Chosen Fool (Forever Evermore #5)(28)
“Old enough,” I muttered. I grabbed his opened white silk shirt, jerking it over his shoulders with slightly shaking hands. My gaze stalled on his tanned, muscled flesh as I finished awkwardly pulling his shirt from his arms and tossing it on the bed. My voice turned guttural while I eyed his body. “Definitely old enough.” I placed my hands on his hard chest, shoving him a step so the backs of his legs hit his bed. With my eyes caught on him, I quickly tore my own shirt over my head. I pulled my stare away from his steel-like abs and back to his striking face, meeting his gaze steadily.
His expression had altered, his amusement now barely observable and overridden with a growing desire that hardened his features. His gaze traveled down my body, then slowly journeyed back up—he was taking his time. Gradually, he lifted a hand and threaded his fingers through my hair, pulling strands of it forward into my line of sight and studying its vivid color. He asked on a hum, his tone quiet and intimate, “Why red?”
With a slightly breathless voice, I stated, “It works with my—”
A loud and insistent knock sounded at his door. My vision swung in that direction, across the large expanse of his Caribbean-style room—open and airy, the furniture decorated in white, silver, and teak—to the large, pine colored door. A golden light shone underneath, a shadow interrupting its glow.
“Whoever it is will go away,” Leric stated gruffly, tilting my face back to his with two fingers.
“Uh…” I murmured breathlessly, staring at his molten mercury, glowing gaze. “Maybe you…should answer it.”
His head cocked, his hair falling over one cheek as his gaze roamed my face. “No, I don’t think so.”
“No?” I sighed as he slowly started to bend, his lids hooding his gaze.
“No,” he growled, dipping to place his lips directly in front of mine, hovering there as he ran his hands through my hair and held me captive. “Definitely not.”
My lids closed when he started finishing the distance between our mouths.
But we froze, my eyes flying wide, our lips a breath apart when the person at the door pounded again.
Leric’s eyes flared a bit brighter, this time in irritation. When the knocking came again, he growled, “Dammit.” More pounding. “Just give me a second.” He pulled his hands away, straightening. His flowing silk pants rode low on his waist and rippled around his bare feet as he strode quickly to his door. My gaze roamed down his back, watching the play of his muscles, the flex of his ass, but I quickly glanced up when he tilted his head back toward me, meeting his gaze. He growled an order, “Don’t go anywhere.”
Mutely, I nodded and watched as he opened the door and quickly stepped outside, shutting it firmly behind him. A shuddering sigh escaped my lips, and I ran a shaking hand over my face. My attention swung from the door to his bed before landing on his silk shirt I had thrown there. Slowly, I lifted it, staring at it before I pulled the charmed diamond I had stashed in my back pocket from its depths with my free hand. My gaze altered between the two, with my decision unwavering.
But I stalled, my gaze snapping to his door when I heard a feminine voice outside.
A rush of air escaped my lungs, the breath I had been holding vulgar in the silence of the room. I placed the diamond back in my pocket, my feet moving me toward the door, a slow, soundless creep until I was turning the doorknob silently. Still clutching his silk shirt in one hand, I peeked out into the opulent Temple hallway of white sanded walls, silver accents on the tiling, and light fixtures.
And two occupants.
“You’re not answering my question!” a furious spirit Elemental asked on a rising shout. She was an absolute beauty, dressed in a flowing white gown, its slits baring a large amount of her flesh. Her ample chest was heaving in her fury, barely restrained in the silk covering. Her shoulderblade-length white hair with attractive spiral curls slightly swayed as she rested her hands on Leric’s stomach. “Why the hell do you smell like this? And who the f*ck do you have in there?” She bared her teeth. “You asked me to meet you tonight after you were done with your damn work, but instead I catch you with another f*cking woman?”
“Lissa, calm down,” Leric stated on a hushed voice, placing his hands over hers on his stomach, not removing them. “There’s no one in my room.”
Lissa paused, then she huffed, “Then why won’t you let me in there?”
“Just not tonight, Lissa,” Leric crooned softly, pulling her in close to his body, wrapping his arms—
I shut the door quickly, my breathing labored as I stared at it. I was still able to hear the tone of Leric’s soothing voice, but not his words. I quickly walked backward, away from the sound. I was unable to take my gaze from the door until the backs of my legs thumped against the bed, a tiny whimper exiting my lips as I stared for long moments. I gripped the silk shirt, raising it to stare at it before murmuring quietly, “Never fool me once…”
I let my hand open wide, the silk shirt sliding over my palm until it floated to the ground. I stared at it a moment before grabbing my shirt from the floor next to it, pulling it over my head quickly. I tugged the charmed diamond out of my pocket again. I didn’t glance at the door, my focus steady on the diamond. Cupping it with both hands and bringing it to my lips, I whispered, “Take me to Sin.”
A flash of blinding white light erupted.