Chapter 60 60.Kiss
Tabitha’s POV
“Hmm…” I purse my lips, thinking. “Okay, truth.”
A devilish smile creeps on Reed’s lips as he leans forward and asks, “Tell me… who is your first kiss?”
The fire pops, but the silence that follows feels heavier. All four of them look at me like hunters waiting for their prey to twitch. My throat goes dry. Why would he ask that of all questions?
Heat creeps up my neck, and before I can stop myself, the words slip out. “I’ve never kissed anyone.”
Their eyes widen slightly, all at once. Not shock exactly, I’d say more like surprise mixed with something else I can’t name. For a fleeting second, it looks almost like satisfaction. I don’t know whether to be embarrassed or unsettled.
Jace tilts his head. “Do you want to try now?”
A nervous laugh bursts out of me. “Funny.” But the sound dies quickly. None of them are laughing.
Maybe it’s the firelight flickering against their faces, or the alcohol loosening my thoughts, or maybe it’s just the pull I’ve been fighting from the start—but I can feel my skin buzzing with something alive, like a feather trailing down my spine or sparks crawling just under my flesh. I can’t tell if it’s the mate bond or something far more dangerous…my own hunger for them.
I don’t know which one I prefer. But either way, I’m completely undone.
“So… which one of you is volunteering?” The daring words tumble out of my mouth before I can stop or think about them.
Reed’s eyes darken, his eyes drifting down my lips while he lucks his. “We can decide the same way we started the game. Let the bottle decide.”
My heart hammers wildly against my chest as I dazedly watch him spin the bottle. Small tingles of electrifying sensation singe my skin, and I barely have the concentration to observe what is happening. I suddenly feel hyperaware of their presence—their half-naked bodies around me, Jace’s breath caressing my nape as he scoots closer, Evren’s intense gaze, Luca’s fingers teasing my palm on the ground, and the way Reed impatiently waits for the bottle to stop.
Oh right, the bottle.
It slows until the neck points straight at Luca. My heart thumps harder. Luca’s expression is nothing but serious, it almost looks like he’s angry. I half-expect him to declare how this whole thing is a bad idea and order us to pack up. But he doesn’t.
Instead, Luca leans in and takes my face in his hand. His mouth crushes against mine and I gasp, startled by how soft and warm it feels, like velvet pressed against my skin. His lips are insistent and somehow taste faintly of something sweet that makes my stomach flutter. My mind goes blank, just this overwhelming heat pooling low in my stomach. Oh my god. I’m kissing him… I’m kissing Luca. And I love it. I can’t help the little moan that escapes me when he pulls back too soon, leaving my lips tingling and my body aching for more. I gaze at him drunkenly as the breathless part of me thinks how I wish he didn’t stop.
The kiss doesn’t quite sate the hunger that I’m feeling. But I barely have time to complain before Jace catches my wrist. The sudden tug jolts me like a spark jumping a wire. His mouth presses to mine with a patience that feels like torture, as though he wants to draw every last reaction from me. I melt into it, my thoughts scattering. Jace kisses like he’s been starving, like this is the only chance he’ll ever get. When he pulls away, the world feels tilted, and I swear my lips still carry the shape of his. Smirking, he licks his lips as if savoring the taste that my lips left on his. Smirking, Jace licks his lips as if savoring the taste that my lips left on his. My stomach flutters at the sight, but not long enough—because Reed yanks me against him. I slam into his bare chest with a gasp, and his thumb strokes across my swollen mouth.
“Let’s see if your mouth is as sweet as it looks, princess,” he drawls, shoving his thick thumb between my lips. The intrusion makes me whimper. My face flushes in a mixture of embarrassment and thrill as he toys with my tongue.
“Uhm…” I moan against his finger.
Reed snickers devilishly before grabbing a fistful of my hair drags me into a kiss that steals the breath from my lungs. His mouth crashes into mine, biting, devouring, forcing me open until his tongue drives deep.
Oh my god.
My body shudders in his grip, every nerve sparking at the sheer roughness of his kisses.
“Fuck—” Reed breaks off against my lips, voice ragged. “You taste too damn good.”
By the time Reed lets me go I’m dizzy, clinging to air, lips throbbing from his assault. Then a pair of strong arms hook under my shoulders and lift me as if I weigh nothing. Evren drags me onto his lap and pins my back against his chest. His hand locks around my jaw and tips my face until his mouth crashes onto mine. I bleat when his tongue drives past my lips without hesitation, tangling with mine in a wet clash that leaves me shuddering against his arms. He pushes deeper, swallowing every sound I make. My fingers stroking his chest as if I’ll fall without him, my whole body quaking under the sheer force of his hunger. When he finally rips his mouth from mine, the sudden absence leaves me gasping against his chest.
I touch my lips. They feel swollen, wet, alive. My chest rises and falls like I just ran miles.
What the hell is wrong with me? I just let them take turns kissing me and I didn’t stop a single one. Not once. And god help me, I liked it. My whole body is buzzing like it belongs to them now. And maybe it does. Shit.
I glance at Evren still holding me from behind, then at the others gathered around, and my thoughts knot into a mess I can’t untangle. I should stand up, walk to the car, act like none of this ever happened. But my body won’t move. They’ve turned my legs into jelly, and I’m stuck here, burning from every kiss they left on me.
Reed leans in until his breath brushes my ear. “You’re looking at us hungrily. Kisses aren’t enough for you, are they?”
His fingers snap around my jaw, forcing my head toward him. The sharp hold makes me whimper, pathetic and needy, a sound like I’m some needy slut. Damn it.
“Look at her eyes. She’s horny.” Luca tilts his head and smirks. “Aren’t you, sweetheart? Kisses didn’t cut it for you, huh?”
Heat scorches my skin. My thighs press tight together, but it does nothing to ease the ache building inside me.
Jace brushes a featherlight touch down my arm. “She’s shaking.”
“Hmm…” Reed lets his palm trail along my thigh. “Tell us, princess. What do you need?”
My lips part, but no words come out, only another desperate whimper. God, why am I acting like a bitch in heat?
“Whimpering like that isn’t gonna cut it, baby. If you want something, you have to say it. Actually… no. “ Jace chuckles under his breath. “Beg for it.”
I shiver. The need claws up my throat until it rips free. “Please.” Shit.
Reed’s hand pauses against my thigh. “Please what?” His breath fans my cheek. “What do you want, princess?”
My chest rises fast, lungs straining for air. I lick my lips, my voice shaking. “Kiss me more.” I’m screwed.
Reed lets a sinister laugh, his eyes glinting in satisfaction before devouring my lips with another punishing kiss. I instantly melt right then. His tongue parts my lips, tasting me, claiming me. It’s so good, so delicious. I just can’t get enough and I almost cry when he pulls back just enough to drag his tongue across my lower lip, leaving me trembling.
His eyes pin on my fingers that are now desperately clinging to his shoulders.
“Is that really all you want? Just a kiss?” There is a hint of teasing in his voice.
I shake my head, unable to lie. The need is too raw. Too strong. I need more. I need something to fill the incessant hunger within me, and kisses will no longer suffice. Every inch of my body is begging for them. As much as I want to think that this is the first time I’m feeling like this, I know it’s not the case.
I’ve always felt a strange pull toward them. Maybe it began the moment I learned they were my mates, or maybe it had been there long before. I want to believe it’s the first, because at least then I’ll have an excuse once my mind clears from this fog of need.
But right now. I don’t need any excuses. Right now…
“I need…” I gasp, forcing the words out of my mouth. “I need more. Please…”
The three of them laugh, like they’ve been waiting for this moment.
“What a greedy girl.” Luca whispers and bites my earlobe, earning another whimper from me.
Jace’s fingers tighten on my wrist. “But who are we to deny her?”
“If our girl wants more…” Reed smirks, leaning close again. “…we’ll give her more.”