Venom And Vice

2

I knew he didn’t like Becca and me around, but I didn’t think he would still harbor such resentment after all this time. Did he still see us as just a couple of human tagalongs? The insinuation touched on a nerve. I’d been turned Fae five months earlier in order to save my life. The feat had never been accomplished before, which meant no one knew exactly what would happen to me. However, I’d been assured that the other Fae could sense my Fae-ness and that my powers would develop with time. I’d been thrilled at the prospect of possessing the ability to wield magic, yet there’d been no sign of these elusive powers. Instead, I’d been trapped in a purgatory of uncertainty for months. “Are you saying I don’t belong because my powers haven’t manifested?” My voice shook with barely controlled outrage. “Because they will. I have as much right to be here as you do.” Casek stilled. “Don’t put words in my mouth,” he growled. “I’m asking why you’re here tonight when you have just as little desire to celebrate as I do.” My brows shot together in confusion. “I do want to celebrate. I’m happy for Becca and everything she accomplished. I want to celebrate her win over Morgan just as much as everyone else out there.” He moved another inch closer. “You want to want it, but your heart isn’t in it. I think you desperately wished you’d been the one sitting alone at that table, and that’s why you’re so damn angry.” I’d never felt so exposed in my life. I tried to fall back a step but found myself against the wall in more ways than one. I hated that he’d seen past my beaming smile and artificial effervescence. No one else had been remotely aware of the disquiet lurking beneath my shiny surface. How had he known? Why had he even looked closely enough to see past the illusion? I’d known he was vigilant, but that kind of intuitive perceptiveness was rare. If he read everyone so easily, it was no wonder he kept to himself. “You know nothing about me,” I whispered, my voice as lost as I felt. He tilted his head, eyes drifting to my lips. “I know enough.” Casek placed his hands on either side of my head and leaned in to bring his cheek close to mine. “I know you want something out of your reach, and no amount of alcohol or dancing will fill that void.” The predatory desire in his voice sent my hazy brain spinning. “You sound like you’re familiar with the feeling.” So breathless. Breathe, Ash. His body slowly relaxed into mine. “Who says anything is out of my reach?” Holy. s**t. Was Casek … flirting with me? Or was the alcohol in my veins making me delusional? It had to be the alcohol. He’d never shown me the slightest interest in five months. When I charged over to his table in the club, I had expected him to ignore my existence entirely. This explosion of pent-up desire wafting off him was disorienting. Maybe it was some kind of sick joke. Maybe he was getting me riled up before walking away and laughing at my expense. That had to be it because I couldn’t reconcile this perceived reality with the man I’d come to know. I studied him, trying to see behind his mask. To see through to his true intentions. He wasn’t the joking type, but none of this made sense. We couldn’t have been more different from one another if we’d tried. Could he possibly truly desire me? It’s s*x, Ash, not marriage. Maybe this is exactly what you need to get him out of your system. s**t. Maybe I was right. I was overthinking everything. s*x was s*x, and maybe that was all I needed. Then I could scrub Casek from my mind for good. At the very least, it would be an ideal way to relieve some of this nagging tension I’d been trying to manage. f**k it. Tired of fighting with myself, I slammed the door on logic and gave myself over to the moment. I could always blame the alcohol, but I knew, in reality, it had only been a catalyst. This was exactly what I’d wanted for months, and the relief of finally surging forward and pressing my lips to his was all-consuming. Like a match to kindling, our kiss ignited an inferno. Our bodies slammed together like magnets free to unite without obstruction. My teeth collided with his, or maybe it was the other way around. It didn’t matter. Not even the tang of copper on our tongues slowed our crushing desire. My hands snaked between us to tug open the button of his pants. He pulled his lips away from mine and lifted his fitted T-shirt over his head, exposing the most exquisite masculine chest I’d ever seen. He wasn’t lean muscle and taut skin. Casek was built of solid power—strength hewn from experience and use rather than lifting in a gym. The sight was almost enough to distract me from the monster c**k that sprang free from behind the pants I’d just unzipped. He’d worn nothing beneath his dark-wash jeans, allowing me an unobstructed view of everything he had to offer. Everything about him was gorgeous—too gorgeous for his personality. I’d assured myself in the past that he probably had a crooked shlong or trouble getting it up, and that was why he always seemed so moody. I could unequivocally state now that I’d been wrong. So incredibly wrong.My lips parted, but words failed me. I wanted to stare at his majestic perfection for hours, yet my admiration was cut ruthlessly short when he spun me around to face the wall. I tried to turn in protest, but his large frame caged me in, his lips grazing the top of my ear.