Ruthless Creatures (Queens & Monsters, #1)(46)

“This is where you want me? Flat on my back?”

I kiss him softly on the lips. “Yes. Flat on your back and helpless against me.”

Exhaling, his eyes thoughtful, he drags his hands through my hair. He murmurs, “My beautiful girl. I’ve been helpless against you from the first day we met.”

My heart skips a beat. There’s something far away in his gaze.

Something sad.

“You say that like it’s a bad thing.”

“Not bad. Just complicated.”

Examining his expression, I say, “I take it you’re not going to explain that.”

“Believe me when I say you don’t want me to.”

A little alarm bell goes off in the back of my mind when I realize he’s avoiding my eyes.

But this is what it is. What we are. What I’ve agreed to.

Secrets.

Not lies, but secrets—a lot of them—and distance, all in the name of keeping me safe.

Screw it.

If that’s the price for being with him, I’ll pay it. I spent too long walking through my days as a zombie to pass up this electric new life, even if it does have its dark sides.

All fairy tales do.





18





Nat





We talk for a while, then Kage decides it’s time to feed me.

He tugs on his jeans and disappears into the kitchen, ordering me to stay in bed. I lie naked, staring at the ceiling with a goofy smile on my face, listening to him rummage around in my fridge and cupboards. I hear the clatter of pots and pans on the stovetop, then soon after, the mouthwatering scent of bacon frying fills the air.

A while later, he returns holding a plate. Barefoot, bare chested, and breathtakingly handsome.

“Breakfast for dinner,” he announces, standing at the edge of the bed. “Sit up.”

I don’t obey him. Instead, I say, “Bossy.”

He arches a brow. “Sit up, or I’ll turn your ass red.”

My smile grows wider. I gaze up at him, grinning like a maniac. “Doubling down. I like it. But don’t forget, I haven’t given you permission for that.”

“Yet.” He gestures with the plate. “Now sit up like a good girl so I can feed you.”

“You seem unnecessarily concerned with my caloric intake. What’s up with that?”

It’s his turn to smile. It comes on slow and heated. He says in a husky voice, “You’re gonna need your energy. The night’s still young.”

He makes a good point.

I sit up, then scooch backward until I’m propped up against the head of the bed, my pillow scrunched behind my back. I drag the sheet up to cover my naked breasts.

Kage sits on the edge of the mattress and drags the sheet back down so my breasts are exposed again. He sets the plate on his lap. Then he picks up a piece of crispy bacon.

“Open,” he commands, holding the bacon near my lips.

Though I feel slightly ridiculous being fed like an infant, I oblige. I quickly forget about feeling silly, however, because it’s delicious. The bacon tastes so good, I moan a little as I chew.

The man can cook. Go figure.

He watches me with hawklike focus until I swallow. Then he makes a satisfied noise and picks up the fork resting on the side of the plate. He shovels up a pile of scrambled eggs.

“Whoa. How big do you think my mouth is? That bite’s enough for like four people.”

An indulgent smile curves his lips. “Every time you give me sass, you earn another spanking.”

We stare at each other. Neither of us blinks. But he’s better at this game, and I’m starving, so he wins the challenge.

I obediently open my mouth and let him slide the fork in.

Watching my mouth, he says hotly, “Those beautiful fucking lips. I can’t wait until you’re on your knees with those lips around my cock, choking on it.”

I nearly spit the eggs out through my nose, but manage to control myself. I swallow, then laugh. “How romantic! You should write sonnets.”

“Eat.”

He feeds me more eggs. Gives me another piece of bacon, then a slice of buttered toast. Watches me chew and swallow like it’s the most fascinating thing he’s ever seen.

When the plate is empty, he sets it on the nightstand next to the bed. Then he turns back to me and says in a conversational tone, “Exactly how many vibrators do you own?”

My eyes fly open wide.

“I’m only asking because this drawer here seems to be filled to overflowing. That hot-pink one might be my favorite.” He points at the nightstand where he just set the plate.

The drawer beneath it is cracked open a few inches, which is plenty wide enough to see the treasure trove of sex toys inside.

The hot-pink vibrator in question is actually a dildo. Quite a large specimen, too, with lifelike veins and a shaft both long and thick, terminating in a bulbous head that could frighten virgins into staying chaste for life.

Oh my god.

I make a meep of horror, which makes Kage chuckle.

“Your dirty little secret’s out, baby. And to think, you told me you were conservative in bed.”

He slides the drawer open wider, pulls out the giant pink dildo, holds it up, and wags it back and forth, smirking. “This is hardly conservative. You could puncture a lung with this monster.”