Filed To Story: Between Two Kings: A Split or Swallow Book PDF Free
I don’t want it.
Is that so? Then why are you staring at it?
Tem’s eyes snapped back up to his.
I’m not staring at anything.
It is yours to stare at. I do not mind.
Of course he didn’t mind. He wanted her to stare at it. He wanted her to do plenty of other things too. Tem knew she should retreat-knew she should remove herself and go to bed. But she was frozen in place, entranced by Apollo’s intoxicating words. He was not unlike Leo in that way. Both were talented with their mouths.
Apollo was mere inches away, his head tilted down, his lips mirroring hers.
Do you wish to taste it?
Desire clawed at her. What would it be like, she wondered, to raise her finger, brush it along the tip of his cock, and taste it? Would it taste different than Caspen’s? Or even more intriguing: Would it taste the same? Oh, they were in dangerous territory now. This was not what Tem had expected to do with her evening. But her husband was gone, and his brother was here, and his cock was hard and ready and leaking for her.
Her basilisk side practically roared with pleasure at the thought of taking Apollo to bed. Why shouldn’t she indulge?
Tem hadn’t even realized she’d raised her hand until Apollo’s presence surged in her mind. He gripped her temples, squeezing everything out except for him.
Touch it. His grip tightened.
Tem nearly blacked out.
Taste it, Temperance. It is yours.
Tem was unbearably hot. Her hand was still raised, her fingers an inch from the tip of his cock.
Taste it, Temperance. Put my cum in your mouth. Slide it across your tongue. Swallow it.
The passageway seemed to swim around her. Her throat was tight.
It is only a matter of time before you give in to me. So give in now.
But she couldn’t give in. To give in would be to listen to her basilisk side-the side she was still learning to tame. The side that sinned.
To sin is to live, Temperance. I know you want me. So taste me.
Finally, it was too much for Tem. She looked Apollo straight in the eye as she said, “If you say one more word, I’m going to slap you.”
Apollo’s eyes flared. He leaned in, his breath against her blushing cheeks as he whispered, “Please do.”
Something within Tem just snapped. She’d had enough of this evening-enough of Apollo and his games and his insistence on making her feel something when that was the last thing she wanted to do. So she slapped him.
Tem threw everything she had into it-every ounce of frustration she’d been feeling the last few days, every deep, tortured worry she’d harbored since beginning her time under the mountain. All she wanted was to
Shut. Him. Up.
The moment her palm made contact, Tem felt a release not unlike a climax. It traveled from her body to his, and she was sure Apollo must have felt it too. The exchange of energy was powerful-it reverberated through the passageway like a physical force, ruffling her hair and shaking dust from the walls. Apollo’s head whipped away. Then he turned back to her slowly.
Even though she’d just slapped him, he looked at her as if she’d kissed him. And perhaps, in his opinion, she had. The slap was as good as a kiss. Both were an exchange of power. Both were a passionate, raw reaction. The slap only confirmed that Tem was out of control with him, that she was unable to resist her emotions. She’d thought she was drawing a line between them, but now she realized she was doing the exact opposite. By the way Apollo was smiling, he surely realized it too. She had slapped him, yet he had won.
A red welt was forming on his cheek. Tem knew Apollo was barely injured, if at all; it had done nothing but make him happy. He was smiling at her with utter triumph in his eyes, as if he knew exactly what he’d finally managed to provoke. There was no doubt he had won their little exchange. It was his intent to tease her, to push her to her limit, and he had succeeded.
“Aren’t you going to heal yourself?” Tem snapped. She could think of nothing else to say.
Apollo smirked. Even with the welt, he was devastatingly handsome. He touched his fingers to his cheek. “I would rather have a reminder of you.”
Tem was already wet. But his words made her wetter. “And
I would rather forget this happened.”
“Would you? And why is that?” The welt on Apollo’s face was spreading. Tem could clearly see the impression of her wedding ring. When she didn’t answer, Apollo continued, “Is it because you are afraid of what we could be?”
That was not a question Tem was remotely prepared to answer.
“Or is it because you are afraid of what we already are?”
For some reason, vitriol built within her. Tem didn’t know whether she was angry at Apollo or angry at herself. At this point, it didn’t matter. She couldn’t stand his smug expression, how clearly he reveled in his victory. It was time to end this.
“We’re nothing,” she snarled. “You’re nothing.”
For the very first time, a shadow of hurt flashed in Apollo’s eyes.
It was gone so quickly Tem wasn’t even sure she saw it. But it prompted her to say, “I’m sorry-“
“No,” he cut her off. “You are not. And I do not want you to be sorry anyway. You are justified, and you know it quite well.” He stepped closer, and Tem’s cheeks flushed. “To accept your apology would be to comfort you.”
They stared at each other, inches apart, both breathing hard.
Finally, Apollo whispered, “Do not come to me for comfort, Temperance. Come to me when you want me to fuck you the way my brother will not.”
With that, he turned and disappeared.
Tem was left alone, too stunned to move, her heart pounding in her chest. Apollo was impossible. There was no other word for it.
And yet.
Flirting with Apollo was a thrill she hadn’t felt since flirting with Caspen: the appeal of the forbidden, the promise of more. The possibility of destruction. There was something about the other Drakon brother that drew her in, that tempted her. But Tem could not afford to be tempted. If she gave in-if she surrendered to her instincts and let Apollo fuck her-it would risk her relationship with Caspen. And nothing could make her do that. Tem didn’t believe him no matter how adamantly he claimed it wouldn’t bother him if she slept with his brother, and it wasn’t worth it to find out whether she was right.
Caspen was in their chambers by the time Tem returned. A wet leaf was stuck to his shoulder, dirt along his back. He looked up when she entered.
“Tem.” His eyes flicked down her body, and not for the first time, Tem wondered if he could sense what she’d just been doing. “Where were you?”
“Where were you?”
“Hunting.”
“Without me?” Tem tried to say it casually, but her hurt must have showed on her face because Caspen crossed to her and cupped her chin in his hand.
“I had to transition,” he said quietly. “I did not want to strain you.”
Tem nodded. It wasn’t fair of her to expect him to accommodate her pace when it was so much slower than his. It wasn’t until now that she understood how often Caspen had to hunt, that he required a steady supply of sustenance beyond what was available in the banquet hall. She could not blame him for going alone.
“I did not mean to leave you,” he said quietly.
“I know.”
A long moment passed before his expression suddenly hardened, and he leaned in. “You are hurt.” Caspen’s fingers brushed her cheek.