Nex glanced up, annoyed that Marcus bugged him enough he didn’t hear Katherine come in. “Everything’s fine. Marcus is just a cunt.”
“I’m taking care of your hounds. You’re welcome, by the way.” Marcus threw his arms up. “For fuck’s sake. Kat, how do you put up with this?”
“You’re going to make Sicarius sick with the shit you’re feeding him,” Nex snapped.
“He and Venandi are fine. Stop being a baby. You know, I don’t have to take care of them. I could’ve left them with nowhere to go, waiting to get eaten by something bigger.”
Nex grumbled and slouched in his chair. “I should’ve asked Lucian.”
Marcus stood, patting Kat on the back. “I’m out. Good luck.”
A cloud of smoke took his place before Kat responded. She turned to Nex with a frown. “You’re worried about your puppies.”
Nex huffed. “For the last time, they’renotpuppies. I’m sure they’re fine. I don’t like relying on someone else to watch them.”
“Can they come here somehow?”
“No. They’re hell hounds, and they’re dangerous to humans. They’re only allowed in this realm under special circumstances and only with their trainer. Me. Being accidentally summoned by a human isn’t the kind of thing I need a hell hound for.”
“I’m sorry.” Guilt crept in that he couldn’t go home and see his dogs. She’d be lying if she said she was searching for a way to send him back as much as before they became intimate. Being with Nex took up a lot of time, but it wasn’t only that. Motivation to help him leave had dissipated.
Recognizing that was selfish, she ignored the ache in her heart at his impending absence. “I should go to the library.” Unable to look at him, she fiddled with the ends of her sleeves. “Do some research to . . .” The words wouldn’t come. She gazed over at him and couldn’t interpret the look on his face. His expression was often unreadable.
Nex, however, read the conflict on her face. The same conflict in his heart. The last thing he wanted was to discuss it. Instead, a slow smirk spread over his face. “No, you should stay where you are.” He stood. “The table will work.”
Nex had certain expressions that traveled through her whole body in rippling promises of pleasure. As if the look wasn’t enough, she tensed in the most delightful way when he walked behind her and swept her hair to the side.
“We had plans, did we not? Are you trying to cancel on me?” His hands trailed from her shoulders to her arms, then her wrists, his fingers curling around them. “What’s wrong? It was a better idea in your head?” He pinned her wrists behind her and pressed against her backside. “You don’t want me to take you like this?” He held her wrists with one hand and tangled the other in her hair, tugging, so she looked back at him. “You’ll have to tell me what you want, kitten. Because you tried to leave, but your racing heart and flushed skin tell me you don’t want to leave. So, what do you want? Do you want me to have you like this?”
Kat’s lips could barely form words when they could only think of meeting his lips and the hardness pressed against her butt. He’d barely touched her, but it was enough to crave more. Her answer came out as an unintentional whisper. “Yes.”
“Yes?” He bent her over the table, grinding against her. “That was awfully quiet, kitten. Hearing you say yes is the best part of my day. Try again.”
She moaned as his hand tightened in her hair, giving him more control over her movement. “Yes.”
“Good.” Nex released her hair and straightened. He tugged her leggings and underwear down before thrusting his fingers into her.
Whimpering, she dropped her forehead to the table. Faster and harder than usual, his actions left her aching to feel him inside her. His fingers slid out to circle where she was so sensitive she jerked at the contact. His expert movement suggested he had the blueprint of her body that identified what she liked most. He pumped into her again, leaving her a mess of desperation, body writhing until she couldn’t take it anymore, but then his fingers slid out, replaced by something much bigger.
Nex licked her sweetness off his fingers, then threaded them in her hair and tugged her up. He slammed into her, and she cried out. “Too hard, kitten?”
“No.” Kat panted, her eyes sliding shut when soft kisses landed on her neck. She was about to burst, but his tenderness warmed her heart. The way he’d check in with her any time he tried something new made her attachment worse. “Not too hard.” Her body clenched at the thought of him doing it again. “It . . .” Still unaccustomed to being vocal, she couldn’t stop the timidity in her voice. “It feels good.”
Nex growled and bent her over again, thrusting harder. Kat cried out, and he tightened his hold on her wrists and hair, his actions growing rougher. Through it all, the roughness never scared her. The edge of the table dug into her thighs with every thrust, but the added friction set her body more alight. His hands held her wrists firmly but loose enough that she was confident he’d let go if she became overwhelmed. The fingers in her hair were tight, but she didn’t feel controlled. She felt desired.
Every movement sent her body into a heightened state of ecstasy she wanted to bottle and hold for eternity. Bent over, the powerful movements and the way he held her in place made her fall apart so intensely that her entire body trembled. The cool surface of the table did nothing to help the overpowering heat as its firm surface added to the excitement of being at his mercy.
“Nex.” She whimpered, clenching around him. Pleasure rippled through her, starting at her core and spreading until her limbs pulsated in response to her climax. People said dreams were better than reality. As her body quivered, she took a firm stance that reality was better when Nex was involved. Much better.
Nex slammed into her, staying deep as he finished. Sucking in breaths, he pulled her up, turned her, and caught her in a feverish kiss. Kat moaned and wrapped her arms around his shoulders as he lifted her onto the table and held her against him.
“Better than the fantasy?” He trailed his lips down her jaw. Eager hands slid down, pulling her leggings and underwear off the rest of the way. He nuzzled her neck, placing light kisses on her skin. Kat nodded and leaned into the crook of his neck. She gasped when he grabbed some of her hair and tugged her head back, so their eyes met. “Words.” He narrowed his eyes. “You know I want to hear you say it.”
“Yes.” She panted. “Yes, Nex.”
“That’s better,” he murmured, restarting his path of kissing down her neck, wrapping her legs around him.
“Will you tell me what your fantasies are?” Kat asked. It seemed unfair he fulfilled hers, and she didn’t know his.