Goldsin (The Chrysophilist Trilogy Book 1)
Goldsin: Chapter 8

“Well, that was refreshing,” Julian coos, fixing his sticky hair.

“That was for never showing up.” I glare at his amused face. “Now, stop. Staring. At. Me,” I say through gritted teeth.

In the blink of an eye he stands from the couch, his body crushing mine. “I don’t think so,” he growls in my ear. “You were made to be watched by me.”

Taking a small step backward, he glances intently at the curves of my body before his eyes settle back on my face.

Heat rises in my cheeks, and I curse myself for blushing so easily around him.

“Aurelia,” he says in a measured manner. “Why aren’t you wearing what I told you to?” A hint of disapproval laces his words.

“You like it? It’s Bordelle.”

His eyes flick back and forth between mine. “You didn’t follow my orders.”

“And you didn’t pick me up.”

His lips twitch. “That’s a bit immature, don’t you think?”

My mouth parts, so close—so damn close—to smiling.

“I had some unexpected business to attend to,” he adds.

“I can see that.” My gaze falls to the two girls sprawled on the couch behind him. “Luckily, your brother was kind enough to help when you couldn’t.”

On cue, Adrian approaches us with drinks in hand. “Is everything okay over here?”

“Everything’s fine, Brother,” Julian replies. “Aurelia was just telling me how she’s going to meet up with me once she’s done sucking your dick.”

His gaze sends a challenging thrill down my body.

“Now that I think about it, there’s a lot Adrian and I need to catch up on. It might take all night,” I drawl as I brush my finger over the rim of the black-tinted cup.

“Right, right.” Julian feigns a pause. “It always did take you hours to finish.”

The purple masked guy sitting next to Julian bursts out laughing.

“What the fuck?” Adrian’s eyes narrow as he looks at his brother. He grabs for my arm to steer me away, and I let him.

But before he does, I add, “I think Adrian can make me come much faster than you ever did.”

Julian arches his brow at me as if to ask, “Is that a challenge?”

Maybe it is. I smirk at him.

Mischief glints in his eyes. “Show me just how much fun you can have, golden one. I dare you,” I hear him say as Adrian seats me on a vacant couch not too far from Julian’s. The contents of the cup spill onto it slightly.

I cross my legs and take a big sip of the drink.

From where I’m sitting I have a perfect view of him. And so does he of me.

One of the girls caresses the length of his chest, while the other speaks sweet nothings into his ear as he sits. Her hand heads an inch closer to his dick, yet his blue eyes are on mine. Daring.

“I swear I should just let our father beat the shit out of him.”

“Huh?” I turn to look at Adrian.

“That will teach him to stop running his mouth.” He shakes his head, taking a sip from his cup.

I’m about to ask him what he means by that when the blonde in front of me, tucked into Julian’s side, moans. One of his hands tangles in her curls while he devours her. Anger prickles over me as she grinds on his leg.

Having had enough, I whisper, “Adrian?” and lean in close.

My mind races as I consider what having Julian wrapped around my finger would feel like. If he sees me with Adrian, will it ignite something within him? Will he see me as more than just an object?

I should feel disgust. I should laugh at how desperate the girl looks. And yet all I feel is an eagerness to prove him wrong.

Adrian hums before I curl my hands around his neck, pulling him toward me. His hand instantly wraps around my waist, squeezing hard, before pushing me further away from his heated body.

His eyes flicker back and forth between mine. Contemplating. Assessing the situation.

I lick my bottom lip, letting the movement drag out as I watch his stare darken, his thoughts flooding with my lips—with my taste.

We’ve broken up. He’s not mine anymore, and I’m not his . . . So how far can two exes go before crossing the line?

“Do you think we could . . .?”

“I don’t know,” he murmurs as I move my hand through his short hair. “I’m not really thinking right now.”

With that, he crashes his lips to mine. Tilting his neck, he deepens the kiss.

When I’m begging for air, he presses soft kisses along my neck before going back up to my lips. His fingers ghost over my inner thigh, and I spread my legs for him.

Each touch sends shivers down my spine, but not because of him. Instead it’s the intensity of Julian’s gaze that sets my heart racing. The thought of him watching, seething with jealousy, makes every caress from Adrian feel electric.

Across the room we watch each other. Taste each other through other people.

The hands of the other girl with short brown hair glide over Julian’s chest and arms, her lips grazing his tattooed skin. And I crave to taste him. Taste his depravity.

He grabs the blonde, letting her straddle his legs, which are covered in black sweatpants. My breath hitches as his large hands grip the bare skin of her ass.

Meanwhile Adrian pushes me against the back of the couch, getting between my legs as his hand hooks around the strings of my lacy underwear.

My nipples harden, poking through the material, as his other hand plays with them, pinching then soothing. My body arcs at his touch, head lolling backward as he licks the skin between my neck and my shoulder.

I bite my lips, half-lidded eyes taking in Julian as he kisses the neck of the blonde, brushing her hair to the side and pulling her body to his while she grinds on top of him.

As she feels the effect I’m having on him.

His hair is all over the place from her fingers running through it. Black strands fall down his face, and even with the mask hiding him, I can still feel his carnal look at seeing Adrian’s hands dip inside my underwear.

He slaps her right ass cheek, and my body aches for her. A wave of pleasure rocks through me. He slaps her left ass cheek, and Adrian’s finger flicks over my clit, making me cry out, eyes slipping shut.

Adrian growls, biting down on my neck. I try to resist the need to fall into complete submission at the pleasure. To let Julian have power over my body without even touching me with one finger. But I’m so dangerously close to losing control, to giving in to the lust threatening to consume me.

How fucked-up am I, to be fantasizing about my ex-boyfriend’s brother’s touch while getting fingered by said ex-boyfriend?

I suck in a sharp gasp. Too fucked-up. A lost cause. A moan threatens to escape as I feel the intrusion of Adrian’s finger.

My body tenses. I’m so close. So deliciously close⁠—

A pair of hands pulls me away.

“What the fuck!” Adrian yells as I’m yanked from his grasp.

“Shh,” a familiar voice whispers in my ear, his breath hot against my skin. “If you come, it’ll be on my fingers, not my brother’s.”

Frustration mixes with the arousal still building in me.

Julian doesn’t give me a chance to protest as his hand clamps around my throat. His fingers press into the soft skin with a force that will leave me bruised tomorrow. My pulse shoots up, and I know he can feel the beat as it caresses his fingers. I know he loves it.

I shoot him a glare, looking up at his towering frame. From this close I can see his piercing eyes behind the mask, flickering back and forth.

A sigh leaves his lips, and in one swift motion he releases my throat, only to sling me over his shoulder and guide us through the throngs of people.

The position, coupled with the dim red lights, confuses my senses as I try to grasp a sense of direction. Where are we going? Where is he taking me?

I’m seeing everything upside down when I catch the eye of a familiar face in the crowd. Victoria stands at a distance, her view of me unobscured. She keeps her eyes glued to me, her head tilted slightly as her lips curl into an uneasy smirk, the tips of her fingers brushing over them.

In an instant Julian turns around a corner and she disappears from view.

A thud hits my ears before he puts me down, my back connecting with the wall of a softly lit room.

At least now I can think of something else other than her disturbing stare.

“Julian . . .”

His finger strokes my lips, silencing me. “Quiet.”

I’m still trying to adjust my eyes to the darkness when his body cages me in. He grazes his teeth over the bare skin of my neck, making me see only him.

“Should we tell my brother this was all for me?” He drags his finger over my drenched underwear.

Embarrassment washes over me as I struggle to keep my body from betraying me. I try to push him away, but my hands scratch at his skin instead, and I sigh for more.

And more.

His lips leave a feverous trail as they descend toward the swell of my breasts.

“He should see how fast you come for me.” He cups my left breast, teeth piercing the flesh, before he tears the material off.

I cry out, but my protests die in my throat.

I don’t have the time to feel the cool air, because his teeth sink into my nipple. Sucking, his tongue soothes the pain away, leaving me wanting more.

I can’t⁠—

I need to⁠—

I can’t let him⁠—

I can’t make this easy for him. He just decided one day that I was worth his time, and now he’s between my legs without even putting in any work?

Threading my fingers through the back of his hair, I pull his mouth away from my breast. Searching his eyes, I pant, “In your fucking dreams.”

His lips spread. A devilish smirk greets me. “You already are.”

I’m lifted from the floor before I can get a word out, and I squeal as he throws us onto the bed, his body pressing me down. The hard length of him digs into my stomach as I contain myself from grinding my body, succumbing to the desire he’s ignited in me.

His fingers trace their way down my waist, teasing the sensitive skin beneath my waistband.

A shiver covers my body, and before he hooks his finger to shed my underwear—my remaining dignity—I push him away, using my legs to throw him onto the bed.

Pressing him under me.

He growls deep in his throat as I make a scene of settling on his hard dick. Grabbing his wrists away from the dip of my hips, I pin them above his head.

We both fucking know it would take him less than a second to throw me under him, toss my underwear to the side, and thrust in.

And he would make it hurt.

Addictively so.

“You like me at your mercy, golden one?” He grins at me, eyes flicking between mine and my exposed breasts.

“I’d like it if you called me by my name,” I say, scanning the room for something to tie him up with.

“You didn’t that night,” he breathes, just as I spot a pair of handcuffs on the shelf atop the headrest.

The shelf is filled with an assortment of sex toys and other pleasure devices—some familiar, others foreign and vaguely intimidating.

I lean in, delicately skimming my lips over his, but not enough to fall for the taste of them. I can’t afford to let Julian consume me.

Holding his wrists with just one hand, my fingers inch above us, catching the handcuffs without making a sound. The feathery touch is a consolation for what I’m about to do.

“Remember,” I murmur, unlatching the cuffs. “You asked for this.”

He hesitates for a moment, his gaze narrowing. Only when the metallic click of the handcuffs echoes in the silent room does he understand.

“Aurelia . . .”

“Sorry, Julian.” I watch as he struggles against his restraints. “But I have a party to attend.”

“Unlock these cuffs right now, Aurelia!” he snarls, tugging at the handcuffs attached to the bedpost, but I ignore his orders.

Instead I take the red velvet blindfold from the shelf and tie it over my breasts as a makeshift bra since Julian tore mine to scraps.

Opening the door, I stop midway. Taking a deep breath, I close my eyes and remind myself of the reason I came to this damn party. Tonight isn’t about pleasure. Tonight is about finding out secrets.

“You’ll regret this when I find you.” His low voice sends shivers down my spine.

“Promise?” I smile back at him.

With one final look at him bound to the bed, I shut the door behind me. My heart races with adrenaline and the remnant effects of being edged.

Without giving myself time to register what just happened or how things escalated so quickly, I weave through the sea of writhing bodies.

It’s time to focus on my mission.

I need to find something—anything—against the Marlowe family.

As thrilling as it was to have Julian at my mercy, I can’t allow myself to be distracted any longer.

The party is still raging on, the sexual energy in the air thick and suffocating as I head to the west wing of the cabin, hoping for some luck in finding Victoria’s office or her bedroom.

The more I walk, the fewer people are around. The urge to push forward is stronger with the last person I pass. The music is still loud enough to reach this side of the cabin, but it’s only faint in here.

I spot a dark green double door at the far end of the corridor. It’s either another private room like the one I left Julian in, or maybe, just maybe, it’s what I was searching for.

I quicken my steps. The click of my heels echoes through the corridor, but the sound of a door closing stops me.

“Hey,” a voice calls out.

Flinching at the intrusion, I turn to see a man dressed in all-black, his face obscured by a mask in the shape of a badger. The same man from the red room. I guess he was staring at me then.

“You’re Aurelia, right?”

“Who’s asking?” I hesitate.

He’s wearing a shirt. Is this his first time here too? No. It can’t be—he’s wearing a mask.

“My name’s Damien,” he answers, extending a hand. “I’ve got some information you might be interested in.”

I give his hand a skeptical look and cut right to the chase. “Really?” I raise a brow, trying to gauge his true intentions. “And what would I be interested in?”

He shifts in place, and I catch the maroon folder clutched in his hand.

“I think what I have in here will be of great use to you,” Damien says cryptically.

He takes a step closer, and I mirror him, taking one back. I tilt my chin up, making it clear I don’t trust him.

“We can’t talk here,” he adds.

Without further explanation, he crosses the corridor and disappears behind those double doors.

“Why do they always have to be so mysterious?” I grumble under my breath before following him.

“Let’s not waste more time. What’s in the envelope?” I say, pushing open the door.

Heat wraps around me, the only light coming from the fireplace. The walls are all lined with shelves of leather-bound books, an intimate sanctuary of knowledge.

This might be the coziest library I’ve ever been in.

“Over here,” he calls from the shadows.

He’s standing in the depths of the room, away from any windows or doors.

“Who are you?” I approach him cautiously. “How do you know me? And what’s inside there?”

Damien chuckles, purposely moving the envelope from one hand to the other. “Why don’t you take a look for yourself?”

He hands me the thick folder overflowing with papers, and I take it from him. As I flip through the pages, each one reveals a missing piece of the story I’ve been following like a silent prayer. The difference between these pages and the ones in the diary strike me, stealing all the air from my lungs.

My eyes widen as my muscles stiffen at the defeating realization I had it all wrong. All fucking wrong.

My throat thickens as disjointed phrases leap off the pages at me.

“Master is back . . . Master says I’m pretty . . . Master doesn’t like it when I cry . . . Master says he loves me.”

My hands shake as I scan the pages.

“Master doesn’t like it when I call him by his name.”

Written in my mother’s handwriting.

“Lucian wants me dead.”