Page 54 of The Iron Fae
I don't want to be nothing. I want to be something, anything, and everything with and to him. But he needs to fight for us. He needs to accept us. So the question then really becomes, does he want to be something?
The rough stubble on his cheek scratches against mine as he leans into me. "You and Kai seem to have really hit it off."
There isn't an ounce of me that's willing to pretend like we aren't attracted to each other or even that I don't want him. I've let life give me whatever I get and counted it as good enough. I'm new now. I'm wholly myself for the first time ever.
And I'm chasing what I want.
My arms slip over his wide shoulders, clasping firmly around his neck, pulling him toward my mouth. His hands don't hover in the polite way Kai's would. They grab ahold of my hips, helping me balance as I lean into him. Even through his clothing, he's warm against all my bare skin.
"Don't pretend like you aren't envious."
This time, for once, it isn't me who trembles. A shiver passes down Lincoln's spine and he straightens. His hands never leave my hips, though I fully expect him to step away from me. Lincoln is always putting distance between us when he thinks I'll make him vulnerable.
"I think you two are lovely together." His smile widens giving me the view of his perfectly white teeth. It's a feline smile. Smooth but deadly, like the careful steps of a killer. The only difference is that I'm no longer the victim. He is, he just doesn't know it yet.
I see you're still playing the same old games, Lincoln.
"We're...friends."I clasp my hands over his, guiding them up over the curve of my body.
Don't tease me, Briar.
"In the same way you and I are friends?" His jaw is tight, his stare tensely set on my face.
"Do you think I'd let Kai touch me like this?"
His palms, much rougher than his brothers, catch on the fabric of the bra. Our hands graze over my breasts and then slip back down over my waist. Lincoln's Adam's apple bobs.
"I wouldn't expect you to wait around for me. Kai's a great match. It'd make my mother proud to see you two together."
"I have no intentions of marrying for power or to please some other court."
Lincoln tilts his body back, his chin lifting with an amused chuckle. It's all a game. Love is like chess to him. I wrap my fingers around his wrist, squeezing tightly in frustration.
"You're drunk on your new Fae abilities," there's a venomous hiss to his words as he rips his hands away. He rubs at his wrists, red from my grip.
Did I really squeeze so tight I left a mark? The red fades quickly, but the image is somehow burned into my mind’s eye. I don't know my own strength.
"Or I know what I want."
I shove by him, letting our shoulders collide. My wings fan over him as I pass. I smile to myself, recognizing that hitting that steel frame body of his didn't make me feel as delicate and fragile as it normally does. His attention snags on the sheer blue skin of my wings.
Knowing I have a drawer full of mortal clothes, and needing a connection to my humanity I head for my dresser.Before I'm drunk on my new Fae abilities.I mock his words in my head, uncaring on if he hears or not.
No steps chase after me. No sulky or sarcastic remarks follow me into the next room. Lincoln’s presence is still there inside my head, listening with intention
"Why did you come, Lincoln?" I shove my legs into a pair of dark jeans. When my legs poke out the bottom, I stare down at them.
Highwaters.I sure as hell got taller.
I growl, letting it rumble in my chest the way I'd heard Lincoln do before. It vibrates deep in my ribcage and rattles in my bones. Lincoln fists his hands at the sound. I can't see the man, but I can feel the way he wants to throw all his restraint out the window and gather me up in a tender kiss before he flings me to the bed and rips my clothes off.
"I thought my intention was clear. I was worried."
"Because I'm your investment, to get out of living under Cordelia's rule?" I accuse.
Lincoln takes a large step out of the bathroom. He watches, scrubbing at his not-quite-beard as I unbutton my pants and shimmy out of them. Fae clothes it is. So I walk by him again, I'll make him chase me all around this damn guest suite today. I roll my eyes at the expanse of the closet.
There’s an entire rainbow of clothes here and any other girl would be swooning at the possibilities. They're exhausting. I reach for red, loving the way it catches Lincoln's thoughts.
