While You Were Creeping - Poppy Rhys Page 0,39

knees, and leaning in to place her hands on my shoulders. “I promised to help, and I’ll do everything I can.”

As strange as it was, her touch was comforting. To be honest, I hadn’t even realized I’d gotten my hopes up.

Being free of the crystal was a distant, impossible idea in my head. Like a lush mirage in the desert to a thirsty man.

I didn’t tell Holly that though. The sincerity on her face stopped me from saying a word about it.

The fact she put effort into trying said more to me than whether she’d be successful or not.

“I mean,” she half-smiled, “you’ve got a lot of things to do, places to be, and people to catch up with, right? We gotta get you freed so you can do all that.”

Holly did it again.

Did that thing where she said something, but her eyes and body said the complete opposite.

Right now, her eyes didn’t match her smile. Her voice was encouraging, excited even, but those pine-colored orbs...

They said something else.

Something that tugged at my chest in an uncomfortable way because for hundreds of years I’d been unable to accomplish what she pleaded without words.

Stay.

EIGHTEEN

KYE

“Think you’ve got enough?” Holly smirked and eyeballed my plate that was stacked with the little finger foods from the impressive spread.

“These plates are stupidly tiny,” I grumbled.

Holly laughed, the sound infectious enough to warm me. Her smile—that rare, blinding smile—lit up her face as she perused the buffet.

This was the third event we’d been to in as many days. Holly’d explained it was part of her Evergreen Queen contract to attend a certain number of events per December.

I was fine with it.

Minus the fact she had to wear clothes. Minus the fact we had to leave her apartment. Minus the fact there were so many other things I wanted to do with Holly that involved my cock and her delicious body—things we couldn’t do in public without being fined or legally charged.

Alright, so I wasn’t fine with it at all.

Goddammit, I wanted to leave this party already.

“What’re you thinking that’s got you growling?”

Had I been growling?

“Nothing that doesn’t involve depraved acts and your amazing tits.”

Her mouth fell open, her eyes grew wide, and she did a quick scan to make sure no one had been close enough to hear what I just said.

Did I care if they were?

Hell no.

I was sure other men would be thinking it too if they had fucking eyeballs...

And now I wanted to tear out their eyeballs.

“I can’t take you anywhere!” she whisper-hissed, but I saw the way she nibbled the inside of her cheek to keep from grinning.

“It’s true. Maybe next time I should stay home. You could stay with me. We’ll christen the armchair. Haven’t done that yet.”

Her breath hitched, but she tried to hide it by grabbing a flute of champagne off the tray of a passing waiter and taking a healthy gulp.

My eyes drifted down her body, which was a mistake.

Seeing Holly in that tight, gold, shimmery dress that only reached mid-thigh was torturous. I loved it, but I wanted to shred it with my claws.

The way her hair was pulled up in an elegant bun only drew my attention to her smooth neck and the slope of her exposed shoulders that I wanted to kiss and nip.

Fuck, she was temptation wrapped in glitter.

“Come on,” she said, setting down her plate, but not before grabbing a piece of fruit and dipping it in whipped cream. “Let’s join the auction before you pop a boner.”

She winked and bit into the strawberry.

Ahh, gods. I was doomed.

****

HOLLY

Was I having fun teasing Kye? You bet your ass I was.

I saw the way he shivered when I gazed up at him, fluttered my lashes, and gently sucked whipped cream off my thumb.

I’m sure I’d pay for that later, which didn’t help. The thought of Kye handling me however he wanted made this dress suddenly too tight.

Was there enough oxygen in the room? The air felt thin.

“One thousand credits!” someone shouted, starting a bidding war.

I’d stick around for another half hour, just to fulfill the requirements of my contract, but then I’d make a stealthy exit.

To say I felt a little selfish was an understatement. The annual Family for Foundlings charity auction was one of my favorites. It was a good cause. All proceeds would go to younglings who’d lost parents to illness or accident.

I’d considered myself fortunate to have never experienced that loss. While no amount of money could replace a parent, the credits