find them sitting around the kitchen table.

Paris was staring intently at Julian as he paced in the kitchen, his phone held out as a tinny female voice spoke. “Someone killed Rhys!” the woman’s voice blurted.

“Christ,” Paris muttered. “Olivia, what happened? Are you safe?”

“It’s Danielle,” the voice said. “Olivia’s strung out, so I offered to help her check the roster. Rhys didn’t check in, but we had an alert that he’d gone to Infinity. I checked the cameras, and…” The woman let out a heavy sigh. “Someone shot him!”

Paris and Misha turned to look at Scarlett, and she shrank back. Even their neutral expressions felt like an accusation.

Julian pinched the bridge of his nose and said, “Dani, is Olivia there?”

“She’s in her office,” Dani said. “But she’s freaking out over Nikko, and this is making it worse. I’m about to put her in a chokehold and shove a Xanax down her throat.”

His eyes cut to Scarlett, and the tiniest flinch made her realize he didn’t trust her either. Julian nodded. “I need you to go in there and have her check all the security, and then?—”

“We already did. I made her log me in and show me how to look at everyone’s profiles. Rhys’s phone is still pinging at Infinity, so I’m guessing he dropped it. I woke up Shoshanna, and she confirmed there’s no disturbances to her protective magic at the compound,” Dani said. “Based on everything I can see, we’re good here.”

“That’s my girl,” Paris said with a faint smile.

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