Page 34 of A Reckless Indulgence

FIFTEEN

Cav

After a few minutes, Lyx manages to climb down from the crow’s nest. It’s a shame, really; Cav was more than willing to stay up there all night. Surely the two of them could find some way to occupy their time. But Cav descends first, keeping an eye on Lyx above him until they reach the bottom.

Her skirt catches underfoot on the final rung. She stumbles off the ladder into his chest, and he keeps them both upright, grinning against her ear. “You sure my mouth didn’t have an effect?”

She twists out of his arms with a venomous look. “Three days. Don’t bother me until then.” Then she squeezes through that crowd that’s begun to gather around the bottom of the mast.

A crew member claps Cav on the back. “I always did peg you as an exhibitionist.”

Cav’s eyes are still following Lyx. “Peg me, hm?”

A guest hands Cav a drink and clinks their glasses together. “I’d pay to watch that, too.”

Another guest sidles up to Cav, twirling one of the laces on his shirt. “Are you available for the rest of the evening?”

Cav keeps a smile on his face, but it falls flat. All this adrenaline courses through him with nowhere to go. He knows where he wants to use it, but she’s disappearing below deck without a glance back. After being with her again, no one at this party can hold his attention.

“Unfortunately not.” Cav loops his arm through another member of the crew and tugs her toward him. “But Angélique here puts on a better show than that every night.”

Startled, Angélique pinches his bicep before she extends her hand to the guest. Cav takes the opportunity to slip away. His face still stings from Lyx’s acid, but he craves more. Every minute with her was worth the pain. The pain made it better, unraveling some desire in him that hasn’t been allowed to stretch out for years.

He lifts his gaze to find Captain Heathen watching him from the wheel of the ship. Cypher stands behind her, lip curled sullenly. Cav swallows, lifting his glass toward them before he turns back to the party. Better to ask forgiveness than permission, right?

“If it isn’t the star of the evening,” Briar purrs. She sits on the forecastle stairs, her legs draped across the lap of a male guest.

On his other side, Lace scratches the man’s beard and grabs his chin with a wily look in his eye. “And what did you think of that performance?”

Briar twirls a finger in the man’s hair, coiling it around her finger and tugging. “We want to make sure our guest is entertained.”

Somehow, the man appears at ease between the two of them, gazing directly into Briar’s eyes. “I believe you know I’m well-entertained.”

Briar and Lace’s grins widen as they loosen their grips.

The man turns back to Cav. “But the show was a nice addition. You should perform on the deck next time.”

“Yes, Cavvy.” Lace walks his fingers up the man’s thigh. “It was cruel of you to tease us. We could barely see anything from down here.”

“Or hear anything.” Briar rises to her feet, pulling the man and Lace up behind her. “Though I’m suddenly inspired for a little roleplay.” She slinks past Cav, voice pitching into a breathy mockery of Lyx’s. “‘I hate you. I hate you.’”

Cav swats her away. “You know it’s only two people per room. One host, one guest.”

As the three of them pass, Lace shoves Cav’s chest with two fingers. “Don’t you have your own rule-breaking to worry about?”

They slip away, leaving Cav alone with his drink. He takes a hefty swig, savoring the liquid dribbling down his chin. Just like Lyx did when she tightened around his tail and told him how much she despised him.

That loathing did nothing to hinder her riding his face, though.

His fingers tighten around the cup as he takes a seat on the stairs. It doesn’t matter that he’s just had Lyx; he wants her again. There’s still so much he needs, so many moments he’s dreamt about. He wants to know how she’ll say his name when he’s fucking her. Will it be bitten between her teeth, or buried in his neck, or swallowed by his mouth? How will she look when she’s completely naked and stripped of every barrier? Not just when she sheds her clothing, but when she sheds everything else. Every pretense. Every lie. Every excuse.

Normally, his nights working the Indulgence are the same. He gives a charismatic smile and a practiced line before he reels customers back to his cabin. It doesn’t take much to get them off. They all fall for his charm, but with Lyx, it’s a fight, a battle, an excavation of pleasure she tries to deny herself.

Is that what sirens do? Forgo their own pleasure in the search for chaos? Suffer so they can feast? Cav supposes it would make sense, but he’s too hungry to feed every part of her to let that slide.

“Cavalier.” Heathen’s boots come to a halt a few feet away. She clasps her hands behind her back. “Join me in my office.”

Only now does Cav realize the party is nearly over. He’d gotten so lost in thoughts of Lyx, he hadn’t realized. A few stragglers mingle on the deck as the final guests trickle downstairs with their hosts. Cav rises to follow, grabbing a rag to wipe at his face and tail. It’s clear his time with Lyx was a hit. The guests loved it, and the crow’s nest had the captive attention of the ship for nearly an hour. Surely Heathen can’t be upset about that.