CHAPTER 105: THE LECHEROUS GUIDE TO MAN EATING

HAZEL

I sat at my vanity, staring at my reflection. The mirror showed me what I already knew. Perfect skin. Perfect hair. Perfect everything. The broken pearls sat in their box beside me. A reminder of the day’s disaster.

A knock interrupted my thoughts.

"Come in."

The door opened and Baruch stepped inside. Despite the late hour of the night, his uniform was still crisp. He bowed slightly.

"I heard you called for me, Luna Hazel."

"Yes." I turned to face him fully.

His eyes met mine. Then dropped as they traveled down. His jaw tightened when he was saw what I was wearing and He looked away quickly. It was funny seeing him fix his gaze somewhere over my left shoulder.

I glanced down at myself. The nightdress was innocent enough. Pale pink silk. Short, yes, but nothing scandalous. The lace at the edges caught the lamplight.

A smile tugged at my lips.

I stood and crossed the room toward him. Each step was deliberate.

"You really have to stop doing that."

His eyes stayed fixed on the wall. "Luna Hazel, I—"

"It makes a girl self conscious." I kept my voice light. Teasing.

"I did not mean to." His throat bobbed as he swallowed.

I stopped in front of him. Close enough to see the tension in his shoulders. The way his hands clenched at his sides.

"I know that."

He finally looked at me. His eyes were guarded. Careful.

I smiled. Let it reach my eyes. "Thank you for earlier."

"It was not a big deal." His voice came out rougher than usual.

"Is that why you called me here?" He paused. "Luna Hazel."

"No." I tilted my head. Let my gaze travel over him. Down his chest. His arms. Back up to his face. "Why did you do it? Why did you lie for my sake?"

He shifted his weight. "It seemed like something you didn’t want out. I believed I didn’t have to speak if it really didn’t matter."

"My mother sort of threatened your life." I raised an eyebrow. "Are you foolish?"

A laugh escaped him. Short and surprised. He scratched the back of his head. "Maybe."

The gesture was boyish. Charming in a way I hadn’t expected.

"But I guess I also knew it wouldn’t get to that," he added.

"Well, thank you." I let sincerity color my tone. Just enough. "Fia is a very sensitive subject in this house."

"I can only imagine."

Something in his voice made me pause. Understanding, maybe. Or sympathy. I wasn’t sure which.

He cleared his throat. "Will that be all?"

"Yeah." The word came out soft.

I took a step closer. His body went rigid.

He took a step back.

But that wasn’t going to stop me. I took another step forward. And he took another step back in response. It was like we were dancing. A slow, deliberate game.

"You are making me self conscious again, Sentinel."

"I don’t think we should be doing this." His back hit the wall.

I tilted my head and let genuine confusion crossed my face. "What are you talking about?"

"I thought..." He stopped and then started again. "I apologize. I thought..."

I closed the remaining distance. My body nearly pressed against his. I leaned in. Breathed him in. Pine and something earthier. Clean sweat and leather.

I leaned back, meeting his frozen gaze.

"You thought I was going to kiss you?"

His throat worked. No words came out.

"But would you hate it though?" I kept my voice low. Intimate. "I have seen how you react around me. How your body reacts around me. Why you do stupid things like lie to my mother."

"Luna Hazel." My name came out strangled.

"I feel the same way too." I let my fingers brush against his chest. Just barely. "Is it wrong?"

"I don’t know what to say to that."

I could feel his heart hammering under my palm. Fast and hard. His chest rose and fell with shallow breaths.

"You should probably make me pay for teasing and torturing you." I looked up at him through my lashes. "Start with my lips and perhaps my body."

His jaw clenched. "Luna Hazel, I apologize but I..."

Frustration bubbled up. Hot and sharp.

I scoffed. My hand shot out and I grabbed his collar. The fabric bunched in my fist. I yanked him down and brought his mouth to mine.

His lips were warm. Firm. They didn’t move at first. They just stayed there. Frozen in shock.

I pressed harder and opened my mouth against his. I tasted him as I let my tongue trace the seam of his lips.

He made a sound. Low in his throat.

I broke the kiss and pulled back just enough to see his face. His eyes were wide. His pupils blown and his chest heaved.

"See?" My breath ghosted across his lips. "It wasn’t that hard. I’m sure it felt good as well."

He gasped for air. His eyes stayed locked on mine.

I watched the shift happen. Saw the exact moment something changed. A fire sparked in his gaze. Raw and hungry. The same look I had seen in countless men before. The one thing that drove them all.

Lust.

His hand shot up. Tangled in my hair. His grip was tight. Almost painful. Just the way I liked it as he yanked me toward him.

This kiss was different. Demanding. His mouth crashed against mine. Claimed it. His other hand gripped my waist. Pulled me flush against him.

I smiled against his lips. This was exactly what I wanted. What I needed.

Control.

His tongue swept into my mouth and he explored and even tried to conquer me. I let him think he was in charge. He had to believe he was the one taking what he wanted.

Men were so predictable.

My hands slid up his chest. Felt the hard muscle beneath the uniform. Felt his heart still racing. I curled my fingers into his collar. Used it for leverage as I kissed him back.

He groaned. The sound vibrated through both of us. His hand in my hair tightened and he used that to angle my head exactly where he wanted it.

I let him.

His other hand moved from my waist. Slid down. Gripped my hip. Pulled me even closer until there was no space between us.

I could feel everything. The heat of his body. The hardness of him pressed against me. The way he trembled slightly despite his firm grip.

This was power. This was what I understood. What I was good at.

I broke the kiss and pulled back just enough to see his face. His eyes were glazed. His lips were swollen. Red from my lipstick and the force of our kiss.

"Better?" The word came out breathy. Teasing.

He didn’t answer at first. He just stared at me. His chest rose and fell rapidly. His grip in my hair didn’t loosen.

"Yeah." His voice came out raspy.

I smiled. Slow and satisfied.

This was just the beginning. Baruch had already lied for me once. He had already put himself at risk. And now this. Now he had crossed a line he couldn’t uncross.

He was mine.

Just like everyone else I wanted eventually became mine.

His thumb brushed against my hip. The touch was almost gentle. At odds with the hunger in his eyes.

"Luna Hazel." His voice was rough. Wrecked. "We shouldn’t..."

"Shouldn’t what?" I traced my finger along his jaw. Felt the stubble there. "Shouldn’t feel this good?"

He closed his eyes and took a shaky breath.

When he opened them again, the fire was still there. But something else too. Conflict maybe. Or fear.

Good. I liked a challenge. Breaking every fucking wall he had.

I leaned in. Pressed my lips to his jaw. His neck. Felt his pulse jump under my mouth.

"No one has to know," I whispered against his skin.

His grip tightened. On my hair. On my hip.

"This stays between us," I continued. "Our secret."

He shuddered. I felt it run through his entire body.

I pulled back and met his eyes again.

"Unless you want to stop?" I made my voice small. Uncertain. "If you don’t want this..."

"I..." He swallowed hard. "I do."

Perfect.

I smiled and made sure it looked sweet. Genuine looking even.

"Good." I kissed him again. Soft this time. Brief. "Because I want this too."

His eyes searched mine. Looking for what, I wasn’t sure. Sincerity maybe. Truth.

He wouldn’t find it. But he would find enough of what he needed to see. Enough to make him stay. To make him mine.

I had spent years perfecting this. The art of becoming whatever someone needed. Whatever would make them loyal. Make them useful.

Baruch would be no different.

His hand loosened in my hair. Became almost tender as he tucked a strand behind my ear.

"You are beautiful," he murmured.

I already knew that. But I smiled anyway. Like his fucking shallow compliment meant something.

"Thank you."

He kissed me again. Slower this time. Deeper. Like he was savoring it.

I let him. Let him think this was about more than what it was.

Because in the end, this was just another piece on the board. Another tool in my arsenal. Another way to get what I wanted.

And what I wanted was everything.

"Luna Hazel?"

"Yes?"

"I want to fuck you."