by Maribel Fox
It’s probably the first time I’ve talked about Lili since her disappearance. No one in the family will talk about it, and the people outside the family who would have any understanding or caring are limited.
Ava’s hand on my thigh tightens, she senses the pain in my voice, and I cover her hand with mine.
“Lili went missing while on a mission and was never found,” I say, the words pouring out all at once. There’s enough out there now that holding back doesn’t make much sense.
“Raj… I’m so sorry,” Ava says, face crumpled in sympathy. “That’s awful, I can’t imagine…” She shakes her head, the scent of honey rolling off of her as she leans in closer to offer comfort.
I sigh, accepting her, sliding an arm around her back, this closeness near torture. I shouldn’t be letting this happen yet doing what I shouldn’t is in my nature. My entire body is tight, coiled, poised to make a move that I’m sure will ruin everything. So I stay put with my arm around her, her hand on my thigh, radiating warmth in pulses that go straight to my cock.
She has no idea what she’s doing to me, I’m sure.
“I miss her every day,” I say, voice tight. “And my old life, though I admit that’s selfish.”
“It’s not,” she says sharply, looking up to stare right in my eyes. “It’s not wrong to want more,” she says, eyes still glued on mine. I don’t think it’s conscious, but she licks her lips and it’s practically an open invitation.
“You deserve to let go sometimes, too,” she says. “Surely you’re not expected to give up all enjoyment?”
“I am,” I argue. “Though I can’t say I’m that good at abstaining.” Damn it, Raj, I curse myself. Damn your propensity to sin. Damn thirst for vice.
Ava’s mouth parts, just a fraction, her breath soft and halting, a question in itself.
Damn you for not doing this sooner, I think, watching her tongue dart out to wet her lips, all the invitation I need. There’s no way I can keep denying myself when she’s offering herself up on a platter for me to devour.
Her lips taste like candy, and the way she gasps softly, the tiny whimper that comes from her throat before she gives herself over and throws her arms around my neck, is going to be my undoing.
“Do you have any idea what a temptation you are?” I growl, hand sliding up under her shirt to pinch one of those nipples that have been peeking out from her thin shirt this whole time. Ava gasps, arching into me, her breast filling my hand as I kiss her senseless.
“The things I’ve thought about doing to you?” My thumb drags across her nipple, making her gasp, her whole body overheated and eager.
“The images that have plagued me since I set eyes on you?” She arches toward me as I scrape my teeth along the column of her throat, turning that nipple in my fingers until she’s shuddering.
I’m content to explore her, tease her, watch her reactions, the way her eyes flutter, her lips part on a silent moan. I’m content, but Ava’s impatient. She lurches forward and kisses me, teeth dragging over my bottom lip.
“Show me,” she growls, fierce and demanding.
“You don’t know what you’re asking for,” I warn her, flipping her over on the bed, pinning her under me. She reaches for my belt, and I grab her wrist to stop her. It doesn’t though, because she has another hand, already reaching for me.
Then she winds up with both of her wrists in my hand, pinned above her head. Ava realizes that she’s trapped, helpless here, and there’s a flash of panic in her eyes before desire takes over. Her thighs part, and even though we’re both clothed, I grind against her, letting her feel every inch of my hardness in her deliciously hot cleft.
“You see what you do to me?” I ask, grinding against her. Ava whimpers, moving her hips, trying to get closer to me, trying to get more. I have her trapped though. There’s nowhere for her to go.
With my free hand, I tug at her shorts, tossing them aside. Her panties are nothing special, not lingerie meant for enticing, but the damp cotton clinging to her folds is all the enticement I need. She wants this as much as I do, there’s no doubt about it.
I push the fabric aside and slide a finger along her slippery seam. Ava gasps, hips bucking off the bed.
“Raj,” she pants, gasping still as I circle her pulsing clit slowly, over and over, each swipe of my finger making her thighs quiver and shake.
“Do you really think I have any sympathy for your impatience when you’ve teased me for so long?” I ask, circling her slowly, again and again, watching the muscles in her legs and abdomen clench in response to my touch.
“You’re evil,” she whines, looking up at me from between the valley of her breasts, hands still pinned above her. She’s powerless here, but not enough. Not to my liking.
I lean forward and our tongues tangle in a desperate kiss. Ava’s putting everything she has into it, likely trying to break my resolve. I slip a finger into her clenching wetness and she cries into the kiss, legs wrapping around my waist.
“Please,” she pants, doing everything she can to writhe against me though my weight is keeping her pinned.
“Please what?” I ask, curling my finger inside her, stroking slowly, the warmth of her clenching and fluttering around my fingers.
“I need you, Raj,” she whines.
“Need me to do what?” I ask, dragging my lips down her neck, feeling her rasp for breath before flicking my tongue over the frantic beat of her pulse right beneath her skin.
Ava groans. “You’re going to make me say it?”
“How else will I know it’s what you want?” I say, devilish grin in full force.
“Please,” she whines again, hips raising up, forcing my finger in deeper. Just for that, I withdraw, leaving her empty and wanting. Ava looks up at me with fire blazing in her eyes.
“You’re going to have to do better than that,” I say, lifting her shirt up, over her breasts. She’s breathing hard now, turned on, frustrated, breasts heaving, nipples erect and tantalizing. I suckle one between my lips and Ava groans.
“I need you inside me, please,” she says as her body moves to its own rhythm for me.
“Well, if that’s what you desire…” I say, switching to the other nipple, tongue curling around it, pulling it taut between my lips.
“Yes,” she pants, part needy, part exasperated.
In one move, I pull her shirt up over her head, and twist it around her wrists, creating makeshift shackles to attach to the headboard. That frees up one of my hands, and with Ava tied up to the head of the bed with nowhere to go, I’m able to finish the job.
I start with my hands on her hips, firm and possessive, sliding them down her outer thighs. As I move down, my thumbs collect in the elastic of her panties, dragging them with me. I follow the lines of her legs, all the way down, until I toss her panties away and have her ankles in my grips.
“What are you—”
“You wanted me to show you what I’ve imagined,” I say, looping a silk rope around her ankle before knotting it to the bedpost. I repeat the same process with the other ankle, and then she’s spread out, tied up, and waiting for me with a flush of lusty anticipation making her glow.
Perfection.
I don’t even touch her as she’s laying there, panting, watching me, squirming the small bit she can. Her frustration is delicious. That need, that want — the anticipation is better than the act, and I intend to drag it out.
With her eyes on me, watching my every move, I begin to undress. It’s when I free my cock that Ava’s eyes go wide and her tongue darts out to wet her lips.
“You’ll get your chance to taste me, I promise,” I say, moving onto the bed with her, fingertips caressing her smooth, pale skin until goosebumps greet my touch.
“But first, it’s my turn,” I say, kissing down the soft swell of her stomach, nibbling over the ridge of her hip bone. She’s holding her breath, waiting for me, and I can practically feel her disappointment when I turn and kiss the inside of her thigh.
As much as I’m enjoying teasing her, though, it’s a tease for myself as well, and I’m so desperate to taste her I can’t wait a moment longer. I trail my nibbling kisses up the inside of her thigh and then—
“Oh god,” Ava cries, hips snapping up to meet my tongue as it swipes over her clit. If I thought Ava’s lips were sweet, it’s nothing compared to the candy between her thighs. I lick her from entrance to clit, her honey coating my tongue, her wanton cries urging me on.
My lips seal around her clit and suck as I slide a finger into her, feeling her clench around my fingers.
“Raj… Oh fuck, Raj,” she moans, the bed creaking as she pulls on her bonds. But there’s nowhere for Ava to go. She’s all mine right now. At the mercy of my desires. Just as she should be.
“You are not to come until I say so,” I tell her, fingers stilled inside of her.
She looks at me like I’ve lost my mind, eyes blazing with a challenge.
“You heard me,” I say, curling my fingers in just the right way to make her suck in a breath. “Tell me you agree.”
Her mouth falls open, and I flatten my tongue against her clit, bringing her right back to the edge. Her legs are quivering, her muscles fluttering, and she gasps—
“Tell me,” I say, pulling back again.
“You are seriously evil,” she growls, glaring at me. Her arms are straining at her bonds, and I’m certain if she were able she’d be finishing the job herself right now.
“Correction, I am a Devil. And I am content to test your resolve for as long as it takes,” I say, flicking my tongue over her again for emphasis. “Now tell me that you will not come until I allow it,” I demand, eyes blazing into hers.
She still wants to fight me. I can see it in that fierce gaze of hers. But that’s what is so enchanting about this woman. She has that fire, that spark, that fight, but I know she has the will to submit.
Her need wins out over pride.
“Fine,” she groans, hips rolling against my hand. “Fine, I won’t come—”
I test her right away, bringing her to the very brink as fast as I’m able with my tongue and my fingers. I hold her right there, right on the precipice, feeling her holding back, feeling her fight the tide.
“Good girl,” I purr, moving up her body to kiss her.
Ava groans into the kiss, not seeming to mind the taste of herself as her tongue duels with mine for supremacy.
Then without warning, I slide into her.
Her eyes go wide, her cry of surprise swallowed into the kiss. The moment of surprise doesn’t last long, and then she’s melting, her whole body relaxing into the bliss of finally getting what it’s so desperately needed.
I know, because I’m feeling the same way. All these weeks of pent up need, energy without direction, it’s finally got somewhere to go. And she feels incredible. Better than I could have imagined. Soft, tight, warm — perfection. It’s the only word I have for this woman, even when she’s driving me absolutely insane.
Filling Ava is unlike anything else. Beyond anything else. This is what I was meant for. What I was made for. I didn’t realize it until now, but this is it. Ava’s warmth engulfing me, her magic reaching out to me, her body stretched taut and restrained for my pleasure…
Holy Hells, this is what Heaven really is…
“Raj… Fuck you feel so good,” she moans, head tossed back in pleasure, eyes closed, mouth parted.
It’s an image straight from my most erotic fantasies, and it’s been far too long since I’ve indulged myself. As much as I’d like this to last forever, I’m powerless against her.
I fill her with every inch of me, driving in with desperation I’ve been holding in all this time. My thumb descends on her clit and Ava’s sweet pussy tightens around me.
“Raj… I… I can’t…”
“Come for me Ava,” I growl, slamming into her as my cock swells, pleasure overwhelming me.
“Oh… Oh god!” she cries, shattering beneath me. It’s too much for me, watching her lost in the throes of passion, feeling the ripples of her orgasm traveling through my cock. I roar and empty myself into her, sparks of electricity lighting through my nerves.
Well worth the wait.
19
Ava
Last night was…
Well, it was a lot of things.
Crazy, for one.
Amazing, for another.
Totally irresponsible, wild, life-changing… I could go on and on. But I shouldn’t. I need to stop thinking about it because I’m not sure how I feel about it.
I’m not exactly regretting it, per se, but I’ve slept with three of my four guests — and I’ve kissed all of them. Not exactly the professional distance I was aiming to keep.
The soreness inside me is a pleasant reminder of how fun it was to close that distance though. I can’t deny that. Man, that was something else. Being with Kush and Seamus was wild enough on its own, two guys at once? Who the hell am I?
But with Raj… phew, it was a whole new experience. The things he did to me, the way he controlled me and manipulated my body to his whims.
I squeeze my thighs together; the tingle of warm anticipation is not something I need right now.
Want, on the other hand…
Well, I haven’t stopped wanting more since last night.
I feel kind of guilty though; Micah’s still gone, and I can’t stop thinking about him, wondering if I’ll ever see him again.
After the way he left, I didn’t really expect to miss him, and it’s kind of bugging me that my mind keeps drifting back to his dark skin and soulful eyes. I’ve got three other guys to distract me, and I’m stuck here wondering what’s going on with the fourth.
Four guys. Who do you think you are, Ava? I ask myself, scoffing. Most girls would be plenty happy with one guy. Especially when that one guy is one of these guys. Any one of them could easily be at home in Hollywood or in a magazine. They’re all gorgeous and fierce in their own way. They all make me laugh, make my magic flutter to life.
How the hell could I ever choose?
Do I have to?
I swallow at that thought.
The truth is obvious, even if I’m not willing to think about it too hard.
Because I’m pretty sure the tough choice I have to make isn’t going to come down to choosing one of these guys, it’s going to be choosing none of them, for the sake of my business, my town, my loved ones. Whatever is going on with these guys, with the forces of Heaven and Hell and whatever else, I don’t want them coming to Lupine Bay.
The more I hear about the magical world, the less safe I feel.
And yet again, I find myself in the last place I wanted to be — responsible. Ever since I turned eighteen, the world is forcing more and more on me. First with Ian and the B&B, and now all this news that I’m a Faerie Queen and “the only one who can save the Fae.” Ugh.
It’s not just the responsibility either — these guys are dangerous. Even if they don’t seem like it with me, even if they seem harmless around me, I know they can wreak all kinds of havoc if they choose.
I don’t want to know what kind of destruction can come from a fight between those guys. A fight that seems all but inevitable given the differing missions they all have. Everyone wants the same thing, and only one can end up happy.
Obsessing about it and worrying constantly isn’t going to make a difference, that much I know. And sitting around this B&B all day is going to run the risk of running into one of my multiple dalliances from last night. So instead, I decide it’s a good day for errands. A good day for fresh air and not being bothered by crazy men.
Crazy men, or their smoldering looks and magnetic pheromones.
I make my escape and head into town, avoiding Alistair’s shop since that’s apparently one of the new hangouts for my guys.
Your guys? A voice in my head asks incredulously.
I brush it off. I’ve gotta refer to them somehow. How I talk about them in my head does
n’t really matter, does it?
Besides, they do feel like mine. I know that’s crazy, but it’s true. It’s not just a magical connection pulling me to each of them, it’s something deeper, something that links in with something else deep inside me. A missing piece finally sliding into place.
A missing piece that can’t be removed again now that the puzzle’s whole.
My stomach turns at that thought, because they have to leave, there’s no getting around that.
While I’m crossing the street to avoid Alistair’s shop front and any curious eyes inside of it, I notice that the building across from him isn’t vacant anymore.
He mentioned he had a new neighbor.
I should stop in and introduce myself. That’s the kind of community we are here in Lupine Bay.
The front of the shop is painted a bold peacock blue, and there are thick dark curtains in the two front windows. Windows that are covered in swirling, artistic gold lettering that says, ‘Afternoon Delights’ then in smaller letters, ‘Beverages, Brews, & Botanicals.’
Interesting.
Well, I guess let’s see what this place is about.
I pull on the door, not sure if they’re even open because there aren’t any hours posted, but the door gives, and I’m greeted by a cloud of sweet incense.
That’s not the only reason I’m blinking when I step into the shop, though. It takes some time for my eyes to adjust to the dimly-lit space, but once they do, I can’t stop looking around.
The ceilings and walls are draped in lush, colorful fabrics, and Turkish mosaic lamps hang by the dozens all over the place, all shapes and sizes, painting the room in so many dots of colored light. There are tables and chairs, lounge areas, all kinds of little private places for a few people to gather for conversation. And directly ahead, at the back, there’s a counter with gleaming copper kettles in a line behind it.
“Good afternoon, my lady!” someone calls brightly from through the haze of smoke. I step further into the shop, still blinking, the atmosphere definitely growing on me.