I nod but stay where I am, as I’m naked under this sheet. I’m not in the mood to provoke my sire this early on as there are going to be words later and I want him happy and amenable.
He raises his eyebrow at me with a smug smile and says, “Out, Sebastian. Let the lady get dressed without you gawking at her.”
Sebastian sits up, but quickly trails his hands up my arms and bunches his fist in my hair, pulling my head to the side. He inhales deeply. “One taste. I just want one little taste,” he says not to me, mind you, but to CK.
“Get your fangs away from her,” CK says mildly.
“Come now. She wants it. She wants to be with us. She told me she wants to feel what it’s like,” he says, baiting CK.
He narrows his eyes at Sebastian and takes another step forward. “Hands off,” he says quietly, and Sebastian lets me go.
“Fine. One of these days, I will have her, you know that,” he says and exits to the Main Cabin. I sigh. Why do people always talk about me like I’m not even here?
CK watches him go and joins me on the bed. “Did you?” he asks, regarding me closely.
“Did I what?” I ask.
“Did you tell him you wanted to be with us?”
“Not in as many words,” I say coyly.
“Aefre,” he pauses.
“I do want to know what it feels like,” I say. “It has been made very clear to me that it’s special and I know what it’s like from the sire side. I want to know what it’s like from the charge side.” I crawl onto his lap and he puts his arms around me.
“Aefre,” he says again, closing his eyes with a
pained expression. I know he’s going to give in, so I kiss him softly on his forehead, putting my fingers to his lips.
“But until Cole lets me off my leash, there’s nothing I can do about it,” I whisper, watching as his eyes pop open in relief.
He smiles at me, and my choice of words. “I missed you,” he whispers.
“And I missed you,” I whisper back, kissing him again, this time on his lips, my hands moving around to undo his shirt. He stops me, putting his hands over mine.
“I love you, Aefre and I do want you, but you know I don’t play second fiddle.”
I gape at him for denying me, but I know that I brought it on myself, as I came straight from the hotel bed to the airport, not via the shower. I look contrite as I climb off him and pull a robe out of thin air. “I’ll just be a few minutes,” I mumble and make a hasty exit to the shower room. Going to have to remember to always go via the shower, I scold myself as I turn on the taps and step in. I soap myself up good and proper so there are no more complaints from the peanut gallery. I finish up quickly and step out, drying myself. I pull on a tight black mini dress and Louboutins. Straightening my hair and getting some smoky eye make-up going, I want to look every inch of Liv for this meeting. I go to the Main Cabin where Lincoln and Scott have turned up. CK’s eyes land on me and harden as I kiss Lincoln – chastely, I might add – and say hello to Scott.
“Under the circumstances, I think Scott should sit as far away from you two as possible,” I say to his relief. He is delighted when I tell him to go sit up front with Captain Jim, leaving the four of us to sit around the table, and the two bodyguards to sit on the sofas. I sit first and find it amusing that the three men all step up to the seat next to me. CK glares them back and they sit opposite us. “That’s okay,” Lincoln says with a wicked grin. “This way I get to play footsie with you.” I laugh at him but CK is less than amused.
“Keep your feet to yourself,” he snaps at Lincoln, who just smiles back innocently.
“You look beautiful, V.A., by the way.”
“Thank you,” I say with a sidelong glance to my sire, who glares at me and takes my hand.
“So, Aefre,” CK starts. “Would you care to inform us of any new developments on the Hunter front?”
Funny, he asks it as a question, but it is more like a statement. I shrug, “Nothing you don’t already know.”
“Don’t be evasive, my love. I am sure he has contacted you again.” He says it in a way that makes me think he already knows.
“I may have spoken to him again,” I say, avoiding his intense glare. “I also may have told him that if I see him again, I’m going to kill him.”
That catches all of their attention, as I am very much the pacifist of the bunch. Three sets of eyes bore into me and I look to Lincoln for help out of this conversation. No way am I admitting that Cade wants to meet me in private and that I am actually going to go.
“May we ask what brought on that sudden change of heart?” CK asks before Lincoln gets a word in.