Gypsy Moon (All The Pretty Monsters #4)(54)

“I paid the ferry toll,” I remind him as he continues gingerly kissing the side of my neck, backing me up to a wall.

“So you did,” he murmurs against my neck.

Like a bad habit, my neck turns, giving him more access instead of cutting it off like I know I should, flirting with disaster.

Arion groans as he presses against me more, his grip tightening on me, as his lips travel up and brush mine. “Shouldn’t the others be up here by now?” I ask, swallowing thickly when one of his fingers toys with a place on my neck, his attention there.

“They’re currently arguing,” he murmurs almost absently. “Tell me, Violet, why do you work so hard to keep from being left alone with me? You’ve given me your throat when I was at presumably my worst—”

“Presumably?” I interrupt in deflection, my fingers lacing behind his neck as I attempt to support some of my weight.

“I’m not really sure I’ve been at my worst yet, Violet. There are limits I’ve done well not to explore. I wasn’t conscious during that state; therefore, I don’t know if I was at my worst or not,” he says like he’s assuring me, lips ghosting mine again. “Answer me. Why are we never alone?”

“Looks and feels like we’re alone right now,” I point out.

His lips twitch. “You know they can hear me if I can hear them.”

“I bet Emit can hear me from my cellar then,” I state dryly, mentally assessing how weird and quiet Emit has been.

Fucking. Great.

Arion’s grin only grows. “This is a story you can tell me another time, love. I truly want to hear it, since the temperamental wolf is huffing and puffing at the bottom. But for now, answer me. Why can’t we be alone?”

Even the sound of his voice makes me want to make stupid decisions.

“I told you it’s you I want,” he goes on, lips teasing mine once again as he keeps his voice hypnotically smooth. “So this isn’t really about Idun, despite what you—”

“Shouldn’t you check the place out or something, instead of keeping your vulnerable back turned to all your surroundings?” I ask, clearing my throat as I sober a little.

His eyes narrow on me. “We’ve already checked the place over twice because you were at the bottom of the cliffs. It’s perfectly safe, Violet. Stop avoiding my questions if you’re truly not playing games with me. I don’t particularly like games that leave me out.”

My gaze holds his for an awkward length of time before I exhale, gently toying with the ends of his soft, short hair, as I give up pretending to help hold myself up.

“For reasons I can’t discuss at the moment, I trusted you once.”

He slowly lowers me to the ground when I start trying to move, and my hands slide down to his chest, as I steady my breath.

“You sort of shot holes in that trust, easily saying one thing while meaning another,” I say in barely a whisper, studying his eyes that give nothing away, same for his stoic expression.

He gently tucks a strand of hair behind my ear, not meeting my gaze.

“And you’re using that as an excuse not to trust that I mean what I say now,” he states like he’s figured it all out. “Because you enjoy being chased.”

“That’s not at all what I’m saying, Arion—”

“I’m happy to give you your chase, love, so long as you continue to touch me like you’re doing now,” he says, glancing down at my hand on his chest. “The touch reminds me it’s just a game, despite you saying it’s not. Clearly, I’m not the only one of us who says one thing and means another entirely.”

His smirk really infuriates me.

My hand slowly slides from his chest, and his smirk falls with it, as I give him a tight smile. “Idun played a lot of games, didn’t she?”

“The maddening woman did little else,” he says with a shrug.

“You worked around her to get what you wanted when you could, didn’t you?”

“Of course,” he scoffs like there could be no other possible answer.

“Working around me is almost counterproductive, because I generally go with the flow, unless there’s a barrier I can’t cross,” I explain, even though he just looks confused. “Manipulating me is really easy to do, if I trust you, so there’s no sport in that challenge for a man like you.”

He moves my hand back to his chest, and I don’t fight him, just letting him hold it there, since he looks so lost.

“My mom always said I was unbreakable, but the truth is I’m just resilient. I’m not at all unbreakable. With you, it’d be easy to be consumed and forget all the little warning signs of the strong denial you’re portraying, should you be earnest—”

“I’m very earnest, Violet,” he says, sounding almost angry now.

I pat his chest, certainly not wanting to piss off a psychotic vampire who hasn’t tried to kill/hurt me as of yet.

“You’re treating me like I’m Idun, Arion. You started this entire thing by manipulating me and working around me, telling me the truth after the fact,” I say, whispering again.

“I already bloody admitted you started as a replacement. Give me time to adjust. I fall the hardest. Already told you this too, love. It’s too late for you, I’m afraid.” He leans forward abruptly, gently nipping my earlobe. “And I haven’t wanted anything as much as I want you in far too fucking long. I’ll have you, Violet. At some point, you’re the kind of sweet girl who will see it cruel to continue to make me chase.”