flicked the material aside just enough to catch a hint of one pink nipple. "Yeah, with me."
She gasped, and this time she licked his thumb on purpose. "But no sex?"
"No sex." If he could manage it.
A tiny frown tugged at her lips. "Why not?"
"Because first I've got to figure out how to give it to you."
She shivered again and looked down. Her hair spilled forward to hide her face, but not before he saw her blush. "Maybe I'll get some ideas tonight."
Or she'd run screaming, thinking a simple life in the communes might not be a bad idea, after all. "We'll see, sweetheart. We'll see."
Chapter Four
No one here's going to think you're a bad person.
Noelle smoothed her fingertips over the white lace clinging to her curves. Lex's dress drew tight across her breasts, which were shamelessly on display above the plunging neckline. She was taller than Lex, too—or maybe the dress was supposed to brush her legs at mid-thigh and flash her ruffled panties if she bent forward too far.
How could anyone claim she wasn't at least a little bit of a bad person?
By being a gang member, of course. Bad was probably relative in the slums, where men killed without consequence. No laws but the ones Dallas made, that was what Lex had told her, so she wasn't breaking any rules by dressing in scandalous lace and waiting for Jas to bring her to a party full of fornicat—
"Sex," she whispered. Out loud, because hearing the word made it more real. Fornication was a sin, a law, a meaningless concept in a place without either.
She was going to a party full of sex. Real sex. Dirty, experienced sex, not the fumblings of sheltered virgins drunk on smuggled moonshine, taking their cues from descrambled vintage pornography.
"Ready?" Jasper's voice rumbled through the darkened hallway, and he slowed as he approached. "You look nice."
Dirty and experienced. That was what he looked like in his dark clothing and shining silver chains. He filled the hallway, shoulders so broad she felt small and curiously vulnerable. Curious because it wasn't frightening, because she liked imagining herself tucked against his chest, utterly at his mercy.
He'd said something, and here she was, staring at him, concocting fantasies when a reality she couldn't imagine already awaited her. "Thank you," she said as her cheeks warmed. "Lex let me borrow something to wear."
"Yeah." He smiled and gestured to the ruffled hem. "It looks better on you."
It had been one of the few things in the closet Noelle could imagine wearing in front of people without dying of embarrassment. "So it's okay for the party?"
He took her hand and nodded toward the other end of the hall, where a door led through to the stairs. "Most people's clothes end up in a pile pretty fast. We sort 'em out later."
Could he feel her tremble? "And this sort of thing happens all the time?"
"Once a week." He urged her ahead of him with a hand at the small of her back. "Sometimes more if everyone needs to blow off steam."
His fingers burned. She could feel each one pressing against her through the thin fabric, each so far apart that it emphasized the massive size of his hand. She wobbled on her borrowed heels as she climbed the steps.
Sounds of the party reached her before they got to the top of the stairs. She turned to the right and saw another hallway leading to an open doorway, and through that—
Skin. The lighting was dim, but she could still make out a naked woman standing just inside, the endless expanse of pale skin interrupted only by the tattoos at her wrists and throat and the jewelry dangling from her—
Noelle wet her lips and jerked her gaze away, but it was too late. Lace scraped her sensitive nipples, and she couldn't help but imagine how much more maddening it would be to have them pinched by silver hoops as chains and jewelry swung freely, tugging with every movement.
And she thought her earrings were daring.
"Hear them already?" Jasper spoke low in her ear, and the pressure of his
She gasped, and this time she licked his thumb on purpose. "But no sex?"
"No sex." If he could manage it.
A tiny frown tugged at her lips. "Why not?"
"Because first I've got to figure out how to give it to you."
She shivered again and looked down. Her hair spilled forward to hide her face, but not before he saw her blush. "Maybe I'll get some ideas tonight."
Or she'd run screaming, thinking a simple life in the communes might not be a bad idea, after all. "We'll see, sweetheart. We'll see."
Chapter Four
No one here's going to think you're a bad person.
Noelle smoothed her fingertips over the white lace clinging to her curves. Lex's dress drew tight across her breasts, which were shamelessly on display above the plunging neckline. She was taller than Lex, too—or maybe the dress was supposed to brush her legs at mid-thigh and flash her ruffled panties if she bent forward too far.
How could anyone claim she wasn't at least a little bit of a bad person?
By being a gang member, of course. Bad was probably relative in the slums, where men killed without consequence. No laws but the ones Dallas made, that was what Lex had told her, so she wasn't breaking any rules by dressing in scandalous lace and waiting for Jas to bring her to a party full of fornicat—
"Sex," she whispered. Out loud, because hearing the word made it more real. Fornication was a sin, a law, a meaningless concept in a place without either.
She was going to a party full of sex. Real sex. Dirty, experienced sex, not the fumblings of sheltered virgins drunk on smuggled moonshine, taking their cues from descrambled vintage pornography.
"Ready?" Jasper's voice rumbled through the darkened hallway, and he slowed as he approached. "You look nice."
Dirty and experienced. That was what he looked like in his dark clothing and shining silver chains. He filled the hallway, shoulders so broad she felt small and curiously vulnerable. Curious because it wasn't frightening, because she liked imagining herself tucked against his chest, utterly at his mercy.
He'd said something, and here she was, staring at him, concocting fantasies when a reality she couldn't imagine already awaited her. "Thank you," she said as her cheeks warmed. "Lex let me borrow something to wear."
"Yeah." He smiled and gestured to the ruffled hem. "It looks better on you."
It had been one of the few things in the closet Noelle could imagine wearing in front of people without dying of embarrassment. "So it's okay for the party?"
He took her hand and nodded toward the other end of the hall, where a door led through to the stairs. "Most people's clothes end up in a pile pretty fast. We sort 'em out later."
Could he feel her tremble? "And this sort of thing happens all the time?"
"Once a week." He urged her ahead of him with a hand at the small of her back. "Sometimes more if everyone needs to blow off steam."
His fingers burned. She could feel each one pressing against her through the thin fabric, each so far apart that it emphasized the massive size of his hand. She wobbled on her borrowed heels as she climbed the steps.
Sounds of the party reached her before they got to the top of the stairs. She turned to the right and saw another hallway leading to an open doorway, and through that—
Skin. The lighting was dim, but she could still make out a naked woman standing just inside, the endless expanse of pale skin interrupted only by the tattoos at her wrists and throat and the jewelry dangling from her—
Noelle wet her lips and jerked her gaze away, but it was too late. Lace scraped her sensitive nipples, and she couldn't help but imagine how much more maddening it would be to have them pinched by silver hoops as chains and jewelry swung freely, tugging with every movement.
And she thought her earrings were daring.
"Hear them already?" Jasper spoke low in her ear, and the pressure of his
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