Insatiable (The Edge of Darkness, #1)

by Leigh Rivers

“I think Base just tries to get your attention,” I say. “To make you jealous or something. He’s been trying with you for years.” A darkness unravels over Lu’s face. “Well, he can stop. Just like Dez and Tylar stopped. It never ends well.” Ty and Dez had a thing; Lu found out and went crazy, d...

By the time I get back downstairs, most of my friends have moved into the main kitchen. Some are sitting on the counters, some at the breakfast bar, while hyping two people sitting on the floor for everyone to see. She’s straddling him and grinding against his…

Oh. My eyes widen when I notice him taking her nipple into his mouth, grabbing her breast while he licks and sucks, as if he’s starving. Her dress rides up over her behind, where his other hand is gripping and moving her against him. A girl from Lu’s college class stops in the doorway, her jaw nearly hitting the ground. “You do know we can see you, right?” she asks the pair, but they wave them off as they continue kissing and grinding. “They’re just going to…” “Fuck, yes!” someone confirms for her when she struggles for words. Luciella walks in. “Absolutely not! This is my mother’s kitchen, goddammit!”

I continue to sip my drink, shoulder to shoulder with Ty while we watch them stand and disappear out of the kitchen, the girl giggling as he smacks her ass and asks where the spare rooms are. Lu pops a hip out with folded arm...

“Such a spoilsport,” a voice says behind us. Ty groans when she realises it’s Dez. “You wanted to watch, didn’t you?” “Get fucked,” she retorts without turning around. “Go back to the other side of the house where you belong before Lu sees you talking to me.”

“But we’re here for the free booze and the eye candy. Is Satan’s twin going to ruin that as well?” Tylar’s eyes flutter as Dez lowers his voice to a whisper. She ignores whatever he says, but I see her flush, and one of his hands takes her hip, pulling her back to him. “If I put my hand up your dress, would your cunt be soaked, remembering how it felt to have me fuck you in every way possible?”

“Stop,” she says, but her voice is breathy. He grunts. “You weren’t telling me to stop the other night.” He obviously can’t see how devastated Ty looks. She shrugs him off and storms away.

Dez just laughs and takes a swig of his beer, eyes finding mine. I glare at him. “Why do you need to do that?” He hasn’t taken her ending things with him very well and is forever teasing her, knowing it drives her crazy. He’s always texting and calling, and Tylar being Tylar, she answers. “She loves it,” he replies, taking another drink of his beer.

“Oh, evidently.” Dez winks at me with a smirk, pulling himself onto the counter. Before I can search for Tylar to console her, Dez glances over my shoulder. “You want another beer, Kade?” I freeze.

He must nod, because his friend reaches out a bottle towards my shoulder. A warmth radiates against my back as Kade takes the drink, knuckles all bloodied and cut open. I hold my breath, trying to ignore my treacherous hormones as heat coils at my spine.

I can smell him, the spice of his aftershave and the shampoo he uses on his hair. It’s intoxicating, memories flooding me of my fingers wrapped in his waves, the scent of his pillow, the sound of his laugh when I sing terribly. Still standing closely behind me, he only hums, and the deep rumble goes straight from my chest to between my legs, tingling all the way down lik...

Dez glances at a tall, leggy redhead walking in and tilts his head at her. “Did you not fuck her last night?” I walk away before I can hear Kade’s response.

“I could look at you all day, do you know that?” “Stop being romantic, Kade – I might get the wrong idea.” A low laugh, and… “Just another thing you taught me, Freckles. Don’t go home tonight. Stay with me.” I nod, and he presses me to the mattress, nudging my legs apart…

No. I refuse to go back to that memory, the moment I knew what he meant to me. At that point, he wa...

I’m not sure why Kade has suddenly started making an appearance. For the past two years, I’ve only seen him a handful of times.

He’s changed so much from the timid boy who couldn’t understand basic emotions, who needed to be shown that it’s okay to feel, who got nervous when he had no idea what he was doing in the bedroom to this version.

By the time the crowd starts to disperse, it’s four in the morning. Lu’s in bed, leaving Ty, myself and a few others to play more drinking games. We’re all pretty drunk, happy, laughing while taking shots to prolong our buzz – until Kade, Dez and Base walk into the sitting area, two girls under Base’s arms.

“We’re playing drinking games,” someone says. “Wanna join?” Tylar blurts, “No,” at the same time Dez says, “Sure.” We all shift on the sofas to make room, and the large coffee table between us fills with everyone’s drinks. “I think we should spice up these little games though,” Base adds, sitting down and dragging both girls onto his lap. “Depending on how adventurous you all are.”

Kade drops onto the couch opposite me, and to my absolute horror, one of the girls on Base’s lap moves over to him. He pauses for a second, giving her a confused look, before a tattooed hand grasps at her hip. I gulp deeply, trying to ignore my jealousy. I have no right to feel this way.

“You’re talking about How Much Can You Handle, aren’t you?” Tylar asks, frowning when they all nod. “You’re aware that Stacey and I are here? Lu will freak.” “Just no one touch Kade, and she won’t kill us.” Dez nudges his friend, but I don’t look at him to see his reaction as I study my nails. “Base can pair up with Stacey. You said you wanted t...

“If Tylar accepts, then she can have me,” Dez says, winking. “You game?” She nods slowly, her cheeks blushing with the alcohol. “I’m game.” “If you can handle me.” He smirks, slapping his friend on the chest. “And Kade already has Abbie, so there won’t be a riot from the twin dragged from the pits of hell.” “Stop saying that shit,” Base says. “She’s not that bad.” “But she’s Satan’s twin? We all agreed.” “If you want me, then stop talking about my best friend like that,” Tylar says, crossing her leg over her knee and quirking a brow.

Tylar tilts her head at me. “I don’t think Base could keep up with this one.” Her elbow digs into me. “She’s had a lot of practice lately.” I slap her knee. “Hey!” She winces and apologises with a kiss on my cheek. Base – a taller, more muscular version of Dez – responds with chocolate brown eyes and a grin. “I’m up for the challenge if you are, Rhodes.”

Oh God. Shitting shit. He would tear me in half. And I’m not about to fuck one of Kade’s friends, no matter how much we hate each other. Kade glares at me when I look at him – if it were possible, I’d be on fire from how angry he appears.

I shrug as our eyes clash a little longer, unbothered as Base nods in agreement. I’ll play along with this for a minute, just to see Kade’s reaction, then I’ll go to bed before anything happens. Would he even care? Doubtful, since he has Abbie trying to draw his mouth to hers. He isn’t kissing her. He isn’t even looking in her direction. He’s looking at me. “How do we play?” one of the guys asks, completely interested.

Dez’s eyes are on Tylar as he explains the rules. “Choose a partner – or partners – and fuck until you can’t.”

“Stacey, there’s someone at the gate asking for you,” a voice says from the doorway of the sitting area. One of the guys who was waiting on an Uber. “He’s pretty fucked up.” Shit. “Is it the guy from earlier?” Ty asks me, a smile on her lips, and everyone around us is listening. “The one you were seconds from screwing in the studio? You could invite him in. Sorry, Base, but he was hot.”

I grimace, and so does Dez. “We weren’t going to—” I stop, sighing as I place my drink on the coffee table in front of us. “Start without me.” “He’s pretty mad,” he tells me. “He’s shouting for you to get out there.” Kade’s cigarette freezes halfway to his mouth. Ty abruptly stands, but I tell her it’s fine and ask her to stay where she is, telling Base and Dez the same when they, too, get to their feet. “You sure?” Dez asks, concerned as he fists his hands. “I’m happy to tell him to get to fuck.” Base nods in agreement. “Yeah, I’m sure. It’ll be fine.”

When I reach the gates, hugging myself with how cold it is, I huff out a foggy breath. “Really, Chris? Why are you here?” My stepbrother’s eyes are bloodshot, as if he’s had far too many drinks before coming here. “You weren’t answering me.” His words are slurred, and saliva slips from the corner of his mouth. “Are you high?” “Will it make you come home with me if I say yes?” he asks, fingers curling on the rods of the metal gate I refuse to unlock with the code.

I shake my head, gritting my teeth in annoyance when he staggers to the left. “You look cold, little sister. You know I can heat you up.” My stomach twists. “Go home.” “You’re my home,” he replies with a hiccup. “Don’t make me mad. I don’t like being mad with you. Come with me. We’ll go back to the house and I’ll… I’ll make love to you.”

He loses his balance, tumbling to his side. I groan, taking a few steps and reaching my hand out to try to help him to his feet. Every single time he gets this messed up, I need to help him, even though I don’t want to. It’ll be worse for me if I leave him like this, and I’d rather not meet those consequences. But this time, when I try to help ...

A flash of pain momentarily seizes me as my face hits the hard surface between us. “Let go of me,” I snap, tasting blood from a cut on the inside of my lip. “Who are you fucking in there?” His thumb runs along my lips as he stares at them, his eyes wholly black ...

He lowers his hand to grab between my legs, and I flinch from his unwanted touch before he can make contact. He smirks, catlike and evil. “This is all mine. Every inch of your body belongs to me.” I manage to shove myself away from his grasp as he ...

“You need to stop! You’re sick. You can’t do this with me!” “You want me!” he rushes out. I stare at him, shaking my head. “You want me, and you deny it. You love⁠—” “I don’t.” He glares at me, eyes watering, until they aren’t on me any longer. “Who the fuck are you?” Chris snaps, his rage building. His eyes flicker between me and the person now standing behind me. “Who is he, Stac...

Kade snakes his arm around my waist, already making me feel safer. His other hand is wrapped around the neck of a beer bottle, a joint between his fingers. He blows a cloud of toxic smoke towards Chris. His arm tightens around me, his hand fisting the material of my dress at my hip. In a deep, threatening tone, Kade says, very slowly, “Walk away before I make you one sorry motherfucker.” “Who are you?” Chris asks again, one of his hands slipping from the poles of the gate. “Just go,” I beg him as Kade lowers his chin to my shoulder, inhaling deeply.

“She’s not yours.” Kade chuckles. “She’s not yours either. Clearly.” He points behind Chris. “Leave.” Chris pushes himself from the gate and spits on the ground before getting back into the car he certainly shouldn’t be driving.

I breathe, closing my eyes as the lights start to vanish in the foggy driveway. Kade hasn’t released me, but I haven’t moved away either. My core twists with a deep sensation I haven’t felt for a while as he brings his mouth to my ear, whispering, “Who was your friend, Freckles?”

“No one,” I manage to answer, holding in a gasp as the tip of his nose traces the shell of my ear. As I tilt my head to give him better access, my chest heaves as the delicate yet powerful touch travels to the sensitive area of my neck that has my inner walls pul...

He takes another draw of his joint, then has a swig of his beer, still holding me to him. “You sure? Wasn’t that who you were apparently close to fucking earlier?” “No.” Kade hums, the rumbling sound vibrating against my back. “H...

“You prefer your quick fucks older, don’t you?” I don’t reply, concentrating on my unsteady breaths and the heat coiling around my spine. When Kade’s fingers tug at my chin, forcing me to look at him over my shoulder, I lick away the metallic taste on my lips, ...

When he turns my body to face him, his eyes are burning into my soul. He backs me up against the gate with a palm on my chest then moves it to my throat, holding me in place. My pulse is hammering against his hand, and as he squeezes slightly, a whimper slips from my mouth.

His pupils dilate under the moonlight. He releases my throat and grasps a handful of hair, roughly tugging it to tip my head back. “Is that what you want? A quick fuck?” Kade waits for me to respond, tightening his hold when I let out a whimper from how close he is, then releasing me and stepping back.

“If that’s what you want,” he says, and I frown at him. Kade tips the bottle in the direction Chris went, fighting a snarl on his face. “By all means, go. Or you can have Base as planned. We both know how desperate you can be.” Before I can come up with a snarky response, or at least tell him to go fuck himself, he scoffs, shaking his head and turning away from me.

You prefer your quick fucks older, don’t you? Fine. I might have deserved that.

Something is licking my face. Two somethings. I crack my eyes open to see Milo and Hopper on each side of me. I pat their heads while looking over at the door I’m certain I shut. “How did you two get in here?” They stare at me, then Milo tilts his head, and I lie back down as they roll onto their backs to get tummy rubs.

Hopper nudges my face with his wet nose, and I wrap my arms around him with a huge grin. “Did you both miss me?” Both heads tilt this time, and I laugh and scratch their ears.

Kade must’ve kept them away from the party last night. He’s always extremely protective of them. I’m surprised he hasn’t booted the door ...

I slip my shoes on and leave the spare room, Milo and Hopper sprinting away down the lobby. I walk three doors down and knock lightly. “Ty?” The latch on the door unlocks, and my friend sneaks out, leaving Dez asleep in bed. Her hair is a mess, and there’s a bite mark on her throat. She blows out a breath as she looks at me. “I’ll call an Uber. I’m too hungover to drive.”

“I’m going to come stay at your place for a few days,” I tell Tylar, shivering even more at the thought of going home to Chris. “When do you leave for Rome?” “Sunday,” she says as we sit on the steps, waiting for our ride. “I know you want to ask. So ask.” I shrug. “What you and Dez do is none of my business.” “It was that stupid game,” she says, sighing. “I thought I was going to sleep with him, then Kade made them all leave.”

When I’d gone back into the manor last night, Kade had grabbed Base by the collar before he could take a line of coke from the coffee table and dragged him out of the room. Then when Dez decided to come up for air after devouring Tylar’s mouth, Kade had said that the party was over. I had a few more shots, and then me and Tylar went to one of the spare rooms. She snuck out once she thought I was asleep, and I heard her giggling outside the door.

The gate opens, and I watch as a black motorbike drives in and stops next to us. The rider stands tall, tugs off his gloves and then the helmet to reveal dark messy hair and sleepy blue eyes. Kade drops the helmet on the ground; he looks like he hasn’t slept in days. He rolls his shoulders as he gets off the bike, and ...