Page 51 of Damned and Broken Gods
I reached up and gently cupped his furry body, turning my head to nuzzle my nose against him. “I missed you.”
“Liar,” he said. “Bet you were too busy ogling Pecs of Perfection over there.”
I rolled onto my side to find Araz standing with his back to me, combing out his long, luscious hair…shirtless. Dawn light spilled into the room, kissing his body, tracing the path of sinew and muscle as they moved like silk beneath his bronze skin in a symphony that my body ached to memorize.
“Fecking, hell, Leela, put your tongue back in yer mouth.”
“Don’t be too harsh on her, Blue,” Araz said, scooping his hair up and winding it into a knot. “Iamquite delectable.”
“What?” I sat up, staring at the tattoo that snaked up his nape. “You’re so…up yourself.”
“Am I?” He threw an arch look over his shoulder. “One taste of me, and you’ll be on your knees begging for more.”
My cheeks burned at the image his words conjured. “I thought we agreed to be friends.”
He rolled his epic shoulders. “Friends don’t drool over each other.”
“I wasn’t—You know what? Forget it.” I threw off the covers and swung my legs out of bed. “You’re not that hot. Just arrogant.”
He turned to face me, his eyes gleaming with mischief. “Not arrogant, simply confident. But feel free to prove me wrong.”
“Do it!” Blue said, hands on hips, dark eyes gleaming with indignation on my behalf.
I looked down at him in confusion. “Do what?”
He pointed a paw at Araz. “Lick him.”
Araz arched a brow, his lips twitching. “It would be a true test of your restraint.”
He knew I wanted him. Knew what he did to me. Then why was he playing games? Games…Was this him trying to lighten the mood? To take us into friend territory?
“Friends don’t lick each other.” There was no fire in my words, though, because my pulse was thrumming in my neck and throbbing between my thighs. The thought of being that close, of having my mouth on his skin…Gah!
He raked me over, nostrils flaring, eyes darkening before he dropped his gaze. “You’re right. Friends don’t get that close.” He fixed his attention on Blue. “You should know better.”
Blue snorted. “And you should know not ta challenge us. We do not shirk from a challenge, do we, Leela?”
He looked to me for confirmation, his dark gaze filled with such confidence and pride that it made my heart ache. I scooped him up and squished him to my cheek.
“I love you, Blue.”
He resisted for a moment before melting against me. “I love ya too.” His claws dug into me slightly as he clung to me, as if he couldn’t get close enough.
“So…no licking?” Araz asked, biting back a smile.
“Put a damn shirt on, you lug!” Blue ordered.
Araz chuckled, the sound an oral caress.
He reached into his wardrobe and pulled out a shirt. Something fell out and hit the ground with a soft thud.
He stilled, staring at the spot on the other side of his bed, a spot I couldn’t see from mine.
“What is it?” Blue asked.
Araz’s throat bobbed, and he reached down to retrieve the item. The velvet box that Umbra had given him. The artifact from his mother.
The air was suddenly heavier. I felt Blue’s gaze on the side of my face like an inquisitive caress, but I couldn’t tear my eyes off Araz, off the tension in his jaw and the mist in his eyes.
