“Hurry,” she said, as he rolled on the condom.
Seconds later he lined himself up, gripped her hips, and pushed inside her.
“Talan,” she cried, as her body adjusted to his size. “Fuck.”
He reached forward and grabbed the hair at the nape of her neck. When she let out a moan, he flexed his hips and began to move inside her.
“Oh, fuck,” he said. “You’re so tight like this. I’ve never felt anything like it.”
He moved in slow, gentle glides. The friction of her pussy, clenched so tightly around him, was almost more than he could take. He could already feel his balls tightening up to his body again. It had only been a few minutes since he’d last come, but he already found himself aching for release.
“Harder,” Lilly begged, when his thrusts slowed down even more. “Faster, Talan.”
Talan released her hair and moved his hands to her hips. Shifting up her skirt, he gripped them hard and began to slam into her at an almost punishing pace. He asked, “Like that?”
“Yes,” Lilly moaned, her pussy clenching around him. She rubbed her hips back against his as she shuddered.
“I can feel you coming on my cock, Lilly. The way you clamp down on me…” he ground out. “It’s fucking amazing.”
She cried out with each thrust, pushing herself back against him. “That feels so good!”
“Give me one more, love,” he said as he leaned forward and reached around her leg to rub his fingers against her clit. Then he gave it a rough pinch. “Give it to me.”
Lilly let out a high, keening cry as she clamped down on him again. Hard.
He cursed, letting go, then exploded inside her. Every time they came together this way he was always absolutely certain he’d never come so hard in his life. At this rate, he’d be blacking out in no time. Panting hard, he released her and tried desperately to steady his legs so he could go and get rid of the condom. His muscles too lax to walk, he leaned against the side of the bed and watched as she slid forward, face first.
When she turned her face to the side, he could see her smugly satisfied grin. “You were right,” she said, her voice almost slurred. “Absolutely senseless.”
He moved away from the bed, less wobbly, and said, “I aim to please.”
“You do,” she said, her voice utterly sated.
By the time he made it back to the bed, she had stripped down and now lay under the covers. She looked up at him sleepily and said, “Absolutely senseless.”
He slid into bed beside her and agreed, “Absolutely.”
When she lazily flopped her arm on him, he grunted and said, “Be gentle with me.”
She giggled and said, “Says the man who just fucked me senseless and pulled my hair.”
“Yes, love. I’m quite fragile,” he said, smirking.
With a slight groan she moved over and curled into his side. “Better,” she asked?
“Much.”
****
When Talan woke up that afternoon, he was on a mission. Lilly had very effectively changed the subject last night, but it was clear that Colette had scared her. Despite her claims, Lilly was damned near fearless as far as he was concerned. He wanted to fix this for her.
After he got into the office, he was surprised to find that he had messages from both Lachlan and Stefano. Both of them apologized again for Colette’s behavior. He just wished to hell he could remember her last name.
Quickly he dialed Lachlan’s number. Instead of the voice mail he thought he’d get, Lachlan picked up and said, “Bloody hell. You better be dying.”
“It’s important. I’m sorry to wake you. What’s Colette’s last name? Do you know?”
“You woke me up to ask me about that fucking twat?” he bellowed.
Talan sighed and said, “Look, it’s important. Really important.”
“Fuck,” Lachlan said. “Monroe, I think. No. Moreau. That’s it. I’m sure of it. Can I go back to sleep now? Christ.”
“Yes,” he said.
Lachlan disconnected the phone without any further discussion. Talan figured he’d be paying for that sometime in the near future. He had the information he needed though, and that’s what was really important.
With the power of the Internet and his sizable wallet behind him, he was looking at addresses for the last twenty years for Colette Moreau. Surprisingly, there were over forty of them in the US alone. This would take some work. He would need some way to narrow it down.
Since the records had been pulled from Change of Address requests, it would be difficult to keep them separate. Perhaps he could eliminate anyone outside of Kansas? He sorted the spreadsheet by state and deleted the majority. Well, that was easy.
There were two left, both of whom lived there at the time per the address records. He would have to check with Lilly tonight to see what her hometown was. If either of these cities were near hers, then perhaps there might be something to her fears.
Colette had been a nasty piece of work. Seeing her as someone who killed for sport wasn’t the longest stretch. Perhaps he could locate a social security number for her and search that way. How would he come up with that, though?
Stumped, he gave a slight jump when his phone buzzed. When he picked it up, he saw a text waiting from Lilly. “Morning. Hope you slept well. Just got done with school.”
“You should have stayed in bed with me and played hooky all day,” he typed back.
She responded back almost immediately with, “I would have but my boss is kind of a tyrant.”
He couldn’t help but grin. God, he loved her smart mouth.
He looked back at the screen and decided he had enough to go on right now. He’d work on the next steps, when and if one of these women was Colette.
It would be easy if he could somehow come up with social insurance numbers or dates of birth. In books, the rich and powerful always had people to do this sort of thing for them. Why didn’t he have people? He really needed people.
He frowned as he considered something. Even if she was one of the two, what could they really do? It had been a decade, and Lilly had never seen the woman. For all they knew, the real killers were all dead. He sighed and then saved the spreadsheet. They would tackle those questions when the time came.
Their relationship was rather like that as well, he realized. She was human. The average lifespan of a human was eighty-nine for a woman, maybe? That meant that if he was lucky, they had another sixty or sixty-five years together.
Could he ask her to become one of the Transfigured? Would that even be fair? They had taken so much from her already. Would she be willing to become one? How was she even dating him, let alone in love with him? So many questions swirled through his mind. Christ, he thought, rubbing a hand over his face. Life had been a hell of a lot easier when he didn’t have feelings.
Chapter Fifteen
“So, wait,” Marissa screeched. “He said the L word?”
Lilly picked up another dumpling with her chopsticks and said, “Yeah. I was totally shocked. I knew that he liked me, but...”
“And you replied?” Marissa asked, gesturing in her usual “give me the damned details” manner.
She chewed the bite she had in her mouth and then said, “I told him I loved him too.”
Speechless, Marissa’s mouth dropped open. She asked, “Isn’t it a bit soon for this?”
“Uhm. Babe. I let him cash in my V-card. Did you really think I was going to let some random dude do that?” Lilly asked.
“Well, yeah. I guess not. It’s just that he’s Transfigured, and our boss, and way older than you. Are you sure?”
“What in the actual fuck, Marissa?” Lilly asked, raising her voice. “You were all for me dating the guy, but now that I actually have feelings for him you’re acknowledging all the reasons I was scared to date him in the first place!” When several people turned to look at her, Lilly lowered her voice and said, “You told me to go for it.”
“I know, babe. I did,” sh
e admitted, scrunching up her face. “That just comes with a lot of problems. What happens when you get older? What if you get sick? At some point, you’re going to...I know you don’t wanna think about it but you kind of have to.”
Lilly shrugged and said, “We’ll talk about it at some point, I’m sure. It’s only been a little while. If we stay together, then maybe I’ll do the surgery. I don’t know.”
“The surgery?”
“I was reading on the Internet. They can genetically alter humans and make them—”
“Now I get to ask you ‘what in the actual fuck’? You’d give up your life for this guy?”
“Again, crazy person. It’s been like two days. I don’t know. I love him, though. He makes me happy. Whenever he’s anywhere near me, it’s like I’ve found the missing part of myself. I’ve spent my whole damned life pretending to be fearless, and he is the only person that has ever made me feel that way. I could keep trying to explain it to you, but it will sound like I’m a silly kid with a crush. He makes me feel so much that I can’t even find the words to explain it.”
“And God knows, you’re never speechless,” Marissa said with a smirk.
“Suck it,” Lilly retorted.
“I thought we were gonna be badass old ladies in the nursing home together, Lil,” Marissa said, sobering.
Lilly felt a pang in her chest at the thought of losing Marissa. She was the closest thing she had to a sister. Hell, she was her only family, really. “And we may still. I don’t know what the future holds. I don’t wanna rule anything out just yet. This is new and I won’t be making any impulsive decisions.”
Sighing, Marissa nodded.
“On a topic change,” Lilly said. “I met the nastiest bitch ever last night. When Talan and I went out with a couple of other couples, one of the women referred to me as his ‘little human friend’. Can you believe that shit?”
Marissa made a face and said, “Bitch.”
“Yeah, no kidding. She basically called me his fucking snack!”
“Bitch!” Marissa repeated. “But, speaking of snacks. Has he? Have you?”
Lilly tugged down the collar of her sweater a tad to show the healing marks.
Gasping, Marissa asked, “Did it hurt? That looks like it hurts.”
“I’m sure it would if he just jammed his teeth into me with no warning, but in the right situation, it can add to the moment.” Lilly flushed.
“Look at you, dirty girl,” she responded, grinning.
“I know, right?” Lilly asked, grinning. “But seriously. This chick who called me a food source. She ragged on Kansas at one point, which is cool because Kansas was kind of terrible. But when she laughed, it was the laugh.”
Eyes wide, Marissa asked, “Do you think she was one of the people who hurt your family?”
“I dunno. It was the laugh. Maybe it’s just a coincidence. I mean, they caught them. Talan said he was going to look into it though.”
“I’m sorry to be so judgy. He seems like a nice guy from what you’ve told me,” Marissa admitted.
“He really is. I didn’t expect to feel this way so soon. Especially not about him. The odds aren’t really in our favor, but for some reason, when I’m with him none of that matters.”
****
Lilly was still thinking about her conversation with Marissa much later in the evening when Talan walked into the bar. He glanced around and said, “No games on tonight?”
“Yeah. The Canadiens were playing earlier but as soon as the game was over, people moved on to a more exciting bar.”
Talan frowned and said, “I really should turn this into something more profitable.”
“Thanks. Where would I do my homework?” she teased.
Laughing, he suggested, “Home, perhaps? Alien concept, I know.”
“Smart-ass.”
“So, do I get to keep you again this evening or will you be going home?”
She waffled for a moment and then grudgingly said, “Not tonight. I have an early class.”
Talan frowned. “By the way, I have a couple of cities. Can you tell me if any of them were near you in Kansas?”
As he listed them, Lilly frowned and said, “I think those cities are in the middle of the state. I was right on the border of Missouri.”
“Damn,” he complained. “I didn’t think of that. I’ll look at the list and let you know.”
“What list?”
“Oh. I got a list of the change of address notifications for anyone named Colette Moreau for the past twenty years in the US.”
She grinned at him. “Well, aren’t you just super powerful?”
“I’m rich, Lilly. Extremely rich,” he said dryly.
“You’re also extremely fantastic, Talan. I appreciate you looking into it for me. Hopefully you won’t find anything in Missouri either, so I can just lay it to rest.”
Talan crooked a finger at her and said, “I don’t like all of this bar between us, love.”
“There are cameras,” Lilly warned.
Chuckling, Talan asked, “Shall I again remind you that I own the hotel?”
Lilly slid around the end of the bar and stepped into his waiting arms. When he took her mouth, she felt the lust wash over her just like always.”
She pulled back from him. “You can’t go getting me all worked up when I still have an hour left of my shift, Talan. That’s not fair.”
“No,” he agreed. “I highly suggest you come upstairs when you’re done. I’d be happy to help you take care of that.”
“And to think I thought you were old-fashioned,” Lilly said, smirking.
“Did you now,” he whispered, his lips sucking at her earlobe. “What made you think that?”
“Hmm? What made me think of what?” she murmured, losing her train of thought entirely when his tongue traced the inner shell of her ear.
His mouth drifted down to nibble at the soft skin of her neck. “Old-fashioned,” he prompted.
“You declined my offer to come in on the first date. I desperately wanted you. Even then. You made me wait for weeks.”
“I did,” he acknowledged. “That anticipation made it all the better, I think. I had feelings for you. I wanted to be careful.”
“And now that things have progressed?” she asked, shivering when he grazed her throat with his teeth.
“I want to love you and do absolutely filthy things to you in equal measure.”
Lilly let out a low moan and asked him, “What kind of filthy things?”
He pulled away, straightened to his full height, and said, “Well, you’ll just have to come upstairs and find out, now won’t you?”
Lilly tilted her head back and groaned in frustration. “You’re evil.”
“So I’ll see you later then?”
“I’ll be up after my shift is over. I don’t know how I can possibly say no to whatever filthy things you have planned.”
He gave her a grin and then said, “See you soon.”
She grinned sheepishly and nodded. What this man did to her.
After he left, she had another forty-five minutes to kill, so she worked on her paper on management and ethical business practices. She smirked as she considered the ethical quandary her own position presented. Being in love with your boss would surely be frowned upon.
She managed to get in almost four pages before her shift ended. After she had turned in her till, she clocked out and then headed upstairs. Talan had told her to keep the key. She felt weird just going inside when he was there. Should she knock?
Ultimately, she decided to use her key. He had given it to her and told her to come upstairs. Why shouldn’t she?
When she entered, he said, “Ah, there she is.”
“Yep,” she agreed. “I couldn’t turn down promises of filthy behavior.”
He was seated on the couch with a laptop in hand. A solemn look on his face, he asked, “St. Joseph?”
She froze. The look on her face must have given her away because he cu
rsed, set the laptop down, and then pulled her into his arms.
Her eyes filling, she said, “That’s right across the border. Are you sure she was there during that time?”
“No, love. The postal service is though.”
“And there’s nothing we can really do, is there? I mean, I never saw her. I heard her voice once, ten years ago. That’s not enough to go on. They wouldn’t have even caught any of them if they hadn’t gotten them on camera at another house. They just confessed to my family’s murders.”
“I don’t really know,” he admitted.
Numb, she let him lead her to the couch. His arm wrapped around her shoulders as he said, “I’m so sorry, Lilly. I only wanted to put your mind at ease. What were the odds that she was actually...I’m so sorry.”
The tears spilled over onto her cheeks as she rested her head against his chest. Could she have no comfort where her family was concerned, she wondered angrily. The tears continued to flow, partly from sadness, but it was more about anger at this point.
Swiping at her face, she said, “I always had the comfort of knowing that even though they were gone, at least justice had been served. It wasn’t a lot, but it was something. Now they’ve officially taken everything, Talan. I don’t even have that anymore. The one thing that made the whole fucking situation livable was to know that at least those animals were gone. They destroyed my family, but that they wouldn’t destroy anyone else’s.”
Talan said nothing and just continued to stroke her hair as she wept. All of the pent-up anger and sadness poured out. She didn’t know how long they sat there on the couch, but she cried so hard that her nose was plugged and her head pounded.
“I’m so sorry, love,” Talan said softly. “I’m so sorry.” He rocked her until she finally calmed down.
When she was finally able to stop sobbing, she started taking deep breaths. She would not let this destroy her. She had come too damned far to turn back into that terrified little girl standing in her basement. This had been an ugly cry, but she was officially done with it now.
The Darkness Calls Page 11