Forget About Midnight (Alexa O'Brien, Huntress #9)(39)

“We won’t f*ck,” he said, his words muffled against my neck. “I just want to get you off.”

“Trust me.” I dragged his hand back to the curve of my waist. “You already have.”

I didn’t need a physical climax to enjoy this. Sure, it was always nice, but it wasn’t necessary, not when the power was running this high. As reckless as I was feeling these days, I wasn’t so far gone that I was willing to cross that line with Jenner. Though some might argue that the intimacy of what we were doing was far greater than sex alone.

Before he could try again, I decided to take advantage of his willing-to-please mindset. “Tell me how Arys convinced you to take Kale back to Las Vegas.”

Jenner’s mouth became aggressive on my neck, demanding. “He won a poker game.”

The already very short fuse on my temper got even shorter. My eyes snapped open. “Why doesn’t that surprise me? And what were you playing for?”

His laughter, so close to my ear, sent a shiver down my spine. A good shiver. That laugh promised dirty, delicious things. “You don’t want to know.”

I didn’t like the sound of that. Maybe I didn’t want to know, but now I felt that I needed to.

“Tell me,” I insisted, using a little metaphysical convincing to encourage an honest response.

The warmth of Jenner’s power-ravaged body against mine felt damn good because it felt so much like Arys. And yet it wasn’t, leaving me wanting.

Jenner kissed his way down my neck. The hand he gripped my waist with inched up toward my breast. “If I won, he was going to let me make a play for your sexy sister.”

“What?” Those words cut through the fog, jerking me back to myself. I shoved him away hard enough that he almost tripped. “What did you say?”

“I was just going to invite her to go to bed with me. No power persuasion.” Hands up, he shook his head and tried to appear charming. My blood stained his lips and fangs an incriminating shade of crimson. “I lost, Alexa. It’s a moot point.”

“Like hell it is. That’s my little sister you’re talking about.”

“She’s not so little anymore. I guess you haven’t noticed.” His grin was downright nasty, implying the horrible things he wanted to do to my sibling.

With a flick of my wrist, he was on his knees. I stood over him, irritated at the turn this had taken. “I don’t care who you put your filthy hands on, but if they ever touch Juliet, I will personally hack them off. Got it?”

Jenner gazed up at me with a sexy smile meant to dazzle. Despite the power that flowed around us, gently lifting the ends of my hair, his charm had lost some of its appeal.

“Anything you say, Your Highness. I seek only to please.” To accompany his facetious remark, he brazenly ran a hand up the inside of my leg.

“I’m starting to think you’ve overstayed your welcome in my city, Jenner.” I regarded him coolly, considering the many ways I might torture him. Juliet’s impending arrival dashed that idea. I didn’t want him here when she showed up.

“No worries, my queen. I’ve already booked my flight home. Apparently, I’ll be bringing your lover with me.” The bastard smirked. “But I’ll honor my promise. It was worth it for another taste of you.”

It was a struggle to keep the emotion off my face in front of a vampire adept at reading people. He knew a good poker face. I was sure he saw right through mine.

I leaned down to take his chin in my hand. Ever so softly, I brushed my lips against his. It was a chaste kiss really. No passion, no open mouthed exploration. Just an unspoken promise. Or a threat.

“Thank you, Jenner,” I murmured. “You’ve been most helpful tonight. Leave through the back.”

Then I left him there on his knees and stalked from the room without a glance back.

Chapter Eleven

More time had passed than I’d realized. I worried that Juliet might have shown up already, but when I returned to the club, she was nowhere to be seen. However, Kale and Jez were seated at a booth along the wall. Jez jumped up and waved me over, as if I somehow would’ve missed them. I’d felt Kale before I walked in.

“Alexa, how the hell can you let Kale go to Vegas?” Jez demanded as soon as I came within earshot. She shook her drink at me, and some of the pink cocktail splashed over the side of the glass, landing on my boots.

On one hand I was horrified. She was putting me on the spot, and I didn’t think it was an ideal topic for discussion just now. On the other hand, she was exuberant and loud, typical Jez, treating me like nothing had changed. That meant a lot.

I shot a glance at the back hall entry, hoping like hell Jenner wouldn’t come through the door. If he were smart, he’d go out the back as instructed. Of course I couldn’t hide my cloud of power from Kale.

“I don’t think it’s really up to me, Jezzy. Besides, Vegas kind of needs him. You saw how bad it was.”

She flung her arms around me in a tipsy hug. She smelled slightly of cigarettes, alcohol, lilac perfume, and shifter. I breathed it in, and my wolf raised its head, pawing at my insides. It had been too long since my last shift.

“Fuck Vegas,” she said, pulling me down in the booth beside her, across from Kale. “It doesn’t deserve someone like you, Kale. It will change you, and it won’t be for the better.”