Page 39 of Sweet Violence
I pushed the stool back from the island and slid until my feet met the floor, expecting to be twice the size as when I came into the kitchen. Whenever I finished a pancake, Joseph slid a fresh one onto my plate, and I could hardly resist that hot, crispness of a newly made pancake, could I?
"It would be smarter to leave him alone," Arkan said, giving me a warning look.
I rolled my eyes. "Since when have I been smart? I'm reckless. I run head-first into danger like a badass. I'm going to see those dogs, and you can't stop me."
"You don't even know where you're going," he pointed out when I darted away from his reaching hands.
I shrugged. "I'll figure it out."
"I'll show you," Joseph offered, adding syrup to a stack of whipped cream and chocolatey goodness. "I need to give him these anyway."
Ughhhhh,of courseTaj had a sweet tooth. Of course he did. That tosser.
"Thank you, Joseph," I replied with a beaming smile, then stuck my tongue out at Arkan.
My wraith’s lips twitched, a smile trying to come through. "Don't kill him," he sighed.
"No promises," I replied, casting a look over X. "You look better than yesterday."
"Fully healed," he agreed, his eyelids slipping low, his gaze pouring down me. "But any time you want to give me a taste of sin, I'll happily feed from you."
"Don't push your luck," I huffed, acutely aware of the fact we'd never had sex. He made me orgasm … a bunch of times5but we never crossed that line. Yet. It was pretty inevitable we’d sleep together; he was an incubus, and I was self-indulgent when it came to my desires.
X crooked a finger, a dangerous smirk on his face.
"This is only because you were practically dead yesterday; don't get used to me being nice." But I walked over, grabbed a fistful of lilac hair, and kissed him. "Now you're at full power, it's business as usual."
"You like me," he teased, letting go but watching so intently that his stare was like a brand. "You were worried about me. You're a good mate."
My chest tingled with heat. I firmly ignored that, leaving the kitchen behind and letting Joseph lead the way to the puppies. X knew I had a praise kink; he'd used it against me.
But there was a warmth and pleasure in my chest I couldn't fight or deny.
WasI a good mate? I didn't feel like it, but—wait, why did I care? Did I evenwantto be a good mate? These bastards ruined my holiday, given me orgasms and affection, and killed a man who leered at me and—dammit, these were supposed to be negative things!
Joseph snuck an arm around me, and soft as I was, I allowed it. But I had to slant a glare at him just to preserve my cold bitch reputation.
"You're thinking so hard, my sweet," he said. "What's worrying you?"
I shook my head, pink, purple, and blue strands flicking into my face, still damp from my shower. "Nothing."
Joseph tugged me into his big, cuddly body and I grumbled as I sank into his warmth, the weight of his arm around me a delicious comfort.
"It's okay to care about people, you know?" he murmured, stroking my hip. "We won't hurt you. I promise."
I didn't say anything. What could I say? That giving a shit about them made me want to stab their eyeballs out? Yeah, no chance was I admitting that.
"We're not used to it, either," he told me, guiding me out of my suite and into the wide stone corridor, leading me in the opposite direction to Dev's personal rooms. I shuddered in my thin clothes, the cold ridiculous. This was hell; it was supposed to be sweltering.
"Used to what?" I asked, curiosity winning over reluctance.
"Someone caring about us," he explained, watching me with an intense expression. "Or us caring about anyone. It's always just been us. There's never been anyone else. Only casual sex."
My snarl filled the hallway as it opened into a wider space, staircases crisscrossing above us. Oops.
Joseph squeezed my hip. "It doesn't compare. I know you don'twantto like us, but having someone care, when the sex means something and … I don't know," he sighed, his tone drawing my gaze.
He glanced away, looking awkward. "I'm not good with words; I'm better with actions. What I mean is—there's never been anyone like you. For us. Not for us individually, and not for us as a circle. Only you. And we don't know what the fuck to do with these feelings either."
