Split or Swallow, page 55
“Aren’t you going to introduce your guest to the table, Thelonius?” Maximus said coldly.
Leo smiled.
“Certainly. Everyone—” he stood, grabbing Tem’s hand and pulling her upright with him, “—please welcome my lovely date, Temperance Verus.”
To Tem’s horror, everyone at the table looked right at her. Before she could figure out whether they expected her to say something, Leo was already speaking:
“She’s one of the lovely women in the running for my hand in marriage. As you can see, she’s already got a head start.”
He raised his arm so everyone could see their hands clasped together.
A murmur of laughter rippled across the table. With a single line, Leo had not only explained Tem’s presence at the dinner, but legitimized it. Where just moments ago she’d been the recipient of discerning stares, now everyone was smiling at her. He’s good at that, Tem realized. Disarming people was a talent of Leo’s. He did it easily, with nothing but his words. She made a mental note to remember that about him.
As they sat back down, Maximus said:
“How are you finding the castle, Temperance?”
“Oh,” Tem said, surprised he was addressing her directly. “It’s…something.”
“It must be quite different from what you’re used to in the village.”
Tem was smart enough to spot an insult when she saw one. She refused to take the bait.
“It’s certainly eventful around here.”
Maximus’s eyes narrowed. He wasn’t pleased that she refused to play his game.
“And what does your father do, Temperance?”
The question made her blood run cold. Was Maximus aware that Tem was a Hybreed? Or was he simply making dinner party conversation? Surely he couldn’t know that one of the basilisks deep beneath their feet was her father. Or could he?
“My mother runs a chicken farm,” Tem said pointedly.
There was a bated silence as everyone at the table glanced at Maximus, who was glaring at Tem like he wanted to throw his wine at her.
“Chickens,” he sneered. “How charming.”
Before she could defend herself, someone else did it for her:
“Don’t speak to her like that,” Leo snapped.
It was the first time Tem had ever heard Leo raise his voice, and a chill went down her spine at the sound. He was staring at Maximus with pure, vivid loathing, his hands clenched into fists under the table. His reaction was so disproportionate to Maximus’s comment that Tem knew there was no way this was only about her.
Tem reached for him.
She touched Leo’s hand under the table, uncurling his fingers gently from a fist. Then she pulled his hand into her lap, holding it with both of hers. Leo didn’t look at her while she did it. But when Tem squeezed his hand, he squeezed hers back, and his voice was steady again when he said:
“Forgive me, father. Too much wine.”
Nervous laughter spread across the table, and a moment later the chatter resumed. But Maximus didn’t move, staring at his son with utter contempt in his eyes.
“Leo,” Tem said, pulling his attention to her.
He turned, and the second their eyes met, his expression softened. He leaned in.
“What can I do for you, Tem?”
“I’m starving,” she said, her tone purposefully light.
Leo smiled, if a little stiffly.
“Then we had better feed you.”
No sooner had he said the words than a butler appeared and began serving them from a golden tray.
The food was exquisite: tender roast beef, crispy potatoes, and herby green salad. It reminded Tem of the food she’d eaten on her very first date with Leo, where they’d sat on the patio before walking through the maze. It was strange to sit here with him now—in the same room she’d sat in before the Frisky Sixty. They had come a long way together, her and Leo. And the journey had not been all bad.
The next hour was spent making pleasantries and exchanging small talk. Tem learned that the other guests were indeed Leo’s extended family, in town for the wedding. The thought made her nervous, but she didn’t show it. Instead she laughed and smiled and charmed herself into their good graces, pretending she was playing a part. And maybe she was.
The woman next to Tem was on her fourth red wine.
“I’ve never seen one before, you know,” she purred, swirling her glass.
“Seen what before?” Tem asked.
“A snake.”
“Oh,” Tem said. Then she frowned. “They look just like humans.”
“Attractive humans, I’ve heard. What’s it like to fuck one?”
Tem’s eyebrows flew upward. She glanced at Leo, who was mercifully engaged in conversation with the man on his left. She cleared her throat.
“It’s…life changing,” Tem said honestly.
“Oh, I’m sure it is,” the woman crooned, leaning even closer. “Maybe I’ll get lucky at the wedding.”
Tem blinked. “Will the basilisks be attending?”
“They should be. At least, that’s what my sister says. Did I tell you about the time she—”
But Tem was no longer listening. If the basilisks were attending the wedding, that meant they would seize power the moment she performed the crest. It meant there would be no time to ensure a smooth transition from one king to the next—no time to ensure things happened in an orderly fashion. The change would be immediate. Lawless. And possibly dangerous.
When the main course was cleared, a butler served dessert.
A white ceramic dish containing a chocolate soufflé was set in front of Tem. It was covered in powdered sugar. She touched it with her fork, disturbing its pristine surface.
Leo watched as she took the first bite.
“And?” he said.
“Pretty good.”
“I suppose that’s better than pretty bad.”
“Marginally.”
Leo laughed, and at the sound, Tem chose to do something she shouldn’t. She leaned closer, lowering her voice so only Leo could hear:
“Do you really want to make your father angry?”
He arched an eyebrow. “Always.”
At his reply, she whispered:
“Feed me.”
For a moment, Leo did nothing. Then the familiar smirk returned to his face.
He took the fork, scooped up a bite of the soufflé, and held it out to her. Tem leaned even closer, taking the bite slowly, keeping her eyes on Leo’s while she did it.
Maximus watched the entire time, his expression irate.
When Tem finished the bite, she pressed her lips to Leo’s cheek, leaving a smudge of powdered sugar on his skin. She smiled at him, and he smiled back.
“And you thought I was depraved,” he whispered.
She wiped the sugar gently from his cheek.
“Takes one to know one.”
Dinner was followed by cocktails in the parlor, where thankfully, Maximus left them alone. It was only when the fire was dying down and the guests were starting to leave that Maximus shot Tem a pointed glance, which she returned.
Leo’s arm encircled her waist as they ascended the stairs together, and when they reached the landing, he stopped in his tracks. Tem thought he might say something, or perhaps make a move on her. Instead he closed his eyes, leaning his head back so it was resting against the wall.
He let out a deep sigh.
Tem stared at him, unsure what to do. It felt like a moment that should be private, and despite herself, she felt bad for Leo. Tem wondered suddenly if he decompressed like this after every dinner party. Growing up with a father like Maximus couldn’t have been easy on him.
She touched his chest.
Leo’s eyes opened. He placed his hand over hers, holding them together. They stared at each other for a long moment. Then Leo raised his other hand, brushing the tips of his fingers underneath Tem’s chin. Perhaps she’d had too much wine. Perhaps she was simply overwhelmed by the events of the last few days. But for some reason, his touch felt so good that Tem couldn’t help but close her eyes as he traced his fingertips along her jaw. She tilted her head so his palm could cup her cheek.
“Come to my room,” he whispered.
She shook her head.
“Why not, Tem?”
“Because you’re just going to try to have sex with me.”
Even though her eyes were closed, she knew Leo was smiling.
“I wouldn’t dream of it.”
She opened her eyes. He was smiling.
“Promise?”
Leo smiled wider. “Having sex with you requires your consent, Tem. And you essentially just revoked that. There would be no point in trying. But if you insist, then yes. I promise.”
Together, they entered his room.
CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR
Tem stood by the bar cart as Leo shut the door behind them. Everything was the same as she remembered it: immaculately made bed, packed bookshelves, crackling fire.
“Would you care for a drink?” Leo asked.
“Please.”
He poured them both whiskeys before sitting in one of the armchairs facing the fire. On a whim, Tem set her whiskey on the end table, crossed to Leo, and curled up beside him. He moved to accommodate her, pulling her against his chest with a deep, satisfied sigh. They stared at the fire for a long time, neither of them saying a word.
Tem breathed in his scent, savoring the cologne that lingered on his neck. He smelled so good. She savored other things too. Like the way his arms were wrapped securely around her. And the way a single lock of blonde hair lay over his forehead. He was handsome, she realized. Or maybe she’d always known he was, but had pretended he wasn’t. Tem tried to imagine what it would be like to wake up next to him every morning for the rest of her life. Before she could picture it, Leo looked at her.
“Tem,” he murmured.
Tem didn’t think. She just pressed her lips to his.
They kissed slowly, their bodies folding together in the armchair. Tem expected Leo’s hands to stray, but they didn’t. Instead, she was the one pulling him closer. She was the one running her palms under his shirt, touching his ribs one by one, feeling the angled lines of his torso. She remembered what Caspen had told her:
“You are mine, Tem. Whether you give your body to another does not change that.”
Tem pressed her lips to Leo’s neck. She wanted to taste him.
“Tem,” the prince pulled away, but just barely. “Stop.”
“Why?”
“Because you made me promise not to try to have sex with you.”
“I don’t see you trying. You just told me to stop.”
“You make it rather difficult to keep that promise.”
He pulled back in earnest this time, his eyes gleaming in the light of the dying fire. His voice dropped to a whisper:
“You can’t imagine everything I want to do to you right now.”
“Yes I can,” she traced her fingertips down the center of his chest. “But you’re a man of your word, remember?”
“It is becoming impossible to remain one.”
Tem giggled. She couldn’t help it. It was fun to tease him—to force him to resist her, especially when she knew how badly he wanted to do the opposite. She liked playing these games with Leo. It had always been that way between them—a battle of wills—a test of who held the power. Tem was holding it now, and she didn’t plan on relinquishing it.
“Tell me what you want to do to me,” Tem whispered.
“Everything.”
“Be specific.”
Leo moaned, the sound vibrating deep in his chest.
“I want to rip this off you—” his fist twisted the strap of her dress, “—and throw it in the fucking fire. I want you to tell me what you like and I want you to say my name while I do it.”
“More, Leo. Be specific.”
His hand went to her throat, pulling her head to his.
“I want you spread open in front of me. I want to bury myself in your cunt until you can’t fucking breathe.”
“More.”
“I want you all to myself. I don’t want to share. I want my name to be the only thing on your lips and I want my cum dripping out of you.”
“More.”
His final words were a tortured whisper:
“I want to do everything you’ll let me do.”
Tem sat up.
Leo’s eyes widened. Then, just as quickly, they narrowed in hungry anticipation as Tem straddled him so they were facing each other in the armchair. She grasped the bottom of the dress and pulled it up over her head.
“Tem,” Leo said at the sight of her naked body.
Tem’s finger darted forward to touch his lips.
“Don’t worry,” she whispered. “You kept your promise.”
“If you tell me I can’t touch you this time—”
“Touch me, Leo.”
Leo didn’t hesitate.
He grabbed her with both hands, pulling her onto his lap so she was pressed against the hard length of his cock, which was barely contained by his trousers. He groaned while he did it, and Tem moved her hips to meet him, rubbing against his shaft to make him even harder. She took his hand and placed it on her thigh.
Leo’s eyes fluttered shut. For a moment, he didn’t seem to breathe.
Then his eyes flew open and he took over, sliding his hand between her legs and slipping his fingers inside her.
Tem gasped as he slid them in, then out, then back in again, driving them deeper every time.
“You’re dripping, Tem,” he whispered. “Is that all for me?”
Tem nodded.
“Say it,” he commanded.
“It’s all for you.”
“Again.”
She placed her hand over his, angling her hips so his fingers went all the way inside her.
“It’s all for you, Leo. Just for you.”
Tem took control, sliding herself up and down. Leo watched her, enraptured, as if he had never seen anything like her before. His other hand wandered—touching her hips and her waist and her breasts. She let him do this, conforming her body to his touch, showing him how well they could move together.
At some point, Leo removed his fingers, and Tem watched as he raised them to his lips, licking her wetness from them slowly.
“So fucking sweet,” he murmured.
Hot, possessive pride swept through Tem.
“Just for you,” she said again.
She dipped her own hand between her legs, and when she removed it, Leo licked it too, sliding his tongue into the groove between her fingers, closing his eyes as he did it. He looked radiantly happy, like he was savoring his last meal on earth.
As soon as he was done he kissed her.
She tasted herself on his lips, just as she had so many times on Caspen’s. Only this time she also tasted the traces of honey that accompanied Leo’s kiss, and the taste made her so ravenous that she filled her hand with his cock. He was harder than stone, straining against the confines of his trousers. But Tem didn’t release him. Instead she turned around, situating herself so her ass was in his lap, her knees on either side of him.
Leo gave a sharp intake of breath at the change in position. A moment later he twisted his hand around the end of her hair, yanking her head back so her spine was arched against his chest. His other hand slid up her waist to her breasts, squeezing one and then the other, running the hard peaks of her nipples through his fingers until she was whimpering beneath his touch.
Tem arched her back even more, pressing her breasts into his palm.
“So needy,” he whispered. “What are we going to do with you?”
Tem plunged her hand between her legs to grab his cock. Leo grunted at the contact, his fist tightening in her hair.
“So fucking needy.”
His hand left her breasts and Tem gasped at the sudden absence. Then his palm hit her ass with a hard smack, and she moaned as he bucked his hips below her. He spanked her again. And again.
She was so wet it was soaking into his trousers.
“You’re going to turn around,” he said, his lips on her ear. “And you’re going to come.”
Tem couldn’t obey quickly enough.
By the time she turned around Leo had spread his entire hand open beneath her, and she lowered herself onto this palm without a moment’s hesitation. Tem rubbed herself back and forth with quick, contained movements, going steadily faster until her wetness was dripping down his wrist. Her skin felt as if it were on fire—like one single touch might ignite her into a blaze.
“That’s it, Tem,” Leo said, his eyes locked on hers. “Show me.”
Her breath came in short, desperate gasps.
“Show me how pretty you are when you come.”
Tem wanted nothing more.
She wanted Leo to see what he did to her—the effect he had even when she was pretending she didn’t want him—that some part of her belonged to him, even if that part wasn’t hers to give away.
At the last second, Leo slipped his fingers inside her—touching her right where she needed it—forcing her body to collect what it was owed.
She drove herself against him as she came, thrusting her hips with shameless urgency, drinking in every last second of pleasure he had to offer her. Tem knew he liked to see her like this—open and exposed, helplessly reliant on him for her climax. It confirmed what both of them knew, but only one of them denied: she needed him.
