Free The Circle by Stella Berkley

hands replacing mine.
    As if summoned, his sudden appearance injected me with a dizzying euphoria a moment before his strong hands slipped around my waist from behind. A sigh escaped me as he tugged me back against his hard body. His swollen cock, barely contained in his pants, pressed against my ass.
    “I’ve missed you, my Katharine.” His mouth nuzzled my throat. ”Mmm, you smell so good.”
    I opened my mouth, but closed it again. I’d vowed to keep my wits about me and not break the rules. “M-may I speak?”
    A snicker vibrated up his throat. “The game has not yet begun, but it pleases me that you asked all the same.” He spun me to face him fast enough my vision blurred. “Once we arrive at the Circle, you must observe the formalities. For now, we are free to be as we are.”
    My shaking fingers slid into the silk of his chestnut hair. I drew him closer and brushed my lips against his, our quickening breaths mingling and cooling my skin. His tongue darted out, and I captured it between my lips, plunged my own into his mouth. He growled as my hand slid down the front of his black suit pants. I gasped at his rock-like state—clearly I wasn’t the only one in need.
    Air rushed past me as the room whirled in a wash of white. My back contacted the bed hard as Devin threw me down and landed on top of me. I raised my knees to cradle him, moaning as the fabric of his pants pressed against my bare lower lips.
    His mouth crushed against mine, and I responded with urgency that bordered on panic. I yanked at the back of his shirt as I thrust my hips against him. Shining white daggers descended from beneath his upper lip. His face lowered until their tips grazed my throat.
    “Yes.” I hissed the word, eager to have him inside me, to drink from me. My eyes widened at the contradicting thoughts crashing through my mind. Did I want him to? How far down had I gone that I wished an immortal would sink his fangs into me? A sensory memory from his bite on my wrist captured every sense and erased my doubt. His growl echoed in my head. The otherworldly perfume of his skin invaded my nostrils. Pleasure traveled the length of my spine and dipped into my sex with hot, sticky needles of warmth.
    “So eager, but we must not indulge here.” He kissed my neck before climbing off the bed and offering me his hand.
    I whimpered at the absence of his weight but took his offered help and stood beside him. “Why are you torturing me?”
    His snicker added to my frustration. “There are customs that must be observed to ensure the validity and strength of our bond.” Devin’s fingertips brushed my collarbone, and I moaned, wanting his hands everywhere. “Now we must go. My sovereign does not take kindly to tardiness.”
    “What will happen tonight?”
    He pressed his lips against my forehead. “Your mind and body will be opened to the Circle and the possibilities within. Together, we will ascend to a higher state of being.”
    When he nudged me toward the door, I moved away from him. My eyes narrowed to slits. “Will you bite me again? Will you….” A shudder stole my air.
    “Do you trust me?” He gave me a dark, serious stare, as if my answer meant more than he could tell me.
    “I…” Did I trust him? I hardly knew the man, but somehow I knew, with every part of my being, that he wouldn’t intentionally hurt me. Even if I hadn’t trusted him, I still wanted everything he offered and more. “Yes.”
    A smile broke across his face, one I could stare at for hours and not tire of. “Good, then submit to me, and I’ll take care of you.”
    My heart swelled at the tenderness in his gaze, in the elegance of his cadence.
    Still wearing a broad smile, Devin took my hand and led me from the room.
    * * * * *
     
    My fingers worried over the hem of my dress. From the leather seat in the limousine, I stared at the source of my torment—so close, yet out of my reach, as Devin sat across from me, his grin never wavering.
    “Devin