Warlocks, Kavan and Derik, have been lovers for years, but they’ve always known their third has been out there somewhere, undiscovered and just waiting to be found. When Derik becomes convinced that it’s a female vampire named Cherish, Kavan scoffs at him. Cherish is shy, brainy and not the least bit sexy. Then on Christmas Eve, Derik asks for one wish, for Kavan to let them seduce the innocent vampire for just one night. As soon as Kavan gets a taste of Cherish’s passion, he knows he’s addicted. But will she be willing to accept a lifetime bond with both men?
The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.
Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage the electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author's rights is appreciated.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
A Cherished Christmas
Copyright © 2009 Stephani Hecht
Cover art by Angela Waters
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.
Published by eXtasy Books
Look for us online at:
Smashwords Edition
A Cherished Christmas
Drone Vampire Chronicles Book Six
By
Stephani Hecht
Dedication
To Julie. Thanks for all you do.
Chapter One
If one more person told Kavan he needed to get into the Christmas spirit, he was going to commit murder. He didn’t want to see one more goddamn candy cane, bell-ringing Santa or garishly decorated tree. Most of all, he didn’t want to go to the holiday party the clan of Drone vampires had planned for later on that night.
Currently, he was sitting in the middle of their large cafeteria finishing up his first evening meal. Since he and his fellow warlock brethren had come to live with the vampires, they had adopted their nocturnal schedule. Even though it was evening, he’d just woke up and was in dire need of his first cup of coffee before he did something rash like place a nasty hex on the next person who whistled a carol.
Then he finally saw something that did cheer him up and bring a smile to his face--Derik. The two had been mates before they had come to live with the vampires and Kavan’s heart still did a strange flutter whenever he saw the other warlock. With short styled brown hair and warm, chocolate eyes, his clean cut, chiseled looks were at complete odds with Kavan’s chin-length, shaggy blond mane and scarred face. Yet, Kavan couldn’t love the guy more and counted himself lucky that he got to wake up in the warlock’s arms every day.
Derik was holding two travel mugs in his hands as he navigated around the crowed tables. He caught Kavan’s eye and smiled as he came up to him and handed over one of the cups.
“Please tell me this is coffee,” Kavan said as he took it, feeling the blessed warmth seeping through the thermal layers.
“We’ve been together long enough for me to know better than to approach you this soon after waking without caffeine,” Derik joked, his eyes dancing with humor.
How his man still managed to find any humor in life after all they’d gone through was a mystery to Kavan. He lifted the cup and sipped it before he gave a grimace. “What the hell is this?”
“Coffee.” Derik’s shit-eating grin was partially covered by the rim of his own mug.
“Yeah, I got that, but what flavor is this?” Kavan took another tentative sip. He usually took it just black and that’s the way he liked it, damn it. He never got into the flavored gourmet crap like Derik did.
“Peppermint,” Derik informed him, not even bothering to look one iota guilty. He slouched back in his chair, stretching his long, denim covered legs out as he yawned and scratched his stomach.
Kavan slowly shook his head as he looked at his lover in disbelief. Only Derik could look this comfortable while in the middle of a clan of vampires. Until recently, all the vampires and warlocks had hated each other more than the Montagues hated the Capulets. That had all changed a few months ago though when a shaky alliance had been set up. The Drones needed help in the defeating the Pure Born vampires, who looked down on their once-human brethren and wanted to annihilate their entire population. The warlocks needed protection against the Black Magic covens who were looking to take over all of magical society.
That didn’t mean everyone was one big happy family and pals though. He and Derik were getting more than their far share of dirty and fearful looks. Kavan stewed under the glares, wishing he could just strike back, while Derik acted like he couldn’t care less.
That’s probably because he couldn’t care less. Derik has always been able to shrug off slurs and rejection. It was a trait that Kavan both loved and hated about his man. He sat back and tried to take on the same attitude, acting like he didn’t have a care in the world. Something that got harder when a male vampire walked by humming the Frosty song. “Where are all the kids?” Kavan grunted.
“They’re off practicing for some play they’re putting on tonight at the party.”
“Of course they are.” He snorted, thinking about how darling it was probably going to be, too. Goddess, at this rate he was going to keel over from sweetness overload before the night was up.
“What is your problem?” Derik cocked one brow.
“I just wish it was January already.”
“What’s up with you? Christmas might not exactly be our kind’s holiday, but it’s still fun to get into. You didn’t even get excited over our Yule ritual a few days ago.” Derik leaned forward, putting his mug on the table as he threw out a probing stare.
“That’s not true,” Kavan denied.
“I had to drag you to the circle and practically beg you to participate.”
There was a small beat of silence and Kavan briefly thought about continuing with his lie, then he sighed as he realized it would be a wasted effort since Derik always saw right through him. Finally, he directed his gaze up so he could lock eyes with his mate. “Doesn’t it bother you at all?” Kavan asked as his breath hitched slightly in his chest.
“What, that this was the first Winter Solstice away from our old home?” Derik scoffed as he shook his head. “Hell no and it shouldn’t ruffle you either. I can’t feel bad for leaving our coven so long as Olivia is still in charge of it. When she refused to send any warlocks to help the Drones free Ethan, I wrote her and everyone else in her group off.”
There was no way Kavan could argue with that. To make Olivia’s crime all the worse, Ethan was her son and she had been willing to let him die for her own twisted goals. “I don’t regret leaving so we could save Ethan.” Kavan swallowed hard against the guilt building up in his throat. “It was the right choice and I would do things the same if I had a chance to redo them again. It’s just that I miss my younger sisters. They loved this time of year and I’m not going to be there with them.”
He wondered if his sisters missed him as much. Even though his coven was agreeing to help the Drones, only his small band of warlocks had broken all ties and gone to live with an actual vampire clan. One thing he did know for sure was how his parents had felt about the whole thing. They had made it a point to spit at his feet as he was leaving. Something told him he wouldn’t be getting a Yule, Christmas, Hanukah or Kwanza card from them any time soon.
“Cheer up, babe,” Derik soothed as he reached out to caress Kavan’s arm. “Things here aren’t too bad.”
No, they weren’t. Eric, the clan leader had taken them in, given them a spot in his ranks and even supplied them with uniforms and weapons. They could be living in much worse conditions. In fact, they had lived in a whole hell of a lot worse.
“There are some really, really good things here,” Derik continued as his gaze shifted to the side.
Kavan groaned, knowing what his mate was looking at without having to turn around. Ever since they’d moved to the clan, Derik had been panting over some female vampire like he was a horny dog looking for a scratch for his itch. “I still don’t get what you see in her,” Kavan sighed as he finally gave in and stared at the female. She was smaller than most of the other vampires and thin, too. Too skinny in his opinion. Not only that, but she always had her nose poked in an eBook reader or some computer. He didn’t think he’d ever seen her whole face because her equipment always blocked it.
She was so caught up in her research, she barely took time with her appearance, just cramming one of her never-ending supply of hats over her brown curls and throwing on baggy clothes that seemed to dwarf her small frame. The worst thing about her was her mouth constantly moving, rattling off useless information. Since she lived for her research on all paranormal creatures, she seemed to know every little detail about them. She wasn’t afraid to share all that information with whoever was unfortunate enough to be around her, either. Shit, fucking her would be like doing Wikipedia. He could just picture her yammering away even while he was thrusting into her. Did you know the average size of a male penis is six and a half inches? Most werewolves can climax two times during one encounter. It’s not common knowledge, but one can really have sex with a poltergeist.
“I don’t see how you can’t see how great she really is,” Derik countered, still remaining as stubborn as ever with this certain subject.
“Because nothing is there.” Kavan flicked a dismissive look over at the vampire. She was hunched over her reading device so far, he half-expected her to tip forward and slam her face into the table.
“Wow.” Derik’s face registered shock as he shook his head once in disbelief. “You really have become jaded. It’s a good thing you claimed me a long time ago or else I would be sitting on the curb with all the other rejects.”
“I’m not that bad,” Kavan argued, then took a sip of his coffee. He’d die before admitting it, but the peppermint flavor was actually pretty good.
“If so, then why is it that you won’t even entertain the idea that maybe, just maybe Cherish could be our third? The one who will finally complete our triquetra?”
“Oh, I don’t know. Could it be that she’s a vampire?” Kavan asked, his voice sharp with sarcasm.
“That doesn’t mean anything. Morgan and Dominic formed one with Rafe and he’s a vampire,” Derik was quick to point out.
The idiot must have been rehearsing this argument for days. “Rafe is also part warlock so that doesn’t entirely count. You forget the whole reason for even having a triquetra is to make the warlocks and witches involved more powerful as all three share their magic. That’s kind of hard to do with a vampire since they have zip in the way of powers.” Even before he was halfway done with his lecture, Kavan knew it was wasted. Derik was back to staring at Cherish as he wore that stupid, dopy, lovesick expression again.
“I don’t care what we’ve been taught a triquetra is for. I’m positive she belongs to us,” Derik declared.
The words were said with such resolve that Kavan felt some of his reluctance fade. Not much, but enough for the anger and irritation to take a backseat and compassion take over. “Has she even given you one indication that she feels the same way?” Kavan reached across the table and took Derik’s hand. Even though they had been officially together for two years, he still got a warm feeling whenever they touched. He wondered if the flame would ever dim out. Goddess, he hoped not.
“That’s the weird thing. She’s never given me a clue on how she feels about you and me, period. I don’t know if she hates us, likes us or wants us dead and tossed into the Detroit River,” Derik replied morosely.
Kavan felt a stab of guilt. Cherish probably didn’t give Derik the time of day because Kavan had made it pretty clear he wanted nothing to do with most of the vampires. Since it was a known fact that Derik was his lover, that probably got him painted with the same stay-away brush. Slowly, Kavan felt himself caving. How bad would it be to at least get to know Cherish better? It’s not like they could be any worse off for it.
“I’ll tell you what. If you actually get the balls to talk to her and she’s game, I’ll give it a try.” Kavan slowly fanned the pad of his thumb over Derik’s knuckles. The expression of pure excitement on his lover’s face made Kavan’s heart lurch. It always felt so damn good to make Derik happy.
“Really?” He smiled as he shot a covert glance over at Cherish. She on the other hand, was still completely engrossed in her device.
Kavan slowly shook his head as he wondered how she would react if she knew the discussion they were having about her. He gave her another once over, this time looking for pros instead of cons, and was more than a little surprised to find that the shy, bookish vampire did have a lot going for her. A hunk of her mahogany hair had slipped from her hat and it curled across her rounded cheek, almost like a lover’s caress. Her brown eyes were large and he just knew they would look so good glazed over with passion. Pink lips were slightly parted as she silently mouthed the words of whatever it was she was reading and he found himself imagining how they would feel pressed against his skin. Her pert nose wrinkled slightly at something she was reading and he pondered if she had freckles or not. Damn, he hoped so because it would be so much fun to slowly count them one by one. “Fuck me,” he whispered under his breath as his cock started to press painfully against his jeans.
“Didn’t I tell you?” Derik smiled wickedly as he continued to stare at Cherish. “She’s a hot little thing that’s just waiting for someone like us to come along. Just think of the things we can teach our little bookworm.”
Unbidden, an image of Cherish came to his mind, her naked, milky white limbs tangled up in dark red sheets, those long, dark tresses free and brushing around her full breasts. Her lips parted in passion just enough so the tips of her fangs were visible. Then he brought up the image of Derik between her thighs, his thick cock filling her sweet pussy as she gasped out both of their names.
“You know what I want for Christmas?” Derik asked, his features sharp with raw need.
“I have a pretty good idea, but tell me anyway.” Kavan licked his lips as he noticed the way Derik shifted in his seat, like his cock was uncomfortably hard, too.
“I want to know how it feels to have her in between us as we fuck her at the same time. Then I want to know how it will feel to have her sink those sharp fangs of hers into me as she comes.”
“Shit, Derik, you’re killing me,” Kavan moaned as red-hot desire shot through his already jacked up system.
“So does that mean you’ll give me my wish? Derik crooned as he shifted forward in his seat so he could caress Kavan’s cheek.
“How do you know she’ll even agree to it?” His breath was coming in ragged pants now and it was all he could do not to spring up, tackle Derik and take him right there in front of a Clan full of vampire witnesses.
Derik moved forward even more so his large body acted as a shield. Ever so slowly, he let his hand drift down until it cupped Kavan’s needy cock. Kavan hissed in pleasure, even through the thick denim of his jeans it still felt electric and it was all he could not to shout in relief and arch up.
“I’m not worried about getting Cherish to agree,” Derik murmured, his lids growing heavy with sensual promise. “You always have been great at wooing anybody, be they male or female. I know you won’t let me down this time.”
“Seducing her is one thing. Convincing her to commit to us for an immortal lifetime is another.” Kavan gasped as he felt the zipper of his jeans being pulled down. Surely Derik wasn’t going to give him a hand job right here in the middle of the crowded cafeteria? Then he had his answer when Derik reached in and grabbed his cock. “Fuck, babe, we can’t do this here,” Kavan bit out as he strained to keep the cries of pleasure in.
“Then pull away if you don’t want it,” Derik taunted.
They both knew very well there was no chance in hell of that happening. Especially when he started to slowly pump his fist up and down Kavan’s shaft.
Chapter Two
Kavan knew he really should stop things before they went too far, but once Derik’s fingers started to work their magic on him, he knew that wasn’t happening. He darted a fearful glance around to see if anyone was noticing what they were up to, but everyone was too busy getting into the Christmas spirit to pay them any mind.
“You always were the exhibitionist.” Kavan softly laughed as he closed his eyes and gave himself over to the pleasure his mate was so good at delivering.
“Who are you kidding? You love this and you know it. Remember that time against the window in that high-rise?”
Kavan let out a low, long moan. Yes, he recalled that time with perfect clarity. It nearly pushed him over the edge as he remembered how he had pressed Derik’s toned body against the glass as he fucked the ever-living hell out of him. Goddess, it had been so sexy the way Kavan thrust into his hot ass as he’d had cried out in passion. “Are you trying to make me come?” Kavan groaned. Derik’s hand was moving faster and it was getting harder to hold back with each passing caress.
“Let’s see,” Derik cocked a brow sarcastically, “I’m giving you a handjob and talking dirty. What do you think?”
“You’re not really going to finish me here, are you?”
“Yes, Kavan, I am. Are you going to stop me?” Derik challenged, a slight smirk passing over his full lips. “Look at her while I’m doing this to you. I want you to imagine it’s Cherish touching you this way. Maybe wrapping her lips around your beautiful cock. Sucking you in deep while I fuck her from behind.”
Kavan shifted his glance over to Cherish. She was still absorbed in her work, but she was twirling that escaped curl with one finger. The move was casual, idle and he doubted she was even aware of doing it. Still it made her look all the more sexy for some reason. What was wrong with him? Five minutes ago, he was ready to write her off as a nobody and now he was starting to feel the same ball-crunching attraction Derik was for her.
Kavan jerked as he felt Derik’s thumb rub against the slit of his dick, gathering the moisture to help lubricate his fingers so they could start their wicked dance again. Kavan kept his attention focused on Cherish as he bit his bottom lip to keep from shouting in pleasure. The only thing that could have been better would be for Derik to drop down and start using his lips instead of his hand. Unfortunately, neither one was willing to push things that far. “She’s so small, do you think she’ll be able to take both of us?” Kavan frowned.
“Yes, she’s a vampire so she can take a lot. Besides, we’ll treat her like the treasure she is. She is precious, too. I have no doubt she’s our third.”
Derik gave Kavan’s cock one last squeeze and that was enough to throw him over the edge. Biting back a groan, he released hot steams of semen into Derik’s waiting hand.
Even as the orgasm washed over him, Kavan wondered if his lover could be right. Was it possible that Cherish was the one to complete their triquetra? It had never happened with a vampire in the mix before, but then crazier things had been happening lately.
At that moment, even as Derik continued to milk his cock, Cherish’s head snapped up and Kavan found himself locked in her gaze. His heart seized in his chest as he got lost in her dark eyes. A slight flush crept up her cheeks as her lips parted in a gasp, almost as if she knew what was going on under the table. That was impossible though, since Derik had been so careful to position his body just right to block the action.
“She’s watching, isn’t she?” Derik asked in a husky whisper.
So caught up in the intensity of the situation, all Kavan could do was look over at Derik and nod like some idiot.
That must have given Derik some cheap thrill because he chuckled as he brought up his cum coated hand. Slowly and deliberately, he ran his tongue over his fingers, licking them clean.
Kavan let out a ragged breath as he tore his gaze away from what Derik was doing and looked back over at Cherish. She was gapping at them, her mouth open in shock, leaving no doubt in Kavan’s mind that she at least suspected what they had been up to.
He tensed, waiting to see if she would throw a look of disgust their way, but she didn’t. Instead, her pretty, pink tongue darted out to lick her lips. Despite the fact he’d just gotten off, fresh desire slammed into Kavan as he saw her reaction. Oh yes, they were going to have fun seducing Miss Cherish and she looked like she was more than game for it.
Still looking at her, he gave her a lazy smile as he nonchalantly tucked his cock back in his pants and zipped up. Unable to help himself, he mouthed, You’re next. He didn’t think her eyes could have grown any bigger, but they did as she let out a gasp so loud he could hear it, even over the din of conversation from the others in the room.
Springing to her feet so fast her chair tipped over with a loud bang, she nearly ran from the cafeteria. She moved so fast that you would have thought a pack of werewolves were nipping at her fine ass.
“By the way you’re looking at her, I think it’s pretty safe to say that you’re going to give me what I want for Christmas,” Derik declared, his eyes dancing with joy as he stretched back in his chair and resumed his previous relaxed position.
“I’m all on board, we just need to convince Cherish. She acts a lot more shy than any of the other vampires.”
“That is unique, isn’t it?” Derik took a sip of coffee. “Vampires are notorious for their heightened sex drive, yet I’ve never seen her take a lover, male or female. I wonder why?”
“Maybe she was waiting for us because the fates meant her to be our mate?” Kavan snorted. Since the fates had never looked down on him before, he didn’t think they would all of a sudden decide to bless him now. However, as soon as he saw the hopeful, dopy expression on Derik’s face, he knew the man had taken his words to heart.
“You really think so?” Derik asked, hopeful.
“No, but I’ll go along with the theory if it makes you happier,” Kavan drawled.
“Remind me again why I put up with you?” Derik slowly shook his head.
“Because I give fantastic blow jobs and you love my cock up your ass.”
“And here I thought it was because of your winning personality.” Derik rolled his eyes.
Kavan started to laugh, but sobered when he saw a male vampire named Dante approach the table. With dark hair and a whole don’t-fuck-with-me vibe, he looked the part of vampire much more than Cherish ever could. He was dressed in the Clan uniform of black cargo pants and matching long-sleeved tee. Just to add to his whole dangerous look, he had a pair of Glocks strapped to his sides and Goddess knows how many other weapons tucked away.
“Eric wants to see you in the war room ASAP,” Dante announced as soon as he got to the table.
“What for?” Kavan asked as he and Derik both got to their feet.
“He wants some of us to go on patrol and make sure the city is quiet before the party tonight.”
“Please, this is Detroit. It’s never quiet,” Derik groused as they started to follow Dante down the hall.
“Now come on, don’t be like that. Even the kobolds and ghouls like to drink eggnog and celebrate,” Dante snarked, his fangs making an appearance as he flashed them a grin. A young looking, male vampire who was walking by, stopped short to give them a look of astonishment.
“Really? I didn’t know ghouls could eat anything but decaying flesh?” the male asked, his brow creased in confusion. Since some of the vampires had just recently been changed, they didn’t know the ins and outs of the paranormal world. It made them very gullible, which could be a lot of fun to exploit at times.
“Oh yeah, they love it,” Kavan replied with an evil grin.
“It’s a fact,” Dante agreed. “You just need to stick it in the blender with some body parts, hit puree and you’re good to go.”
“No way! You guys are just fucking with me,” the vampire protested.
There was a bit of doubt lingering on his features that let Kavan know he believed it somewhat.
“It’s true, dude. Just like there’s a sea serpent named Snuggles who lives in the Detroit River,” Derik added, not even glancing the vampire’s way as they continued to walk.
“You are all so full of it,” the vampire snarled, showing a bit of fang.
When Dante flashed his in return, the guy backed up so fast he bumped into a wall.
“That’s just cruel you know,” Kavan drawled as they approached the war room.
“Who? Me for lying or Derik for telling the truth?” Dante’s eyes gleamed wickedly.
“I guess you have a point. Now he’s not going to know what to believe anymore,” Kavan chuckled. In his time living with the Drones, he’d noticed that one of the games they liked to play at was ribbing the newly turned or fledglings as they were called. It was harmless fun to help ease them into their new, sometimes scary world.
They all found seats and waited for the meeting to start. Kavan knew he was going to have a hard time focusing though. Ever since Derik had put the erotic suggestion of taking Cherish into his head, it was all he could think of. Despite the fact that Derik had eased his tension some, Kavan’s cock was already painfully hard again.
Damned thing was he knew the only way to sate it was to be with Derik—and Cherish.
* * * *
Hell! She was late—again. Holding her hat in place with one hand, Cherish ran as fast as she could down the hallway. The Clan leader, Eric, was going to have her hide for this for sure. She dodged a group of vampires as she silently cursed the two warlocks. If it hadn’t been for them, she wouldn’t have got distracted and flustered in the first place.
When she’d first got up, she’d had everything under control for once. She’d left her laptop and papers in her room so she wouldn’t get caught up in her research and lose track of time. She’d been doing pretty good, too, despite the fact she was reading a pretty racy book on her eBook reader. Even though the story was good, she’d managed to keep an eye on the clock.
Then she’d caught Kavan and Derik staring at her and she’d become a bundle of nerves. It didn’t help matters that they were almost having sex right in the middle of the cafeteria. Even though Derik was hiding most of the action with his body, all she had to do was look at Kavan’s face to know what was going on.
Not that it disgusted her. Far from it. As she watched the warlock’s face grow tight with passion, as his penetrating gaze bore into her, she’d almost come right with him. It was like he was giving her a private, erotic performance.
She’d been so worked up and confused by what she’d seen that she’d lost track of time as she worked it over in her brain, trying to analyze it. Were they just playing with the poor, nerdy wallflower or was it possible that the passion she’d seen in Kavan’s expression really was for her?
Rounding the corner, she shook her head. No, guys like that were not interested in her type. And guys like Kavan and Derik really didn’t, it was a well-known fact they were a tight couple. So there was no way they could be interested in any female, period. Unless of course they were bisexual like Rafe and Dominic. They were together, but they also had a female as a mate, too. Maybe Kavan and Derik were looking for the same arrangement.
“Even if they were, what makes you think they’d want plain, flat chested you,” she scoffed under her breath as she darted into the room and slid into a chair at the back of the room.
She breathed a sigh of relief as she noticed the meeting hadn’t started yet. That sigh became lodged in her chest as she spotted Derik and Kavan, two rows ahead. As if sensing her presence, they both turned around and looked at her. She tried to breathe, but couldn’t as she found herself caught in both their gazes. Tingles ran up her spine and to her horror, she felt herself grow wet and her womb clenched in desire.
Kavan leaned over and whispered something in Derik’s ear. They both gave each other a slight nod before getting up and…
Oh God…walked over to her! Her heart started to hammer as she froze like some idiot in the glare of a spotlight. Even though she was torn between staying or running away again like a chicken, she couldn’t help but admire them. Derik was more sophisticated with his neatly cut hair and chiseled features where as Kavan looked more wild with his shaggy hair. A light scar running along his jaw added to his rugged appeal and Cherish wondered, not for the first time, how he’d gotten it. They moved in on her, taking the seats on either side so she was surrounded by them.
Cherish didn’t move, trying to act like it was everyday she found herself the meat in a hunk sandwich. It was hard though, each time she inhaled, she breathed in their warm, spicy combined scents. It made her nipples grow hard as goose bumps broke out over her body. Please, please, please don’t let them notice how turned on I am. Just let me get through this without embarrassing myself.
“You could have come over to our table.”
Kavan’s low voice rumbled into her ear, making her jump in surprise. “What?” she cringed as soon as that eloquent response popped out of her mouth.
“If you wanted to watch Derik stroke my cock, you should have come over to our table. The view was much better.”
“I…didn’t…what I mean to say…” she stammered, horrified that she’d been caught gawking at them. She felt one step below the dirty old man who peeked into bedroom windows.
“That’s okay, beautiful,” Derik crooned into her other ear. “You didn’t do anything wrong. The whole show was for your benefit. We wanted you to watch.”
“It was?” she squeaked as she darted a nervous glance side to side to see if anyone had overheard. Thankfully everyone was too busy in their own conversations to pay them any heed. “What do you think, it’s some kind of game to play with the computer nerd or something?”
“Cherish, when we look at you all we see is a very beautiful woman who we would like to get to know a lot better.” Kavan chuckled softly.
The vibrations from his chest carried over into her arm.
“A whole lot better,” Derik clarified.
The tip of his finger ran along the back of her hand. Cherish knew she should jerk away from his touch. She should stand up and walk away before they could continue with their cruel game. All movement was impossible though because it felt way too good to be in between them. “I don’t think you two are funny at all,” she tried to make her voice harsh and failed when it came out all shaky and breathy instead.
“Why can’t you believe that we can possibly want you that way?” Kavan quizzed.