Page 11 of Solstice

Perhaps the alcohol had already gone to my head or maybe the moment in the office had unlocked a previously closed door in my heart because I only bit my bottom lip and blushed. “Oh?”

He leaned forward, his elbows going to the table, and I caught sight of the square with the X on his forearm. I’d seen it a thousand times before; I’d always assumed it was a symbol for the four of us. But he only called me X, and I was tattooed right there for the world to see. I shifted my gaze back to his.

“That time our apartment, I was gentle with you.” He frowned, shaking his head, like the memories were too much for him to process or bear alone. “The way Carter would have wanted me to be.” He narrowed his eyes and pulled his lips into a playful smile, and a shiver raced down my spine. “But I understand now. That’s not what you need.” He cleared his throat. “That’s not what you want…from me.”

Unaware of where this was going, I smiled and rolled my eyes. “And what do I want from you?”

He straightened, leaning back in his seat with an arrogant grin that reminded me of the teenage version of himself. “You want me to fight you for it.”

My thoughts stopped. My entire body throbbed. The visuals that went through my mind stunned me, and I didn’t know what to say or do. I froze, staring at him with my mouth hanging open. The sharp slice of Lex holding me down with his teeth at Midsummer burned through the memory in my skin, when he’d taken what we both needed without asking. Three days later, he’d pinned me against the wall in an alcove and dry humped me until I couldn’t stand, gripping his shirt to stay upright. Every time after that had either been with our spouses, under the lust, or because we were desperately heartbroken and needed a release we could only find in each other.

Lex and I had never gotten together because it was what we wanted. Our relationship had never been about romantic gestures and whispered sweet nothings. I thrived when Lex riled me up, and he livedto get under my skin.

“Ohh.” He chuckled low in his chest and took another sip, lips twisting as amusement emanated in his glowing stare, hitting me right between the legs. “I’m right, aren’t I?”

“No.” I cleared my throat and swallowed, lying through my teeth even though there was no point. He knew me better than that, and even if he didn’t, he was a walking lie detector.

He raised an eyebrow, piercing eyes daring me to keep going. Lex would pull his fairy curse trigger if he needed to. He’d make me tell him just to prove his point.

“What if that’s what I wanted, too?” He raised his chin, peering down his nose at me. “What if I wanted to chase you through this house until I caught you and held you down and made you do whatever I wanted? What if I wanted to make you cry for mercy?”

Good. Fucking. God.

A hot, fiery ache clenched my cunt, almost painful in its intensity, and I adjusted my hips in my seat, aware Lex scrutinized every movement I made.

“What if I let you hit me, scratch me, claw me to try to get away? But, oh you can’t, because you don’treallywant to. Do you? No, you want me to make you. You want me to overpower you, and you want to try to overpower me.”

My leggings and hoodie suddenly felt too tight and the heat from the fire seemed too hot and all I could do was sit there and stare at his mouth while he said these filthy, terrible things to me.

“But you can’t overpower me, not anymore, not since we were little.” He took another long drink of wine before shifting his body to face me, bringing his forehead to mine and his lips inches away. “It doesn’t matter that you can’t; that’s not what you want.” His breath coasted over my cheeks, smelling like Malbec and temptation andhim.“You wantme to win. You always did.” Soft, pouty lips brushed against mine, and I struggled to keep still as he continued. “Because that’s the game. I’m the only one youcanlose to. I’m the only oneworthyof losing to.”

“Lex—” I tried to tell him to stop, that a mere two sips of red had ruined my self-control, but the words wouldn’t come.They wouldn’t come.He was right about all of it, about what I wanted from him and why I wanted it. How had he known this when I didn’t even know it myself?

“Ivy.” The way he said my name made me shiver, and when he bit my bottom lip between his teeth hard enough to hurt, I moaned and sagged into the agony. Desire scalded my veins like undiluted ecstasy, cascading down my spine and into my legs and back up again.

Copper coated my tongue when he let it go, ruby red on his lips. He licked it away and brushed his thumb over my wound to do the same. The touch ached in the best way, making me feel alive. Shivers skated down my body when his finger came away crimson, and he stuffed it in his mouth to suck it clean. Unable to move or say anything, I sat transfixed by the connection that had suddenly snapped between us. He dragged his velvet tongue across my mouth, so soft and warm and decadent, the heat of it sparking deep in my belly.

I dug my nails into the armrests.

A mewling sound poured out of me.

I wanted him to lick me again.

He pulled back only far enough to meet my gaze. “If you get up from this table and run, I will chase you. When I catch you, I will fight you. When I win, I will fuck you.” I watched him glance between my eyes. “Our safeword is ‘mercy.’ Seeing as you can be inside my head anytime you want, it shouldn’t be too hard for you to call, even if your mouth is otherwise occupied.” He brushed hair out of my face and pushed it behind my ear like I was a porcelain doll that might break if he held me too hard.

Was it more screwed-up that he suggested it or that I wanted it with a fury that almost crippled me?

“How does that sound?” He raised an eyebrow as he waited for me to say something.

My pulse pounded in my head as I stared at him to make sure he was serious. Was this a trick? Would he tease me about this until I turned into a humiliated mess?

“Is this a secret?” I asked.

His lips lifted into a devil’s grin. “Do you want it to be?”

“I don’t want you fighting me in front of the others. They don’t like it. They don’t”—I cleared my throat—“they don’t understand what it is between us.”

“I know.” He nodded. “If that’s what you want.”

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